JEWELLERY QUARTER “WORLD HERITAGE” BID

17-01-2008

Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter could soon take its place alongside Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel and Tower and the Statue of Liberty – by being named a World Heritage Site.

City Council cabinet members will meet this time next week to approve a bid for the status which will then be passed to the government for approval.  If they give the thumbs up, the final decision will be made by UNESCO – the United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organisation.

There are 851 World Heritage Sites, so it’s not quite as exclusive a club as it first might appear – and while the Jewellery Quarter might not be as beautiful as some of its rivals, it does have a decent claim.

Production started there more than 250 years ago, and it remains the largest centre for jewellery production in Europe, with more than 1,200 businesses.  There are growing presures for residential development, though, in spite of a conservation agreement with the City Council.

Marie Haddleton of the Jewellery Quarter Association welcomed the news, saying, “It’s going to need a lot of work, but we’re all for it.  We’ve got our fingers crossed.”

She cautioned, though, that it might need more investment to make it a booming attraction.  Although the Quarter has two museums – one of the jewellery, the other celebrating the history of the pen, Haddleton admitted, “I’m not sure we’ve got enough to keep the tourists here. 

“We need more help from Advantage West Midlands.”

The area has already been identified by English Heritage as an historic industrial area of European importance, and Birmingham’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration Neville Sumerfield commented,  “Being designated a World Heritage Site would bring significant kudos and benefits to both the Jewellery Quarter itself and also the wider city of Birmingham.

“The resulting profile and recognition on the international stage would provide not only a huge boost to tourism, but also inward investment and the further conservation and regeneration of this historic part of our city.”

Is the Jewellery Quarter worth of being a World Heritage Site?

Leave a comment on our Message Board.