Tolkien's tower opens for the first time as Heritage Week unlocks 250 sites

More than 250 of Birmingham's heritage sites, many of them normally closed to the public, are opening their doors for Birmingham Heritage Week, which runs from 11 to 20 September.

Perrott's Folly opens for the first time

This year's highlight is Perrott's Folly in Edgbaston, taking part for the first time. The 18th-century tower is widely believed to have inspired one of the Two Towers in JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth. Tolkien spent part of his childhood nearby, within sight of the folly and the Victorian waterworks tower beside it.

Vaults, tunnels and catacombs

The programme reaches into some of the city's most unusual hidden spaces, including:

• the vaults of the former city bank;
• the old mail tunnels beneath the Mailbox; and
• the Victorian catacombs at Key Hill and Warstone Lane cemeteries in the Jewellery Quarter.

There are also guided walks around the Yardley Conservation Area, one of the city's best-preserved historic suburbs, and neighbourhood walks in Northfield, Harborne, Moor Pool and Handsworth.

"This is a brilliant opportunity for people to see our city through a different lens - including sites they walk past every day without knowing what lies beneath," said Councillor Deborah Harries, Cabinet Member for Culture.

Birmingham Heritage Week celebrates the city's industrial, cultural and architectural heritage. It is supported by Birmingham City Council, Birmingham Museums Trust, the National Trust, the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Municipal Charity.

The full programme, including which events need booking, is on the Birmingham Heritage Week website.