Public to see historic courtyard

People in Birmingham have donated items to put in the houses

The only remaining courtyard of back-to-back houses in the West Midlands is opening to the public as a visitor attraction.

Eleven homes have been restored on Hurst Street in Birmingham that date back around 200 years.

The National Trust and the Birmingham Conservation Trust carried out the work, which took six months and cost £1.8m to complete.

The homes have been decorated to reflect the lifestyle of the times.

Hard work

Everything in the cramped houses has been donated by local people or bought from antique fairs.

Tours can now be booked through the National Trust and the attraction will be open throughout the year.

The trust's spokesman Simon Cleaver said: "The first house was built in 1802 and some of the houses are over 200 years old.

"We've tried to reflect the lives of the people who lived in them over that period.

"There's been a lot of hard work by many people."