Selfridge's knew better than to opt for a horizontal stripe

Olivia Abbott enjoys an extended weekend city break in the Venice of the North and discovers there’s more to Birmingham than the Bullring

Shopping heaven at The Mailbox

‘Well that’s a bit of a contrast,’ said my travelling companion, as he looked up at the bulging silver-discs of the Selfridges building looming out into the blue sky above him. Behind was the weather-beaten, dark-red stone of the cathedral, all angular corners and pointy spires, in front the glass and metal splenour of the Bullring shopping centre. Birmingham is a city of quite startling contrasts.

The Mailbox, the state-of-the-art new shopping centre and home to Harvey Nicks (sweetie, dahling) is a short stroll along the canal from the Gas Street Basin, where traditional narrowboats are moored up overlooked by a Premier Inn, and just opposite, Brindleyplace and the Ikon gallery showcase the latest in modern art.

Strolling along the canalside on a bright and breezy spring morning, where the still waters disappear under buildings, looking dark and gloomy enough that something formidable and tentacled could make an appearance at any moment, you can imagine the barges being pulled here by man and beast back in the dawning of the age of industry – in fact, there are still ridges in the towpath for pushing against, should you ever find yourself dragging a barge through Birmingham city centre.

Take it easy

Fortunately, nothing so strenuous was being demanded of us – we were free to shop, eat, drink and soak up the culture to our hearts’ delight. And what made the weekend even more relaxed was that we were enjoying one of Thistle Hotels’ Lazy Sunday breaks, with a late breakfast up to midday and no need to checkout until 6pm. Book in for this and it’s like your weekend is extended for an extra day – no worrying about what to do with the car or bags while you try to cram in that last bit of sightseeing on Sunday morning.

The Thistle Birmingham is a very convenient 10 minutes walk from the city centre, so we did everything on foot, beginning with a tour of the historic Jewellery Quarter. This is where jewellers have been creating their wares for more than 250 years, and is a designated conservation area. It’s also where three quarters of the world’s pens were made, and at the Pen Room museum we had a go at making our own nibs with an old press, and experimented with writing with quills (messy!). Don’t think that the industry is all consigned to history though – this is still a very popular place for couples looking for wedding and engagement rings.

Culture and custard

Sticking with history and culture, we then ambled towards Victoria Square and the city’s Museum and Art Gallery, currently home to the Staffordshire Hoard, and until May showing The Poetry of Drawing: Pre-Raphaelite Designs, Studies and Watercolours – an opportunity to see works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt and Edward Burne-Jones.

After our very lazy breakfast on Sunday, we took a look at the Custard Factory – yes, a massive area once home to Bird’s, but now an uber-trendy set-up of studios and workshops, with random works of art dotted about, including a massive metal dragon on his way up a wall. We strolled past the Alexandra Theatre – where Take Fat were at that very moment making their indelible mark on the UK music scene’s consciousness – and to the aforementioned Mailbox and, more importantly, a piece of apple pie and cream (for me) and a local real ale (for him) at the Canalside Bar and Cafe.

It might not be the first place you’d think of for a city break, but with Birmingham just a couple of hours away by car and even quicker by train, and with plenty to see and do and very friendly and helpful people (not least at our hotel), it could just be the interesting change you’re looking for.

Thistle Hotels offer Lazy Sunday breaks at hotels across the country. Visit thistle.com. Thistle Birmingham, from £98 per person per night, 0871 376 9005