Museum of the Jewellery Quarter
Encyclopedia
The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter
is a museum
at 75-79 Vyse Street in Hockley
, Birmingham
, England
. It is a Community Museum, that is branch museum, of the Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery. In 2008, it was named as the third best free tourist attraction in Europe by TripAdvisor
, behind the Pantheon
in Rome
and the National Gallery
in London
.
produced jewellery
from the factory that is now the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter. When the elderly proprietors of the Smith & Pepper jewellery manufacturing firm decided to retire in 1981 they simply ceased trading and locked the door. Tools were left strewn on benches; grubby overalls were hung on the coat hooks; and dirty teacups were abandoned alongside jars of marmite and jam on the shelf. In the eighty years before its closure, little changed with the working practices or equipment used within the family-owned business.
and the ancient craft skills still practised in the workshop that make this area the centre of the British jewellery industry.
Jewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
is a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
at 75-79 Vyse Street in Hockley
Hockley, Birmingham
Hockley is a central inner-city district in the city of Birmingham, England. It lies about one mile north-west of the city centre, and is served by the Jewellery Quarter station...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is a Community Museum, that is branch museum, of the Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery. In 2008, it was named as the third best free tourist attraction in Europe by TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor.com is a travel website that assists customers in gathering travel information, posting reviews and opinions of travel-related content and engaging in interactive travel forums. It is part of the TripAdvisor Media Group, operated by Expedia, Inc. TripAdvisor is a pioneer of...
, behind the Pantheon
Pantheon, Rome
The Pantheon ,Rarely Pantheum. This appears in Pliny's Natural History in describing this edifice: Agrippae Pantheum decoravit Diogenes Atheniensis; in columnis templi eius Caryatides probantur inter pauca operum, sicut in fastigio posita signa, sed propter altitudinem loci minus celebrata.from ,...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and the National Gallery
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
History
For over 80 years the family-run firm of Smith and PepperSmith and Pepper
Smith and Pepper was a jewellery manufacturing firm in Birmingham, England, which traded between 1899 and 1981. The factory is now the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter.-History:...
produced jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
from the factory that is now the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter. When the elderly proprietors of the Smith & Pepper jewellery manufacturing firm decided to retire in 1981 they simply ceased trading and locked the door. Tools were left strewn on benches; grubby overalls were hung on the coat hooks; and dirty teacups were abandoned alongside jars of marmite and jam on the shelf. In the eighty years before its closure, little changed with the working practices or equipment used within the family-owned business.
Collections
The Museum has preserved the "time capsule" workshop, and also tells the story of the 200 year old Jewellery QuarterJewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
and the ancient craft skills still practised in the workshop that make this area the centre of the British jewellery industry.
External links
- Museum of the Jewellery Quarter official website
- Museum of the Jewellery Quarter - Service for schools - Educational teaching sessions and resources at the jewellery museum