We visited the picturesque Victorian surrounds of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and spent a lovely few hours under surprisingly sunny skies, all togged out in our Saturday best.
It's not often that I go just for fun; more usually weekends are either spent writing/ composing/ doing stuff for the #GASP radio show. As a result, it can sometimes be difficult to remember how to do the going-out-for-fun stuff. So big thanks to the assembled Assembly for giving me a very timely reminder! And it also got me thinking - there are some lovely places in the West Midlands. Where else might be good for a steampunk style outing?
Here's a few I could think of, with some help from fellow Assemblers:
- Birmingham Back to Backs http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/birmingham-back-to-backs/
- Birmingham Botanical Gardens http://www.birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk/
- Black Country Living Museum http://www.bclm.co.uk/
- Bridgnorth Cliff Railway http://www.bridgnorthcliffrailway.co.uk/
- Cadbury World (yes, chocolate is steampunk, and so is the neighbourhood of Bournville) http://www.cadburyworld.co.uk/
- Cannon Hill Park http://www.cannonhillpeoplespark.net/
- Dudley Zoological gardens (for safaris) http://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/
- Edwardian tearooms at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG)http://www.bmag.org.uk/birmingham-museum/cafe-shop
- Hereford Waterworks http://www.waterworksmuseum.org.uk/?module=landing&e=notvalid
- J W Evans Silver Factory https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/j-w-evans-silver-factory/
- The Jekyll and Hyde Victorian gin parlourhttp://www.thejekyllandhyde.co.uk/
- MAD Museum, Stratford on Avon http://themadmuseum.co.uk/
- Newman Brothers Coffin Workshttp://www.birminghamconservationtrust.org/current/newman-brothers/
- Severn Valley Railway http://www.svr.co.uk/
- Soho House (home of Matthew Boulton) http://www.bmag.org.uk/soho-house
- Thinktank, just for the working steam engines alone! http://www.thinktank.ac/
- Tyseley Loco Works - their open days have some SERIOUS engineering & home base of vintage trains (see below) http://www.tyseleylocoworks.co.uk/tlw/
- Vintage Trains/ Shakespeare Express http://www.vintagetrains.co.uk/
- Winterbourne House & Gardens http://www.winterbourne.org.uk/
So where else is good for a jolly? Let me know if you have any favourites that I've missed...
See below for a few photos from the event - the Assembly themselves are concealed on my facebook page, but they know who they are...