A New Chapter For Centuries, Birmingham Lived In London’S Shadow. Now The Once-Grimy City Of Industry Is Trying To Create Its Own Identity.

There’s a move afoot in Britain’s second largest city to change the name of Birmingham International Airport to Shakespeare International. The idea is to help boost the region’s trans-Atlantic appeal.

That’s like Greta Scacchi changing her name to Greta Garbo in hopes of getting better roles. Or as the Bard himself put it, “a rose by any other name… .”

Like second cities everywhere, Birmingham overcompensates for its imagined shortcomings with a “put up your dukes” display of guts and pizazz. Behind this tough facade is a generous, friendly citizenry bursting with civic pride, ready and willing to share their many treasures.

For starters, dismiss those antiquated images of Birmingham as rows of sooty industrial silos and soaring smokestacks belching acrid fumes into a dingy, gray atmosphere. The gloomy old blackened buildings of yore long ago were dusted off or torn down. This once premier city of the Industrial Revolution, still the United Kingdom’s largest manufacturing center, today goes about its daily business with total regard for the environment and with a renewed sense of pride.

London it’s not. But in its own right, Birmingham offers its share of culture, fine dining, first-rate accommodations and plenty of shopping. It’s also the perfect hub for exploring the many fine attractions that fan out from the city’s center.

Birmingham’s streets are squeaky clean, earning it the official title as the UK’s cleanest city. It also boasts more public parks than any other European city.

Although completely landlocked, Birmingham’s ancient canal system is more extensive than you’ll find in Venice, with 33 miles of canals, dating back to the early 1800s, when they were important arteries of trade. Today, they’re used mostly for recreation, dotted along some stretches with trendy pubs and restaurants, and ideal for inviting canalside walks.

With a colorful history dating back to the Middle Ages, Birmingham still retains much of the Victorian and Edwardian architecture of its civic buildings. Commingled with these ancient edifices are modern high-rise, glass-and-chrome office buildings, the result of an ongoing rejuvenation of the city begun after World War II, when huge sections were devastated by Nazi air raids.

At the center of it all is Birmingham’s International Convention Centre, affectionately referred to by the locals as “the ICC.” It’s big and glitzy, much like all those other glossy conference facilities that have popped up around the world in the last 10 years or so. What makes this one unique is its location. It’s a vibrant marketplace bustling with pedestrians, situated right in the heart of town on Centenary Square, an imaginative piazza dotted with shops, coffee houses, restaurants and bars.

Dominating this multi-purpose complex and its 11 meeting halls is the magnificent Symphony Hall, home of the high-profile City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, which fills the acoustically perfect auditorium with splendid sounds throughout the year.

A rich selection of other cultural attractions at the great hall includes a robust schedule of internationally renowned visiting orchestras and artists booked throughout the year. The Birmingham Royal Ballet performs year round at the Hippodrome, and the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company appears at the Alexandra Theatre. The innovative Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the oldest repertory company in England, offers a program of classic, contemporary and discovery plays.

Among the city’s collection of museums, the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery houses an outstanding display of glass, ceramics and period costumes in a Victorian setting, along with an impressive collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings. The University of Birmingham’s Barber Institute of Fine Arts features an idiosyncratic display of old master and modern paintings, including major works by Bellini, Rubens, Gainsborough, Renoire, Poussin and Monet. Lovers of fine art will revel in the discovery of one of the least known but unsurpassed small picture galleries in the world. Admission is free.

The 200-year-old Jewellery Quarter, a brisk 15-minute walk from the city center, has a large selection of manufacturers’ showrooms with some pretty good buys if you shop around. A time capsule factory workshop at the Discovery Centre, still much as it was a century ago, offers demonstrations by a goldsmith diligently plying his ancient craft.

