The Museum of the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter is both a community museum and a branch of the broader Birmingham Museums and Art Galleries, founded in 1899.
Prior to becoming a museum, it was formerly the family-run workshop and factoryof Smith & Pepper. They produced jewellery at the factory. However, the retirement of the proprietors meant that the jewellery manufacturing firm ceased to trade.
The door shut tight, the remnants of past manufacturing were left to gather dust. Scattered across work benches were abandoned tools. Coat hooks holding grimy overalls, and even tea cups and jam jars were all left behind on the shelves.
The Museum now tells the story of the two hundred old Quarter, preserving that ‘time capsule’ of a workshop. Traditional craft skills are continuously being practised in the workshop, maintaining the area as the centre of the British jewellery industry.
A visit to the Museum will be an insightful experience as visitors get to travel back and view the selection of ancient tools, stamps and machinery that remain untouched inside the factory. Visitors can also indulge themselves in the live demonstrations at the jeweller’s bench to see how the Smith & Pepper bangle was manufactured.