An Evening With Carl Chinn: @ Herberts Yard

Brum’s Finest: An Illustrated Talk with Professor Carl Chinn MBE

📖 Peaky Blinders: The Real Gangs and Gangsters

We’re honoured to welcome Professor Carl Chinn MBE back to Herbert’s Yard this October for the next instalment of Brum’s Finest.

Carl is a Birmingham legend — social historian, author, broadcaster and public speaker — with over 40 years of research dedicated to uncovering the city’s working-class history, illegal bookmaking and gang culture. He’s the leading authority on the real stories behind Birmingham’s most infamous street gangs.

His brand-new book, Peaky Blinders: The Real Gangs and Gangsters (Blink Publishing, 2025), cuts through the drama of the TV series to reveal the truth about the violent young men who terrorised late Victorian and Edwardian Birmingham. Far from the stylish Shelbys, the real ‘Peaky Blinders’ were poor, unskilled and brutal — fighting rivals, clashing with police, and intimidating working families in the backstreets of Brum.

On the night, Carl will bring these histories to life in a powerful illustrated talk, drawing on rare photographs, archive material and his decades of research.

📅 Date: Tuesday 14th October 

📍 Venue: Herbert’s Yard