Do I wish I was getting married again?

Sunday, 24 January 2010 21:20

Not after seeing the price of rings!

Hang on folks - this will all be explained, I am not even thinking of walking out on John!

So why was I wishing? - well there was some fabulous jewellery on offer in the shops of the Jewellery Quarter! There were earrings, bangles, rings, precious gems and "a girls best friend" in abundance. But the prices - WOW! Solitaire diamonds for thousands of pounds, eternity rings, wedding rings, all ringing noughts into the till!

Since the 14th century, precious metals have been worked in Birmingham, but the trade began to really prosper in the 18th century. The artisans lived in terraced houses and had their own workrooms there, in their gardens and houses. The manufacturers lived in larger properties but everyone became dependant on each other, pooling their skills, and so they established the "Jewellery Quarter".

In the 19th Century the area became famous for its pen nibs and the "Pen Room" is now a museum. By the 20th Century there were 30,000 people working in this close knit community. It was not until the late 20th Century that the shops began to open to the public - amazing!

There are two roads of shops; there were so many young couples wandering around. We noticed that most of the men had their hands in their pockets!

The Chamberlain Clock is right in the centre

This was erected in honour of Joseph Chamberlain in 1903. He has two other honourable monuments (to my knowledge!) which we have already seen: "Big Jo" at Birmingham University and the memorial fountain in Chamberlain Square in the city centre. He was certainly "a beloved son" - Mayor from 1873 - 76 and MP in the early 1900s.

We wandered down towards the Jewellery Quarter Museum, passing many shops and people browsing. The remaining old buildings have been adapted for modern use; some of the shops had steps up to the small windows of what must have been old dwellings.

Shops and pub on the corner of Hylton Street and Vyse Street

We spent a while in the Museum, which is very interesting - and it had a tea room, so we were able to have tea and cake! Unfortunately we were too late for a tour of the workshops of Smith and Pepper, founded in 1899. These have been left as they were on the last working day of the jewellery workshop, eighty years later. So we must go again sometime!

The Jewellery Museum housed in the old Smith and Pepper building

The Argent Centre and the Pen Museum

This beautiful and formidable building was formerly the Albert Works - a pen and pencil factory in 1862-3.

Walking back, we went via the roads, not canal. We passed many of the buildings associated with the Jewellery trade and again I want to return to take more photos of these significant buildings. Meanwhile if your curiosity is aroused have a look here - clickity click (Thanks Joe!)

So now - on a completely different subject. Tomorrow we are "pulling the pins" and cruising to ..... somewhere on the BCN! Hopefully tomorrow you will be able to read a Journey Blog again. What a long time it has been since my last one! There have been a few narrowboats on the move in the last couple of days.