In the middle of Birmingham there is a pool of water no deeper than your ankle, where children kick off their shoes on a July afternoon while behind them a library glitters in gold filigree like an oversized brooch. This is Centenary Square, one of the city's largest public spaces, named in 1989 for the hundredth anniversary of Birmingham becoming a city and rebuilt from scratch between 2017 and 2019 with a flat stone floor, fountains, a reflecting pool and a tram stop delivering you to its edge. The square itself is not a ticketed sight; it is a frame for what surrounds it. The Library of Birmingham, opened in 2013 to a design by the Dutch practice Mecanoo, is the undisputed star: entry is free, and the lifts carry you to the Discovery Terrace on the third floor and the 'Secret Garden' on the seventh, where the city spreads out to the horizon, and at the very top to the wood-panelled Shakespeare Memorial Room rescued from the Victorian library. Be warned that both terraces have been closed 'until further notice' through 2026 according to the council, that when open they shut in wind and rain, and that the whole library is closed on Sundays. Alongside stand the Repertory Theatre, Symphony Hall and the ICC, the classical bulk of Baskerville House and, at the far end, the domed Portland-stone Hall of Memory of 1925, a compact war memorial whose interior opens only occasionally and which is honestly best taken in from outside with a photograph. The square changes character completely with the seasons. In summer it is a paddling ground and a place to sit on the stone steps; from early November the pool is drained and replaced by a covered ice rink and a big wheel that stay until the first days of January, while the stalls of the Frankfurt Christmas Market fill Victoria Square and New Street a few minutes' walk away, making this one of the most crowded corners of Birmingham until Christmas. In January and February it reverts to a grey, windy expanse that people cross quickly. Getting there is easy: ten minutes on foot from New Street station through Victoria Square and Chamberlain Square on a step-free route that suits pushchairs and wheelchairs, or the 'Library' tram stop on the square itself. The ideal visit is half an hour on a bright morning with a ride up to the library terrace if it has reopened, or a December evening under the lights and beside the rink. Do not make a trip of it, but do not pass through Birmingham without crossing it.
A free lift to the third-floor Discovery Terrace and seventh-floor Secret Garden for a view over the whole city, with the wooden Shakespeare Room at the very top. Both terraces are closed until further notice in 2026, so check before you go.
A shallow pool and fountains that children wade through in July and August, so bring a towel and a change of clothes.
From early November to the first days of January the pool is drained for a covered ice rink beside a big wheel, with the Frankfurt Market stalls a short walk away in Victoria Square.
Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2ND
In summer, yes: the shallow pool is a free water playground, the library has a large children's floor, toilets and a cafe, and the walk from New Street is step-free, so pushchairs are fine. In January and February there is nothing to hold you beyond a quick photo, unless your visit coincides with the winter ice rink, which runs from November to early January.
No, it is free with no ticket or booking, but as of 2026 both terraces are closed until further notice according to the council; when they are open they close in wind or rain, and the whole library is shut on Sundays. Check the council's Library of Birmingham page before you go, and pick a day from Monday to Saturday.
