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The Claredon Suites are located on the north side of Hagley Road (east/west), between Stirling Road (to the east) and Clarendon Road (to the west). Clarendon Road is one arm of the K-junction with Hagley Road and Portland Road (northwest).
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By Car from the North By Car from the South By Car from Birmingham City Centre By Bus from Birmingham City Centre By Rail On Foot from the Apollo Hotel |
Travelling Southbound on the M5, leave at junction 2. At the end of the slip road there is a roundabout beneath the motorway. Take the second exit (right) onto a short stretch of road which joins a large roundabout
(ensure you are in the left-hand lane at the end of the road)
and take the first exit (left) onto the Wolverhampton Road (A4123). Continue down this road for approximately 2.5 miles, passing, on your left:
Territorial Army Centre and St Hubert's Church.
On reaching the traffic lights at the junction with the Hagley Road (A456), take the Hagley Road towards Birmingham city centre and continue, past the Thistle Hotel on your left. You then cross the junction with Portland Road, to your left, before taking the next turn left, Stirling Road. Turn left again, after a few metres into the car park for the Clarendon Suites.
Travelling Northbound on the M5 leave at junction 3. At the end of the slip road there is a roundabout beneath the motorway. Take the third exit (right) onto the Quinton Expressway / Hagley Road West (A456) heading towards Birmingham. Continue along the A456 for approximately 2 miles until you come to a set of traffic lights at the junction with the Wolverhampton Road (A4123). Continue, past the Thistle Hotel on your left. You then cross the junction with Portland Road, to your left, before taking the next turn left, Stirling Road. Turn left again, after a few metres into the car park for the Clarendon Suites.
Leave the city centre going West on the Hagley Road (A456) and continue to the first set of traffic lights, be sure you're in the right-hand lane. Turn right at the next set of traffic lights, into Monument Road then take the second turning left, into Waterworks road.
Take the fourth turning left into Stirling Road and continue almost to the end (Hagley Road) before turning right into the Clarendon Suites car park.
The following sections guide you to the stop for the buses in Colmore Row. Our thanks go to Colin Fowler for his contribution to this information, which proved valuable for Sight village 2002 - 3.
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From Birmingham New Street Station From Birmingham Moor Street Station From Birmingham Snow Hill Station |
Describe Online has published an online guide to Birmingham New Street Station
Estimated time to walk 6 minutes.
From the main concourse take the escalator and stairway exit, ascending to The Palisades Shopping Mall. At the top of the escalator/stairs turn left, this will leave you in a wide open area with shops on your left and right, walk straight on towards the New Street exit. You'll make a slight turn left, then right as you move through the mall. A wide pedestrian ramp leads down to street level, the pavement slopes up as you approach New Street.
You've reached the junction of Corporation Street (north), New Street (east) and Stephenson Place (west then south). There's a City of Birmingham emergency help point a few metres to your left at this point, near the edge of the pavement. This has a circular housing with mic and speaker grill, plus a single button to activate.
Continue forward from the foot of the upward slope, locate the tactile paving in front of you and follow the tactile to your right to find the post and push button on the right-hand side of the crossing of New Street. Cross New Street, which is virtually pedestrianised, going north.
Follow the tactile paving round to your left (west) to the crossing of Corporation Street. As you face across Corporation Street, the post and push button are to your right; there's no rotating cone but a sounder indicates when the whole junction is clear.
Cross Corporation Street (west), turn right (north), up Corporation Street with the shops on your left and the road on your right. Walk up Corporation Street, which gently rises, crossing Cherry Street, a pedestrian/roadway to your left till you are adjacent to House of Fraser, a large department store on your left. Continue past this and at the limit of House of Fraser there is a covered arcade on your left. This is Great Western Arcade.
Turn left and walk through the arcade, crossing Temple Row, which is the service road for goods deliveries to House of Fraser. Continue into the remainder of The Great Western Arcade. There should be an obvious smell of freshly ground coffee from the Druckers Coffee Shop on your right.
