UPDATE: Please take the time to read our announcement. Ristorante Café Arena is open as normal.
The Long Way ‘Round…
A brand-new website also means a brand-new news section, so now we can keep you up to date with all things Roundhouse.
Having spent a large part of 2020 away on furlough, our team have (almost) all returned. We’ve been busy revising plans for our opening summer. It’s been a strange time, but we’re getting there.
The Renovations
Thankfully, renovation works continued at the Roundhouse; progressing pretty much throughout 2020. At the time of writing, it’ll only be only a few weeks before the site is ready for our team and our tenants to begin moving in. There will be more news about office space soon.
We’re *this* close to some announcements about our community of tenants. But, one news post at a time…
Behind the Scenes
With lockdown very much still in effect, the Roundhouse Birmingham team are, like many people, working from home. So. Many. Zooms.
But we’re working hard to get things ready, so that when the things are looking brighter, we’ll be ready to welcome you to the Roundhouse.
In December, we kicked off our volunteer training programme; with sessions taking place entirely online for now. After a very long gap, it was great to get re-acquainted with tour guides; welcome and events; research; digital and photography volunteers. We have around 80 volunteers involved, and we’re incredibly grateful that they’ve stuck with us! We might even meet in person at some point.
Our Community Routes project with Canal & River Trust is in full swing, with collage-at-home kits and tours created with residents and partners coming along nicely. The results of which will be front and centre in our displays and programme in the summer (all being well).
And our activity programme…
After a bit of re-adjusting, we can confirm we’ll be launching a programme of four different guided tours and a range of self-guided tours for our opening summer programme. There’s more to be revealed soon, so you might want to join our mailing list (use the form below), or follow our socials to be among the first to here our announcements…
We can’t wait to launch our opening season, which will be all about introductions: to the Roundhouse, to our tours programme, to our tenants, and to Birmingham itself. Inviting you all to #SeeTheCityDifferently.
And there’s much more to come. We can’t wait to share it all. Until then, stay safe and we’ll see you soon.
CM
The Roundhouse, 1 Sheepcote St, Birmingham, B16 8AE
0121 716 4077
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Registered Charity No. 1169232
Since 2021, the Roundhouse has also been a base for guided walks, kayak tours, boat trips and other activities. Whilst these have been well received, rising external costs mean this element of Roundhouse Birmingham is no longer providing the sustainable income we need to fund the ongoing care of this historic building. For this reason, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the leisure activity offer and visitor centre.
The office spaces will remain open as usual. Visitors can still access the site (see www.arenaltd.co.uk for opening hours) and Ristorante Caffe Arena will continue to welcome visitors.
We’re hugely proud of what the Roundhouse Birmingham team has achieved, and we’d also like to thank all of our visitors for their support. The trustees of Roundhouse Birmingham remain fully committed to caring for this important part of Birmingham’s heritage.
