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Birmingham Attraction - Museum of the Jewellery Quarter

In 1981 Smith & Pepper jewellery manufacturers ceased trading and locked the door, unaware they would be leaving a time capsule for future generations.

We visited the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter in March 2010 and found the factory tour to be one of Birmingham's hidden gems!

Situated at 75-79 Vyse Street, Hockley, Birmingham, B18 6HA. MAP - Vyse Street, the main thoroughfare of the Jewellery Quarter. Home to scores of jewellery shops that line the street in addition to many other places of interest besides the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, to shoppers and visitors such as art, antiques and trophy shops. Close by is the The Pen Room Museum on Frederick Street.

When the proprietors of the Smith & Pepper jewellery manufacturing firm decided to retire in 1981 they ceased trading and locked the door, unaware they would be leaving a time capsule for future generations.

The museum displays are an interesting collection of articles tracing the history of jewellery making in Birmingham.

The museum is open all year round, but entrance to the factory is by guided tour only (Allow 1 hour for the tour).

Tools were left on benches; overalls hung on coat hooks; and teacups alongside jars of marmite and jam on the shelf! Even the décor had more in common with early 20th century trends than a thriving business in the early 1980s. Everything was there, catalogued and replaced exacty where it was!

Today the factory is a remarkable museum, which tells the story of the Jewellery Quarter and Birmingham’s renowned jewellery and metalworking heritage as well as the business practices of enterprises before the advent of the computer.

With live demonstrations of traditional jewellery-making skills on the factory tour, experience of what it was like to work in this noisy and busy workshop.

Admission: Free

Museum of the Jewellery Quarter,
75-79 Vyse Street
Hockley, Birmingham
West Midlands, B18 6HA

Opening Times:
Tuesday to Saturday 10.30 - 16.00
Closed Sundays and Mondays
Open Bank Holiday Mondays

Tel: 0121 554 3598
Fax: 0121 554 9700

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