Within a short drive of Birmingham are some of England’s most popular sites. The top tourist attraction is Stratford-upon-Avon, the riverside village where Shakespeare was born. A must for dedicated Shakespeareans is a visit to the half-timbered house where the Bard was born, part of the so-called Shakespeare Properties, all five of which can best be seen in an open-top, double-decker bus with guide.

Stratford’s other big attraction is the celebrated Royal Shakespeare Company and its Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The adjacent Swan Theatre offers more of the same on a smaller scale, with The Other Place nearby, presenting more contemporary works. The Waterside Studio is an intimate performing house featuring abbreviated versions of the Shakespearean classics, plus other offbeat offerings.

No more than an arrow shot from Stratford is the unassuming little village of Warwick, dominated by the beautifully preserved Warwick Castle. England’s finest medieval structure, rising majestically above the River Avon, dates back to the days of William the Conqueror. Today, its commanding battlements, towers and dungeon, complete with genuine torture chamber, are embellished with modern-day, show-biz enhancements.

Purists may resent the intrusion of Madame Tussaud waxworks-type figures (the Tussaud company owns and operates the castle), complete with sound effects, background music and voice-over narration that permeates a series of tableaux depicting preparations for battle. The gimcrackery is surprisingly entertaining and is pulled off without any apparent incongruity.

If you head for nearby Bournville, home of the famed Cadbury chocolate factory, don’t expect to find the enchantment of a Willy Wonka fantasyland. Unless you’re a certified chocoholic or have small kids in tow, you may think the $8 adults, $5 children admission fee isn’t worth it. For one thing, sanitary considerations preclude viewing the actual manufacturing process, although a packaging operation in a “demonstration area” can be seen, and a few product samples are passed out along the way.

Be sure to allow plenty of time to meander through the nearby quintessential English Cotswolds, a collage of rolling green hills and quaint villages with traditional tea rooms and ye olde antique shops dotting the landscape.

For travelers who have already explored London and the UK’s other high-profile tourist destinations, Birmingham and environs are the perfect next place to go.

Jack McGuire is a Chicago-area based travel writer.

This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Birmingham, England

Accommodations: The Birmingham area has an excellent selection of hotels, stately homes and inns ranging in price from $35 to $240 per night. Among the best: Hyatt Regency Hotel, located in the city center, linked by a glass-enclosed bridge to the ICC complex. Ultra-modern 24-story, 319-room property has a health and fitness club, indoor swimming pool, steamroom, whirlpool and massage room. Forest of Arden Hotel, in a country club setting on a 10,000-acre estate four miles from the airport, features two superb golf courses, a deer park and trout lakes. Nailcote Hall Hotel, one of England’s most beautiful small stately homes, is in the heart of the Midlands. Arden Thistle Hotel, notable mostly for its great location in the heart of Stratford-upon-Avon, sits opposite the famed Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres. Seasonal al fresco dining is featured.

Dining: Birmingham and the surrounding area offer a cosmopolitan diversity of fine restaurants reflecting its rich ethnic mix. Lygon Arms, in the ancient village of Broadway, is one of the Cotswolds’ most famous dining venues. The 45-minute drive from the city is rewarded with excellent cuisine presented in a cheerful welcoming atmosphere. Moor Hall, 15 minutes from the city, offers old-fashioned country house elegance and an imaginative menu in a bosky, parkland setting.

The Dirty Duck in Stratford-upon-Avon, jampacked with the town’s cadre of actors, is a good place to soak up the local character over a late-evening pint and a reasonably priced snack. The Slug and Lettuce, once you get by the uninviting name, is another popular Stratford pub with a decent menu.

Information: Most guidebooks, even those published in Britain, give short shrift to Birmingham. One major American guide doesn’t mention it at all, and another states quite cavalierly: “Birmingham does not aspire to a high rating on the tourist circuit.” I recommend “Britain,” from Lonely Planet Publications. For additional information, contact the British Tourist Authority, 551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 401, New York, NY, (800) 462-2748. BTA’s Web site is www.visitbritain.com.