Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG) occupies the Victorian Council House complex on Chamberlain Square, at the civic heart of the city centre. Opened in 1885, it holds one of the world’s most important Pre-Raphaelite collections and the glittering Staffordshire Hoard, making it a key stop for art and history lovers in the Midlands.
Visitors enter through the domed Round Room, where sculpture and paintings sit beneath a lantern-lit ceiling. The Pre-Raphaelite Galleries celebrate Birmingham-born Edward Burne-Jones and display Ford Madox Brown’s “The Last of England.” The Staffordshire Hoard Gallery presents gold and garnet Anglo-Saxon metalwork found in 2009, the largest such hoard ever discovered. Other open spaces include the Birmingham History Galleries, the cast-iron Industrial Gallery, the Bridge Gallery and Wild City, a new family gallery. The Level 2 art galleries remain closed during ongoing refurbishment (source: [BMAG](https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/birmingham-museum-and-art-gallery/visit)).
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
BMAG opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and daily during school holidays (source: [BMAG](https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/birmingham-museum-and-art-gallery)). Council funding extended opening hours in summer 2026 (source: [Museums Association](https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2026/07/birmingham-museums-extend-opening-hours-after-council-budget-boost/)). Midweek mornings outside school holidays are the quietest. Book ahead for Joe Lycett’s “EVERY THING MUST GO,” which runs until 21 February 2027. Afterwards, take a break in the Edwardian Tearoom. The museum is a 10-minute walk from Birmingham New Street, close to Victoria Square and the Library of Birmingham.
