The Roundhouse

The Roundhouse is a horseshoe-shaped Grade II listed building of 1874 on Sheepcote Street, beside the canals at the heart of Birmingham. Designed by W. H. Ward for Birmingham Corporation as stables and stores, it is a curious survivor of the city's Victorian past, and after decades of decline it was restored by the National Trust and the Canal & River Trust together, with money from National Lottery players and a grant from Historic England. The renovated building now houses office space and Ristorante Caffe Arena, a family-owned Italian restaurant serving fresh pizza and pasta at lunch and dinner. Reviewers come less for the building than for what starts from it: guided tours on foot and by kayak along the canals, praised for knowledgeable guides who tell the story of the city's waterways and the horses once stabled here, often rounded off with pizza. The building has step-free access to all public areas, but the courtyard is laid to cobbles on a steep slope, so follow the marked accessible route with a wheelchair or pushchair.