A new year means a new opportunity for visitors to Saint Nicolas Place in Kings Norton. From Saturday 3rd January visitors will have the option to guide themselves around the restored late Medieval and Tudor site, as well as opt for a guided tour of the buildings. Since re-opening to the public in June 2008, most visitors have been able to see the wonderful timber framed rooms of the Tudor Merchant’s House and Old Grammar School only by guided tour.

After an assessment of visitor trends, two days a week have been designated ‘Heritage Days’ when the site will be used solely for visitors. A self-guided tour has been designed to allow visitors to guide themselves around if they wish, at a reduced rate, but for those wanting to take advantage of a more detailed guided tour, these will remain. Centre Manager Graeme Clarke said: “This new initiative allows us to be more flexible to our visitors’ needs. For some visitors a guided tour can feel too formal or daunting. By introducing a more ‘open-house’ format, people can be assured of seeing all of the historic rooms by themselves if they wish, while retaining the option to upgrade their ticket to the full guided tour if they want to know more.”

Heritage Days at Saint Nicolas Place will be Fridays and Saturdays, with the site open from 10:00am to 4:00pm and guided tours at 11:00am and 2:00pm. Throughout the rest of the week the Saracen’s Head Cafe will continue to be a thriving local meeting place, serving delicious hot and cold food and drinks, while the whole site is enjoyed by community groups, businesses and private groups. For more information about the new opening hours, please call Saint Nicolas Place on 0121 458 1223.