Peaky Blinders comes to life in city centre tour
We have all seen the popular series Peaky Blinders and it is fair to say that the show has become one of the most popular on our screens in recent years. We have been captivated by Cillian Murphy’s role as gang leader Tommy Shelby and many of us have fallen head over heels in love with Tom Hardy thanks to his role of Alfie Solomons. But, considering that Peaky Blinders is based on what happened right here in Birmingham, many of us are unaware of what really happened and who were the inspirations behind the incredible TV characters.
Peaky Tours, which take place in Digbeth, are on a mission to teach fans of the show all about the real Peaky Blinders, a criminal gang based in Birmingham in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The tours are conducted by Prof Carl Chinn, author of ‘The Real Peaky Blinders’, and begin and end at The Old Crown pub, with a tour taking place in the local area in-between.
When I arrived for the tour recently, I was surprised at the amount of people who were there. We were taken into a private room in the pub and were given the opportunity to meet with others, some of which had travelled as far as Manchester and East Anglia. Of course, there were plenty of folk from the Midlands too, but Carl welcomed everyone equally and made a real effort to get to know each visitor.
Before heading out on the tour, Carl spent over an hour explaining who the real Peaky Blinders were and the story behind these incredibly violent men and urged us all to understand that this was not a glamorous time. With a pinch of humour and audience participation, the tour isn’t incredibly serious but does give everyone the opportunity to learn about the history of gang culture in the 1900s and Carl often compared the TV series to what really happened all those years ago.
During this time, we were also shown pictures of members of the gang that the TV series are based on as well as the local area for us to compare then and now. Personally, I was surprised at how much of the area hasn’t changed. Once heading out on the tour, we were taken to key locations where Carl talked us through what happened there and explained throughout the duration just how the gang got the now iconic name the Peaky Blinders. Although a handful of the stops were essentially in the middle of car parks, many of the historic moments took place under the viaduct bridges and something about it being a dark and cold evening transported me away to the Victorian era.
A stand out moment on the tour was bumping into a group of men dressed up like the characters we know from the series, which made it even more real. Well, until everyone got their cameras out and we were reminded that it is indeed 2017. After the tour, we headed back to The Old Crown for a traditional Victorian dish – faggots, mash and peas, of course – and a drink, as well as the opportunity to learn more, ask questions and reflect on what we had learned.
The Peaky Tour began at 7pm and lasted until around 11pm, making it a very long evening and at times, it was unnecessarily long. However, Carl is an incredibly passionate and charismatic man and it is difficult to not get swept away with the mystery of the real Peaky Blinders and learning about the history of the area. Unfortunately, on the evening of the tour, the weather was awful, meaning that the walk around Digbeth had to be cut down to no more than 20 minutes. If the weather had been better, it would have lasted around 40-45 minutes. The Old Crown is also a fantastic location for the tour, after all, it is the oldest pub in Birmingham city centre and the staff and tour assistants are very friendly.
The tour is a lot of fun and is the perfect opportunity to learn about what inspired the popular TV show as well as the history of Birmingham and how the city has become the place it is today. However, I would recommend that you keep the whole night free in case it goes on for longer than you anticipated and dress weather appropriately.
