11/11/2019
If you have watched Peaky Blinders, you have probably wondered how much of it is actually true.
The story of the Peaky Blinders in Birmingham is very different from what you see on screen. Were they real? Was Tommy Shelby based on a real person? And what was Birmingham really like at the time?
Much of what we know about the real Peaky Blinders in Birmingham comes from historical research into life during the late 1800s. Historians such as Carl Chinn have helped piece together what life was really like, separating fact from fiction.
Here is what we actually know.
Yes, but not in the way the series shows.
The real Peaky Blinders were active in Birmingham from around the 1880s into the early 1900s. Rather than a single organised gang led by one family, they were a loose network of street gangs operating in areas such as Small Heath, Aston and around the Bull Ring.
The real Peaky Blinders were known for street violence, fights and intimidation, but they were far from the kind of organised crime empire shown in the series.
No, Tommy Shelby was not real.
There is no historical record of a gang leader like him running Birmingham. However, the character was not created entirely from nothing.
The show’s creator, Steven Knight, has spoken about family stories linked to Birmingham’s past, including people with the surname Sheldon, which may have helped inspire the Shelby name.
So while Tommy Shelby feels real, he is really a blend of fiction and fragments of history.
To understand the real Peaky Blinders, you have to look at Birmingham at the time.
The city was growing fast through industry, but for many people life was tough. Families lived in overcrowded back-to-back houses. Sanitation was poor, and work was often hard and low-paid
For many young men, the streets shaped everything. The streets shaped reputation, survival and identity.
Gangs like the Peaky Blinders grew out of that environment.
Probably not.
It is one of the most famous parts of the show, but most historians do not believe it was real.
At the time, razor blades were still relatively expensive and not something gangs would have used in that way. Fights were far more likely to involve fists, belts, boots or whatever else was to hand.
It makes great television, but it is almost certainly a myth.
Not quite like Tommy Shelby.
The real gangs did care about appearance and were known for dressing sharply, but the iconic three-piece suits and perfectly styled hair are very much a modern interpretation.
Earlier members were more likely to wear caps, looser trousers and practical clothing suited to everyday life.
They stood out, but not in quite the same polished way as the series.
Billy Kimber is one of the closest real-life figures to what you see in the show.
He started in Birmingham but moved into more organised crime, particularly around racecourses, where money, betting and control were all at stake.
His story shows how smaller street gangs began to evolve into something bigger and more structured.
The Garrison pub in Bordesley, Birmingham, is one of the places most often linked to the Peaky Blinders.
It still exists today, but there is no clear evidence that it was a central meeting place for the gang in the way the series suggests.
What it does represent is the kind of environment the Peaky Blinders would have been familiar with. Local pubs like this played an important role in working-class communities at the time.
In the series, the Garrison is a key setting, but it was not filmed at the real location. Instead, the production recreated scenes using studio sets and filming locations elsewhere, including Liverpool.
If you are wondering what life was really like at the time, one of the best ways to understand it is by visiting places that still reflect that world today.
The Black Country Living Museum offers a clear picture of the kind of environment the real Peaky Blinders would have known. Its streets, canals and historic buildings recreate the industrial setting that shaped everyday life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It is not the exact location of the real gang, but it helps bring that period into focus in a way that modern cities cannot.
The TV series also used it as a filming location, helping connect the real history with what you see on screen.
With the release of the Peaky Blinders film Immortal Man, interest in places like this has grown even further, as more people look to understand the reality behind the story.
Liverpool plays a similar role on screen, with many of the series’ most recognisable scenes filmed there to recreate Birmingham and beyond.
If you want to explore that side of the story in more detail, there are a few different ways to visit these locations, depending on how you prefer to travel.
Some people choose a broader experience that goes beyond the city centre and takes in a wider range of filming locations.
Others prefer to explore on foot, especially in central Liverpool where many locations are close together.
There is also the option of a more private experience, which gives you the flexibility to take things at your own pace.
Seeing these places in person brings the real history closer and shows how the series comes to life on screen.
