subject: Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter, A Fascinating Showcase Of The Jewellery Industry [print this page] The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham was established to depict the history and traditions of the renowned jewellery manufacturing tradition of Birmingham. It is located in an actual former jewellery manufacturing workshop.
When the owners of the jewellery manufacturing firm Smith & Pepper decided to cease operations in 1981, unable to sell their business in the midst of a recession, they removed the valuables and locked away the door leaving behind all the everyday items used in their business; metal dies on the shelves, receipts on their hooks and ledgers in the safe. Tools were strewn about, unwashed teacups abandoned; even jars of jam and Marmite were forgotten on a shelf.
The Smith & Pepper Company commenced operations in 1899 and continued their business, focusing on the manufacture of bracelets and bangles for over eighty years. In the history of the family owned company the equipment and procedures used to create the gold items changed little over the years, making the workshop an ideal model to demonstrate the metalworking artistry of the area.
The Birmingham City Council in 1992 with the intention of establishing a museum made the Smiths an offer to relinquish the factory premises. After acquiring the factory property, the Council stabilized the buildings and safety-rigged the machinery prior to opening the facility to the public as The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter.
Today members of the public are provided guided tours through the building, enabling visitors to have a look at the immense assortment of the actual stamps, tools and machinery that may be still seen on the premises. The guides themselves are experienced jewellery artisans and at the jewellers bench demonstrations are provided of the manner in which the Smith & Pepper bangle was fashioned.
Guides also show the methods used to bore a hole in metal with an Archimedes bore drill and stamp out a medallion using a giant press. They also activate the belt-driven lathes to demonstrate the noise that must have been created in the factory. There is no doubt that a visit to the museum will be a truly inspirational experience.
The traveller seeking a Birmingham hotel will find all that they seek in the Copthorne Hotel Birmingham. This convenient Birmingham UK hotel offers well appointed rooms in a central location greatly assisting access to the important locations of the area.
