Digbeth
A Comprehensive Area Guide
Digbeth, once Birmingham’s industrial heartland, is now one of Britain’s coolest neighbourhoods. It’s dotted with fantastic street art, art galleries, live music venues, tropical beer gardens, and plenty of indie shops and hippy bars.
The area’s industrial charm, character and history is widely evident in the century-old industrial buildings turned into restaurants, cafes and pubs, the railway arches throughout town, and the occasional canals.
However, this isn’t to say it’s stuck in the past. Gentrification has been steady and relentless, with modern apartments and business buildings regularly cropping up to house the droves of creatives, investors, and newcomers moving here daily.
Find out why Digbeth is one of the best places to live in the Midlands below.
Getting Around Digbeth; Transport Links in the Area
Digbeth is incredibly well-connected. It is home to the Birmingham Coach Station operated by Britain’s largest express coach network, the National Express. The station offers coach services connecting Digbeth residents and visitors to destinations throughout the wider West Midlands region, Great Britain, Belfast, and Dublin.
Additionally, Digbeth is just at the edge of the bustling Birmingham City Centre, with even more connections to destinations throughout the country. It also has access to the M5, M6 and M40 motorway networks,
Prefer to take the train? Digbeth is just a few minutes from Moor Street Station, one of the busiest train stations in Birmingham. It links London Marylebone, Leamington Spa, Whitlocks End, Stratford-upon-Avon, and countless other locations in Birmingham and London. The district is also a stone throw away from New Street Train Station, where one can catch buses to Edgbaston and other areas in and outside Birmingham City Centre.
Although it’s already well-connected, Digbeth is undergoing a large gentrification scheme set to enhance its accessibility in the future. The plan includes the HS2 Station at Curzon Street project, which will turn Digbeth into an insanely well-connected district, and a significant hub in the UK’s transport system. The HS2 will offer high-speed rail links to and from Birmingham and other major areas, including London, which will now be only 49 minutes away, Manchester, and Leeds.
Schools in the Digbeth Area
Living in Digbeth promises seamless access to some of the country’s top-tier learning institutions, thanks to the district’s proximity to the Birmingham City Center. These institutions range from private to independent primary and secondary schools, vocational learning facilities, to renowned universities. Some of these include:
– Aston University
– St Anne’s Catholic Primary School
– St. Thomas C of E Academy
– Scholars School System
– South & City College Birmingham, Digbeth Campus
– Central Tuition Academy
– University of Birmingham
Amenities in Digbeth
As an area a few minutes from Birmingham, and a district whose development began as early as the 7th century, Digbeth has access to various amenities that make life easy for everyone.
Libraries
Bibliophiles, history buffs, students, intellectuals, and anyone looking for knowledge will enjoy living in Digbeth, as it’s only a few minutes from multiple public libraries. For instance, the Birmingham Library University is only nine minutes from Digbeth via Bradford Street, while the Library of Birmingham is about a 15-minute drive and easily accessible via A38 or New Street.
Other libraries nearby include Spring Hill Library, Bloomsbury and the Main Library at the University of Birmingham. The Old Library in Digbeth, one of Birmingham’s first-ever free libraries and the only one standing, is still operational today but as an events venue.
Health Centres in Digbeth
Digbeth is a short drive away from the Birmingham NHS Walk-in Centre on High Street. The facility offers a wide range of general practice services and ensures easy patient access to health information. However, it’s not the only NHS treatment center in the area. Alternatives include:
- Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Halcyon Medical Centre; a GP practice on 24 Martineau Place offering a wide range of NHS treatments
- Badger Medical Ltd; a non-profit healthcare center for urgent primary care, and GP services
For NHS dentistry in the area check out Night Dental Practice, Cherry Street Dental Surgery, and Henderson Dental Practice.
Public Spaces in Digbeth
Digbeth currently has limited public spaces, but part of its regeneration scheme is to create several new public spaces where anyone can spend passive time. Each of these projects will have distinctive characteristics perfect for relaxation. For instance, part of the proposed plan includes the transformation of Viaducts in Digbeth into planted parks away from human and car traffic.
But before the projects are complete, Digbeth’s conservation areas are open to the public for passive, day-use entertainment such as dog-walking, nature photography and bird hiking.
More Area Guides
Living in Digbeth
Digbeth is an all-rounded community with everything you might need only a distance away.