A Walk on the Gothic Side

A Walk on the Gothic Side returns to the Jewellery Quarter on Sunday 8 November, a guided tour that takes the darker side of the neighbourhood's history out into the open. It's a repeat of last year's sell-out, led by guide Ian Braisby, who takes the group through two Victorian cemeteries and the grim landmarks of the Quarter, including sites of murder and execution, while sketching out the cruel realities of 19th-century Birmingham life. The day is spent largely outdoors, so it's one for when you're happy to be on your feet and in the air.

After the walk, the group settles in for a cuppa and cake at the Coffin Works' Casting Shop Café before a guided tour of the museum itself. The Coffin Works is a grade II* listed factory on the edge of the Jewellery Quarter that tells the story of Newman Brothers, the city's last coffin-furniture manufactory. It operated from Fleet Street for more than 100 years until the workers laid down their equipment and walked out for the very last time in 1998, leaving everything behind. Some of the original Victorian machinery is in action again, showing how the highest-quality handles, fixtures and fittings for coffins were made.

The whole thing runs from 12:30pm to 4:30pm, with the meeting point outside the Jewellery Quarter Train Station on Vyse Street, B18 6JZ. Tickets are £25 per person.