New direction for heritage charity as it acquires famous coffin works

One of the outstanding survivals of Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter, Newman Brothers Coffin Works, has just been bought by Birmingham Conservation Trust.  This represents the start of a new direction for the Trust, enabling it to work more closely with current supporters and new audiences through events, activities and an interesting range of volunteering opportunities.

The 19th Century, Grade II-listed factory closed its doors in 1998, but its contents and equipment remained in the building leaving a remarkable time capsule of Victorian manufacturing.  The company was famous for its high quality goods and is known to have produced coffin fittings for the likes of Sir Winston Churchill, Neville Chamberlain and Diana Princess of Wales.

Last year, cuts in national public funding meant that regional development agency, Advantage West Midlands, which owned the site, had to pull out of funding a major project to restore the building as a museum. But a £150,000 grant from Birmingham City Council has allowed Birmingham Conservation Trust, a charity created to preserve and enhance the city’s threatened architectural heritage, to buy the building.

Cllr Timothy Huxtable, Cabinet Member for Transportation and Regeneration, said:
“We are delighted to support the Coffin Works project as it forms a key aspect of Birmingham City Council's wider plans to regenerate the Jewellery Quarter, as set out by the Big City Plan. The project sits alongside other key initiatives including the £1.5 million Golden Square on Vyse Street and will help transform this important historic area of the city.”

The Trust intends to undertake a £1.2 million restoration to bring the building back into use with help from English Heritage, Heritage Lottery and Birmingham City Council funding. This will be the first phase of the project, which will in the long-term create a museum on-site and high quality workspaces. Once this first phase restoration is complete, the Trust will move into the building and encourage other creative organisations and individuals to take space there.

Birmingham Conservation Trust aims to engage the local community in all aspects of the development; from training opportunities during the construction and participation in conservation activities on the wonderful contents; to arranging a programme of exciting events, mixing artistic performances with candlelit fundraising suppers.

Elizabeth Perkins, Director of the Trust, said:
“The Coffin Works is a fine example of Birmingham’s rich production history and is something that the city can be proud of. With the help of City Council and other funding sources we want to restore the factory and take it into a new era. The new Coffin Works will provide an exciting space for local creatives and we hope it becomes a place that people associate with interesting, quirky activities and a very special history.”

Advantage West Midlands director of development Stuart Kirkwood said:
"It is fitting that we should hand over the legacy of the Newman Brothers coffin works site to Birmingham Conservation Trust which is best placed to move this project on to a successful conclusion. We wish the trust every success in successfully developing this historic site."

To find out more about the plans and to get a glimpse into the building before work starts, The Coffin Works will be open to the public on Saturday 11 September between 10am and 4pm. Visitors will be able to handle pieces of stock, flip through back catalogues and learn about some of the stories of the former workers.

The open day is free but members of the public are requested to contact the Trust to book their visit. To book or to find out more, contact Elizabeth Perkins on 0121 303 2664 or visit www.birminghamconservationtrust.org

Ends.

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