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UPDATE: Please take the time to read our announcement. Ristorante Café Arena is open as normal.
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About Roundhouse Birmingham

A very big hello from the team at Roundhouse Birmingham.
We’re looking forward to welcoming you.
Read our story and learn how we came to look after the curious Roundhouse building

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Our story

What's Roundhouse Birmingham?

Roundhouse Birmingham is a heritage enterprise and independent charity. We look after the Grade II* listed building and use it as a base for our tours and activities exploring Birmingham.   

The charity was created through a landmark partnership between Canal & River Trust and the National Trust which aimed to find a new and sustainable purpose for one of Birmingham’s hidden gems, the Roundhouse.

What do we do?

Roundhouse Birmingham offers visitors a chance to See The City Differently through a range of volunteer-powered guided city and canal tours, whilst securing a sustainable future for the historic site through a range of lettable spaces. With our custodianship of the Roundhouse and its story as a starting point, we create links between our visitors, volunteers, and the city.

We believe in the social benefit of connecting people with the unique stories and special places that Birmingham has to offer, across streets, canals and public spaces.

We work with our volunteers and partners to find innovative and entrepreneurial ways to champion our city’s heritage, doing our bit to make Birmingham a destination for visitors from near or far.

The history of the Roundhouse

In 1874, a large, circular brick building emerged on Sheepcote Street, between the London North Western Railway line and the Birmingham Canal.

Part of a massive city improvement act, the building was commissioned by the Corporation of Birmingham through an architectural competition, which was won by local architect W H Ward.

Ward’s Roundhouse, then known or Corporation Wharf or Sheepcote Street Depot, was used as a stables and stores for the Birmingham Corporation’s Public Works Department.

A unique example of Birmingham’s civic and industrial heritage, the Grade II* listed Roundhouse has stood the test of time across many uses and some periods of disrepair.

In 2020 the building was subject to a full-scale renovation, which saved the historic fabric of the building; re-purposing the site for the 21st century.

Old back and white picture of the Roundhouse with an old truck parked in the Roundhouse tunnel

Reviving the Roundhouse

The project to renovate the Roundhouse began in 2013 and was a collaboration between a range of partners and funders.

The Canal & River Trust and National Trust are our parent organisations, they set up Roundhouse Birmingham as a charity and began the project.

National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded Roundhouse Birmingham an enterprise grant in 2017.

Historic England awarded Roundhouse Birmingham a grant for building works in 2019. 

The project also received support from Sport England and a range of supporters groups, trusts and foundations.

Funders
Picture of the Roundhouse lower courtyard

Reinventing the Roundhouse

In early 2019, the full-scale renovation of the Roundhouse building began.

The works included structural support, new windows, completely new services, roof replacement and insulation, and relaying sections of the courtyard for drainage and accessibility.

The building is split into a series of spaces; a Visitor Centre, an independent café and private offices.

We are a charity

Roundhouse Birmingham is an independent charity with the aim of making this beautiful old building self-sustaining by giving it a new purpose. When you buy a ticket for one of our tours, purchase something in our gift shop or become one of our tenants, you’re directly helping to support the future of the Roundhouse, enabling our work with the local community. Roundhouse charity number – 1169232

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Need help? We're here to help you with anything you need, don't be shy, get in touch.

Contact us

Roundhouse Birmingham

The Roundhouse, 1 Sheepcote St, Birmingham, B16 8AE

0121 716 4077

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Registered Charity No. 1169232

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Update

The ‘Roundhouse Birmingham’ charity was set up in 2016 to care for the historic Grade II* listed Roundhouse building. Nine years on and the restored building is now used as office space and is home to a much-loved Italian restaurant.

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.

If you’ve already booked a tour, you’ll be contacted via email and the cost of your booking will be refunded. We apologise for any inconvenience.   

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