It is not just upon those well-trodden streets of Birmingham city centre where people can find interesting buildings.
The final feature in our series of Hidden Spaces heads out of the city centre and into the suburbs.
Among those buildings are a tower which inspired JRR Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings books, and a historic swimming baths now under threat.
Hidden Spaces is produced by the Birmingham Post and Mail in conjunction with city heritage experts and offers a glimpse behind some of the city's most interesting and threatened buildings.
To see the four other themes we have covered in this series, click on these links - city centre, entertainment, places of worship and public buildings.
Moseley Road Baths' Victorian splendour
The spectacular Moseley Road Baths in Balsall Heath is a well-preserved snapshot of Edwardian society and a fascinating insight into the social history of this city.
The Grade II*-listed building is one of the oldest surviving baths of its kind in the UK and its Gala Pool was arguably the finest swimming pool hall in Britain in its heyday.
Despite these claims to fame, its condition is deteriorating with maintenance costs spiralling, prompting the Victoria Society in 2007 to add the baths to its list of the ten most endangered buildings in Britain.
More recently, it has been selected as one of only two buildings in the UK to be included in the World Monuments Fund 2016 Watch List, in response to Birmingham City Council's plan to close the building by the end of 2016.
Perrott's Folly a source of intrigue and inspiration
Perrott's Folly in Edgbaston stands as one man's monument of self-promotion, thought to have been constructed as an elaborate venue for entertaining guests.
Nestled away at the top of Waterworks Road, the mysterious Georgian Folly tower has been the source of intrigue for centuries.
Commissioned in 1758 by the wealthy and eccentric land-owner John Perrott, the Gothic tower would have been the tallest structure for miles around when it was first built, giving its owner a huge status boost amongst his peers.
The tower itself is a melancholic, haunting structure, surrounded by worn brick walls and a black iron gate, meaning it is easy to see why its statuesque presence is rumoured to have inspired a young JRR Tolkien to create the tower of Minas Tirith in the Lord of The Rings.
The Gothic Bournville Carillon which gives the village its melody
Walking through Bournville you might hear a haunting, Gothic melody, something close to a mish mash of bells and an organ.
This is the mesmerising sound of the Bournville Carillon, a musical instrument situated within the Bournville Junior School.
The tower that houses it has a distinctive weathered copper roof, which can be seen rising above the suburbs.
The carillon was erected in 1906 and consists of 48 bells hung below a domed copper cupola, it is one of the largest and finest examples of a carillon in the country and is owned and maintained by the Bournville Village Trust.
Modest Ravenhurst Cottages built as safe haven
The Grade II-listed cottages at the end of Ravenhurst Street in Highgate are steeped in history.
Ravenhurst Cottages were originally opened in 1848 by the Lench's Trust as almshouses for poor widows and single women from Birmingham.
Located in Highgate, a modest elevation of three brick gables fronts the street, merely hinting at the large courtyard of immaculately preserved Victorian cottages that lie behind.
While its current surroundings include many late 20th century commercial and industrial buildings, at the time of their construction the cottages would have been set on a wooded hill that formed part of the Ravenhurst estate, aptly named after its population of ravens.
