The houses form a courtyard

Jason Tanner, from the National Trust, said the group of about nine dwellings are unusual because they form a courtyard instead of the uniform rows of houses common to slum areas.

The courtyard would have offered fairly basic communal washing facilities but would also have been the focal point of the primitive sanitation system.

He said the houses would make for an unusual overnight stay.

"The idea is to offer some as a short break attraction for tourists who would be able to stay in a back-to-back for a few nights.

"A few modcons will have been put in beforehand - even tourists have certain standards.

"They will reflect just what it was like to live in a back-to-back house."

Period choice

It is planned that four houses will be on show which will be decorated in the style of the early 1800s, the late 19th Century, pre-war 1930s and the 1960s.

The houses during the early 20th Century

The properties in the centre of Birmingham were only spared demolition because they were used as shops and although unfit for human habitation were allowed to continue to operate as businesses.

"It's a little historical gem that only survived the ball and chain, which demolished most of the houses like this in Birmingham, by default because they were shops," said Mr Tanner.

"It will offer a great insight in to how people lived in the past and will be of great interest to school groups - the Victorian period is part of the national curriculum."

The National Trust and the Birmingham Conservation Trust will restore the properties with money from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Fiona Reynolds, director general of the National Trust, said: "At the core of the back-to-backs in Birmingham are the stories of the people who lived and worked in these houses from the time they were built to the present day.

"This project will allow us to reveal more of this history."

Elizabeth Perkins, administrator of Birmingham Conservation Trust, said: "We have an exciting time ahead as we peel back the layers of filth and decay to discover more about the history of these houses and the people who lived in them."

The properties are expected to open in 2004.