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        <title>Been there | Tips</title>
        
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            Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love,
            live in or have just visited - are what make this guide.
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                <title>Heavenly Handsworth Park</title>
                
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                <description><![CDATA[Handsworth, an inner city suburb of Handsworth Birmingham wouldn’t be most peoples’ first thought as a place to revel in the glory of a British autumn, but at the heart of Handsworth is a gem of a park designed by Vertigens over 100 years ago and recently restored with heritage lottery monies.  <br><br>What makes it stand out from so many others is the topography; wheelchair users should bring a strong pusher.  It sometimes feels like three or four parks in one, so constantly surprised are you by the next view.  Full of mature trees, it’s a great place to have a Sunday wander and wonder at  colours, shapes lit with glorious autumnal light enhanced by the reflective bounce of two lakes. <br><br>Kids of all ages can collect conkers and leaves and when you need a break the Boathouse cafe sells gorgeous homemade cakes and dishes up chicken rice ‘n peas dinners on a Sunday.  Heaven.]]></description>
                
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                <title>The Shakespeare Memorial Room</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/15483</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA[Part of much missed old Victorian Central Library and now housed in the new building on Chamberlain Square. Open once a year for City Discovery Day. Worth a visit if you are around the city centre that day.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Blakesley Hall</title>
                
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                <description><![CDATA[One of the most charming small museums in Birmingham with a recently added visitor centre and tea room. A real Brummy gem. The house itself is very small, but taken together this is a real treat.<br><br>Opening Times:<br>Open from 31st March to 28th October<br>Tuesday to Sunday 11.30am - 4pm<br>Closed Mondays except Bank Holidays]]></description>
                
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                <title>The Custard Factory</title>
                
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                <description><![CDATA[The Custard Factory is a large former industrial complex housing creative businesses and a number of nice cafes and bars, including the Medicine Bar and Rooty Fruity. <br><br>There a few galleries, shops and showrooms that are also worth a visit.<br><br>You don't feel like you're in Brum when you visit this place, which for most people is a good thing.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Winterbourne Gardens</title>
                
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                <description><![CDATA[The University of Birmingham's own botanical gardens. Much more interesting than the nearby Botanical Gardens. <br><br>Several acres of charming gardens and glass houses in the grounds of an old Victorian house. Adjacent to a small lake and woodland in the heart of Edgbaston. Absolutely delightful.]]></description>
                
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                <title>The Barton Arms</title>
                
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                <description><![CDATA[This historic Grade 2-listed building is Birmingham's finest example of Victorian pub architecture, resplendent in decorative tiles and stained glass.<br><br>The pub serves Oakham's award-winning real ales, guest ales from the region and across the country and imported bottled beers from around the world. Authentic freshly cooked Thai food is served from 12 noon-2.30pm and 5.30-10pm Tuesday to Sunday.<br><br>One of Birmingham's true gems.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Peace Gardens</title>
                
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                <description><![CDATA[Battered in an air raid in December 1940, a clock tower and domed cupola are all that remains of St Thomas's Church, left to loom over these simple gardens as a monument to Birmingham's losses.<br><br>During 1998's G8 summit in the city, each world leader planted a tree here to represent their country. A 'peace pole' rises from the centre bearing the inscription 'May peace prevail on earth' in four languages. Forsaking the benches and sitting cross-legged beside the pole under the shadow of the church can be a powerful experience.]]></description>
                
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                <title>Moseley Bog</title>
                
                <link>http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3247</link>
                
                <description><![CDATA["They do say the trees can actually move, and can surround strangers and hem them in," a hobbit once said. Enclosed by twitching moss and ancient blackened mounds as you duck through the moist undergrowth, it's easy to see how Tolkien drew inspiration from this place. <br><br>Lamenting Birmingham's relentless expansion, he found here an oasis that civilisation passed by, and relaxing quietly beneath a leafy bower, a gnarled trunk twisting above and clasping twigs with its neighbour, you're liable to forget that city life is but a few hundred metres away.]]></description>
                
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