NEW LIFE AT COFFIN FACTORY 12-02-2007 One of Birmingham's historic landmarks, the Newman Brothers Coffin factory in the Jewellery Quarter has just been given £1.5 million to secure its future. What's more there'll soon be new economic life in the old place.
The dosh has come from Advantage West Midlands who are working with Birmingham Conservation Trust to ensure that this little piece of the past isn't lost forever. Newman's used to employ more than 100 people making metal fittings for the coffin trade, and survived from 1892 to 1999 - when it closed, it was one of just three remaining in the country. AWM bought the Grade II* listed building in 2002, and a year later it was featured on the BBC's Restoration programme. The long term aim is to create five new wqorkshops on the site - helping to preserve the Jewellery Quarter's indigenous industry - and to turn the Coffin factory into a tourist attraction. Local historian Chris Upton from Newman College was delighted at the news: “I'm delighted - and so relieved - that the future of Newman Brothers has now been secured. “The factory is an amazing time capsule of Birmingham metal working and shows how the local manufacturers could turn their skills to anything, even coffin furniture. The museum will be a great - and very unusual addition to the list of visitor attractions in the area.” (For more info about the future of the Coffin Factory go to http://www.birminghamconservationtrust.org) |
©2006 The Stirrer
