Birmingham Slogging Gangs Walking Tour with Edward Shelby
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Birmingham, England
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
This informative tour is a fun and immersive way to find out about the slogging gangs who operated in Birmingham in the 19th and 20th centuries. As you stroll around the streets of Birmingham, discover stories that you wouldn’t have heard if exploring alone. Learn about notorious gang members as portrayed in “Peaky Blinders”, such as Billy Kimber and Alfie Solomon, with stops at local pubs and historical sights along the way.
- Explore Birmingham while hearing stories about its slogging gangs
- Break up the walk with stops at pubs along the way
- Entertaining commentary is provided throughout
- Tour is led by a character guide who acts as gang member Edward Shelby
What's Included
- Fun and education
- Snacks
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Parking Fees (£5 to £30)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Costa Coffee12-13 Aston St, Birmingham B4 7DA, UK
Just look for the slogging gang member in the flat cap and cravat.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
West Midlands Police Museum
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
The Gunmakers Quarter
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Birmingham Chinatown
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
High Street
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 333 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Fun and informative tour lead by a charming young gent. He reviews the actual histories of the people and events that Peaky Blinders is based on.
Absolutely fantastic! Edward was very knowledgeable. The whole tour from start to finish was fascinating. Will definitely be booking to go again.
Fun, interesting and a great way to see and learn about more of Birmingham. “Edward Shelby” was an excellent guide
I absolutely loved this tour. A fan of the show, yes, but also just generally interested in Birmingham history. Edward was knowledgeable and did a great job of explaining real life vs the show, and tying the history internationally, too. Loved the stops along the tour and would recommend to anyone! Fantastic tour!
I was disappointed with this tour. I had expected a Brummie to be leading it, not an American!
The tour takes advantage of the Peaky's TV show and film, but is really about the real life gangs.
I had a free afternoon while I was in Birmingham and decided to take a tour. This is a great option for Peaky Blinders fans, or anyone that is interested in learning more about the historical gangs of Birmingham and other cool facts along the way!
Not all peaky blinders information. And it turns out not much of the programme was filmed in Birmingham so no famous locations are included in tour. Black Country Living Museum is the place for that.
The tour was still very interesting; just dont expect it all to be Peaky Blinders, and certainly not about the TV adaptation of them
Edward Shelby walks us through the real history of the slogging gangs, the rivalries and some of the locations involved.
Edward is amazing, he took time for us and showes us all the interesting Spots. You will laugh and learn a lot.Everytime again!
Great two hours despite the weather Edward was very knowledgeable about gangs and Birmingham history
Mr. Shelby took us around the city and we got a lot of background / historical information. We went into a nice old pub (The Bull) and besides facts and places about the slogging gangs you could have a little overview of the city. Mr. Shelby is a very pleasant and funny young man.
Great tour! Our tour guide wa very knowledgeable and made sure to point out things that were specifically of interest to us!
Great tour and enjoyed the pub visit also - guide was very knowledgeable about the area and the history of the gangs.
Very pleasant, informative Sunday afternoon scroll round Brum to corners not visited before, even second oldest pub!
Great fun - would highly recommend.
It is a Peaky Blinders tour, but its an interesting look back at the history of Birmingham
Lots of fun. Our guide was fantastic! Learned a lot about the history of Birmingham and England as a whole. Entertaining for those with and without Peaky Blinders knowledge. Would recommend to anyone coming to Birmingham!
The tour does indeed take up to 2 hours and all the points mentioned in the itinerary were covered. Our guide (Edward Shelby) really immersed himself into his role and he once covered up when a police car approached, which was a nice touch. We stayed for about 30 minutes at "The Bull", which is enough for the guide to depict the comprehensive history of the place and for the tourists to enjoy some local beer. Even though this is a Peaky Blinders- focused tour, if we encountered any location significant for Birmingham's history (including Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne facts), the guide stopped and provided relevant information, which was very welcomed. I definitely recommend this tour to those who visit Birmingham, as it touches on several aspects which one may otherwise not come across.
Great tour and knowledgeable guide! Highly recommend and u get some daily steps in! Loved the pub where we had some cider to enjoy while he told some stories.
This tour is an excellent overview of the rich history of Birmingham and how the real Peaky Blinders fit into that history.
It was something different and got us walking around parts of Birmingham we wouldn’t have without this tour. The police station and pub were the best bit tbh. It was difficult to hear as so many people on the tour - I felt he needed to slow down and really articulate the facts better, he could have made it more interactive tbh.
The absolute best Peaky Blinders tour! Thank you and would highly recommend to anyone wanting to learn more Birmingham’s history, but also just for a fun afternoon out!
The tour was very informative however it’s a bit disappointing that the majority of the original Peaky blinders areas have been demolished. Loved visiting the Police Museum and the Gunmakers Arms.
A unique Birmingham experience. Edward was easy to listen to and had so many unique stories. Definitely off the beaten track and some vintage pubs along the way.
Ibterewtung stories about local gangsters and how they shaped the community at the tume. The guide adjusted to fit our needs.
Loved our tour around Birmingham on The Slogging Gangs and learnt a lot . “Edward Shelby” was funny, knowledgable and researched this area thoroughly so we were able to get a really authentic feel of what it must have Been like around that time . Lots of interesting stops , lots of info and we loved the way Shelby covered his face with his cap, or ducked behind cars when he saw the police ! Recommended this tour highly if you are in Birmingham and have a spare few hours
We really enjoyed our experience I would however like to give some constructive feedback. The guide was extremely informative although at times spoke way to fast and it was a struggle to pick out everything that was being said. We struggled to understand sometimes and we had a foreign couple in the group who really struggled.
It was a good tour to learn more about the gangs of Birmingham. I’m from the city and still learned quite a far bit. Good value, lots of ground covered around the city centre and enjoyed the stop at the pub.
Lots of walking, not really anything to see, not a great deal of local knowledge .
Some facts not explained well or slightly inaccurate
Response from Host, Apr 2025
I am sorry you did not enjoy the tour and that it did not align with the opinion you stated on the tour that the TV show is factually accurate. Our tour script was written using contemporary documents such as newspaper reports, censuses, prison records etc, books on the subject by prominent historians and discussions with these historians and other organisations such as the West Midlands Police Museum as well as stories passed down through our owners family. We believe that this extensive research makes our tours an accurate reflection of the historical gangs.
Great tour packed with interesting facts. A stop off in a cracking pub as well! Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Thank you!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
So glad you enjoyed the tour. I will pass on your comments to Mark at the Gunmaker's Arms
Very enjoyable and informative tour. Our tour guide was lovely and good fun. He was happy to answer any questions and there was no rush
Response from Host, Mar 2025
so glad you enjoyed the tour and we really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review
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