4 Best Sights in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Heart of England, England

On paper this museum might not be the obvious choice for a fun afternoon on your vacation, but it’s actually a wonderful time capsule of an interesting and important part of Birmingham’s industrial history. It was on this site in the Jewellery Quarter that Alfred and Edwin Newman (the Newman Brothers, who previously had been accomplished brass fitters) first started making coffins in the late Victorian era. The company quickly established itself as the area's best coffin-makers and was soon making coffins for the likes of Queen Mary, King George V, and Winston Churchill. Though the company fell into decline in the 1960s, eventually closing in the 1990s, guided tours now let you clock in as workers once did before taking you behind the scenes in the manager's office (where you can listen to spooky audio of one of the most prominent figures in the company’s history), onto the factory floor, and into the shroud room. Guided tours occur at 11 am from Friday through Sunday, with self-guided tours every half hour from noon to 3 pm. There are also guided tours at 11 am, noon, 1 pm, and 3 pm on Thursday and at 11 am and 1 pm on Wednesday.

A farm’s cider house (the alcoholic kind) and a cooper’s workshop have been re-created at the museum, where you can tour ancient cellars with huge oak vats and celebrate the drink for which the region is renowned. Cider brandy is made here, and the museum sells its own brand, along with other cider items.

During the 19th century, Birmingham was the hub of the world pen trade with 129 factories employing nearly 8,000 people, and this museum celebrates the heritage of this lost city trade and tells the stories of past workers in poignant detail. Located within a former pen factory, the exhibits illustrate the industry's heyday through a decorative array of nibs, quills, fountain pens, inks, and all the paraphernalia of the pre-ballpoint era. You can try your hand at calligraphy, make your own nib, and listen to recollections of previous employees for insight about the working conditions of yesteryear.

Tread carefully over the cobbles, and enter Tudor World on Sheep Street to find a dimly lit and quirky maze of displays that explore, with the help of Tudor mannequins, aspects of the 16th century, including the plague years, early medicine, witch trials, bearbaiting, punishment, and alleged ghosts. Kids will enjoy peering round the curtains and opening the boxes of smells. At night, ghost tours by lantern light (suitable only for adults and older children) explore the house’s paranormal history in spooky detail.