Sarehole Mill Museum

Such a hidden gem! The museum is mostly about Tolkien and his life in Birmingham which is very interesting as an LOTR fan. When you reach the actual mill part and all the structures, everything is a perfect picture of the past, it’s amazing how well preserved it is. Also the staff are lovely! It’s a bit tricky to get to and the opening hours are limited, also sadly their tea room is closed at the moment, but it is worth a visit, especially alongside a walk around the pond which is very pretty.

Very nice and cute museum about Tolkien's childhood and inspirations. I was very surprised to find out how rural Birmingham used to be!

Took my Year 4 class there to visit as part of their Geography field trip. The children loved it, gave them some knowledge on how to measure the water depth, the purpose of stepping stones to regulate water flow and they also cross link it to their science lesson (living things and habitats) where the children asked questions about the various plants by the river. Children got to fish and learn about different lifeforms in the river water. Staff were great, knowledgeable and patient! Would be interesting for fans of J.R.R Tolkien (he lived in the house opposite Sarehole Mill)

Very interesting building and wonderful Tolkien tour.

It's an enjoyable short day out in the fresh air for a family with young children. You can book a guided tour of the Mill, which is about 30 minutes max, and afterwards explore the nearby park and Moseley Bog. We took packed lunches because the cafe is not open at the moment. We stayed from 11am until 3pm.

My husband and I, being Tolkien fans, were definitely excited about doing this tour as part of our visit to Birmingham! Our initial research into the museum and the mill set us up to expect a nice tour of the mill, an intimate look into the years that Tolkien spent at the mill, and the pizza at the café. The first two items (the mill and the Tolkien trivia) were an amazing experience! We definitely recommend this tour to anybody who wants to visit a good old run down watermill simply to see the works, or if you're a Tolkien nerd as well! Our tour guide was Ash, and he was marvellous! The tour lasted about an hour, during which he took us through the floors of the mill, explaining in immersive detail what milling was all about back in the day, occasionally treating us to a bit of insight into Tolkien's life back when he lived around the mill. The third aspect that we were looking forward to (the pizza) was unfortunately a big disappointment. Not only was it mediocre at best, we also had to wait over an hour just for our order to be taken! (No, it wasn't that crowded. They were "backed up" with another order apparently.) So after over an hour of waiting to place an order (during which time we had filled up on tea and cake because we were just sitting there hungry and waiting), and then a wait of about 20 minutes for our pizza to arrive, we were quite disappointed with what we were served. In summary: definitely do the tour and take your time exploring the park and the trail, and the mill area.

I have been to the mill a few times for the pizza pod experience and it has always been great! Highly recommended to anyone looking for a bit of an escape from the mundane city ( in the city) for a bite to eat and to relax. They also have a selection of soft drinks available, not licence for alcohol though. The mill its self is a wonderful charming place.