Continue to the end of the arcade, where you'll exit into Colmore Row. Turn left with the building line on your left and follow this wide pavement till you reach the open area of St Phillips Cathedral. The Bus stand you'll need is Stop Ae, the fifth bus shelter on your right. If you come to a road, Temple Street, you have gone too far.
Continue to the Exhibition By Bus
For visitors arriving by train from Leamington Spa and Stratford Upon Avon stay on the train or board trains from the same platform to the next stop. You will immediately enter the Snow Hill tunnel, and the next stop is Snow Hill Station.
Estimated time to walk 2 minutes.
The station lies on Colmore Row opposite The Great Western Arcade. On exiting the station locate the pedestrian crossing on the kerbside, and cross to the island, and then to the pavement side proper. Turn right and proceed along Colmore Row till the open ground of St Phillips Cathedral is reached, You'll need Stop A e, which is the fifth bus shelter on your right. If you find a road (Temple Street) you've gone too far.
We're reliably informed that the 126 goes from stop GA on Station Street, as well as from Navigation Street, so either exit from New Street Station can be used. Please check the Environs page of the station guide for details of these exits.
Alternatively, you can take a service from Stop Ae in Colmore Row which follows the Hagley Road to the Ivy Bush pub. We took the 139 and 19, though I believe there are others.
The bus winds through the one-way system before turning onto the Hagley Road at the first major roundabout (Fiveways). You need the third stop on Hagley Road, The Ivy Bush Pub.
Get off the bus and continue (west) along Hagley Road. You cross the entry to Kenilworth Court, exit from Kenilworth Court, entry to an office block, exit from the office block (less distinct) and the entrance to the next building, marked by a dip in the pavement. Beyond the slope up from this entrance is the tactile paving indicating the crossing of Hagley Road. As you face across Hagley Road, the post with push button is to your right. The crossing has both cone and sounder. Although there is a central island marked by tactile paving with another push button to your right, this can be treated as a single-stage crossing. Cross the Hagley Road, turn left and continue west.
You cross the entrance to St Chads Court then Stirling Road. This is a straight crossing with two-way traffic and no pedestrian control. The vehicle entrance to the Clarendon Suites is on the left-hand (west) side of Stirling Road, this takes you into the car park which is difficult to navigate so we recommend you find the pedestrian entrance, as follows.
Continue (west) along Hagley Road for about 70 metres, follow the wall to your right. This curves right, just beyond a traffic light control box and phone box, into Clarendon Road which is blocked to traffic at this end.
Follow Clarendon Road for a few metres, then turn right, through the pedestrian gate into the forecourt of the Clarendon Suites. Continue forward (east) onto the footpath, (slight step) and turn left. Follow the building on your right, this has an irregular frontage with a steep slope up to the wall with windows. The slope disappears after a few metres, there's an empty recess to your right before the entrance. Turn right and go through two sets of double doors. Reception is to your right (south) and the Buttery Bar is to your left (north).
Visitors can collect their catalogues and arrange for guidance round the exhibition at Reception.
Details of the forecourt to the Apollo Hotel lie beyond the scope of this survey.
As you leave the hotel, onto the Hagley Road, turn left and continue, past the bus shelter to your right, to the first junction, Portland Road.
This is a traffic light controlled junction with no pedestrian control and Portland Road joins Hagley Road at an acute angle (7 o'clock). Cross Portland road, turn left and follow the wall on your right into Clarendon Road.
Continue for a few metres before turning right, through the pedestrian gate into the forecourt of the Clarendon Suites. Continue forward (east) onto the footpath, (slight step) and turn left. Follow the building on your right, this has an irregular frontage with a steep slope up to the wall with windows. The slope disappears after a few metres, there's an empty recess to your right before the entrance. Turn right and go through two sets of double doors. Reception is to your right (south) and the Buttery Bar is to your left (north).
Visitors can collect their catalogues and arrange for guidance round the exhibition at Reception.
© 2008, Terry Robinson