Birmingham Slogging Gangs Walking Tour: A Cultural Exploration with Edward Shelby

Join Edward Shelby, a former member of the Birmingham slogging gangs, on a cultural exploration of the city. Learn about the historical and cultural aspects of the gangs and how they differed from their portrayal in popular culture.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • West Midlands Police Museum - Here you learn about where the Birmingham Gangs were held before trial. Please note that we will not enter the museum.
  • The Gunmakers Quarter - Stop for a drink and learn about weapons in Birmingham and their impact on the slave trade.
  • Chinese Quarter - Here you will learn about international gangs
  • High Street - Learn about Birmingham’s impact on the tea trade.
What's Included
  • Fun and educational experience
What's Not Included
  • Snacks
  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Parking Fees (£5 to £30)
Additional Information

Are you ready to become part of a Birmingham Slogging gang? If so, new recruits are welcome to join under the guidance of Edward Shelby, a seasoned member of the slogging gangs. He will guide you through the city and teach you about the gangs, highlighting how their reality contrasts with their depiction in popular culture. This tour, offered by the…

Location
Costa Coffee
Aston Street
Just look for the slogging gang member in the flat cap and cravat.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(228 Ratings)
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797speedys
Aug 12, 2024
Exceptional walking tour - We did the tour over a weekend in Birmingham - booked by myself and my friend Michael - and we really enjoyed the tour, the guide really knew his information about the peaky blinders and how it linked to the show. We found out some in depth information about the ancestry side. It was a honour to meet him and do the tour and I liked that we were able to purchase a peaky blinders hat as part of the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hein
Aug 3, 2024
City walk with a story - A fun tour in which Edward Shelby takes you through the city's slogging history in a fun way. The stop at the pub completes the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
371thijsv
Jul 19, 2024
Great tour ! - It was amazing!!! Edward is a top guide who made it a lot of fun and had real knowledge about the past from Birmingham's gangs
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lorrie_m
Jul 6, 2024
Bringing the legend to life! - Our guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining and pitched his stories at a level to engage all of us from 7 years to 70.Interesting anecdotes, and what a great pint from the brewery on the way round!Thank you Mr Shelby.
Review provided by Viator
Ann_c
Aug 13, 2024
Good walking tour - An enthusiastic man delivered an interesting tour. He was friendly and chatty. Answered questions and pointed out some interesting things.
Review provided by Viator
F2360exsamanthat
Jul 31, 2024
Excellent - The tour was very informative, the host was friendly chatty, he made it fun, my daughter shelby really enjoyed every minute.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E6474ainancyc
Jul 28, 2024
Nice tour - The Slogging Gangs Walking Tour was really nice. There was information given about the various gangs in Birmingham. The tour lasted 2 hours and was quite a bit of walking around local site. Overall nice tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kate_b
Jul 13, 2024
Fun, interesting & enjoyed a beer on the way! - The host ‘Edward’ full of interesting facts and shared lots of information in a fun way. Great way to see Birmingham
Review provided by Viator
H
Aug 5, 2024
Needs more content. - Having done many walking tours both in the UK and abroad, we thought this one somewhat rushed and underwealming. It was difficult to follow any storyline as the narrative was often unintelligible and without enthusiasm. At the first pub stop, there was time and opportunity to really set the scene and in hindsight maybe the tour should have started here, but we were briefly introduced to few characters that was over quite quickly and drifted into a chat about where those on the tour were from. This was followed by a trek through Birmingham centre stopping here and there with a little play acting. There were some historical inaccuracies along the way, I wasn't sure about the costume but if you're going to wear it, get it right. Trainers? Shirts would have been collarless. Also any reference to Peaky Blinders was thin on the ground. Afterwards we felt that it could have been so much better. The tour guide needs to do more homework and update the presentation and his presentation skills.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michelew660
Aug 4, 2024
Disappointing and lacking in substance. - Not knowing anything about Peaky Blinders (not watched the tv series) I had high expectations that this tour would give me an in depth understanding of the Slogging Gangs and their operations around the Birmingham area. The young guide was fairly authentically dressed, although his cap, collared shirt and lack of boots nodded to lack of attention to detail. We had a couple of friends who were already quite knowledgeable about the area and the gangs, so they were also expecting to learn new information. This unfortunately, was not the case. We were disappointed that the canals (these were mentioned several times) were not included in the tour. There was also reference to another fact that was incorrect regarding the gunmakers. The delivery of the information needed to be slowed down as well as the guide spoke very fast and sometimes we struggled to understand what he was saying (English is our first language but there were others in the group who did not have this advantage). I was also disappointed that the guide, who set off at a rate of knots, did not take into account the slowest member of the group (myself). I struggled to keep up with the pace and missed several key bits of information, as did my friends. The guide waited for us to catch up but had been talking about the gangs and then when we got there immediately moved on! There was so much more he could have done with the tour and to make sure that all the group were included. He was obviously passionate about the subject but he could have presented the pictures of the actual gang members in a larger format for everyone to see clearly and stopped waving them around. It may be worth investing in a board or smaller handout sheets that can be handed back so everyone can have a close up inspection. The balance of walking and information was disproportionate. Too fast paced (physically and verbally) and information not substantial enough.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
October 2024
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