Welcome to the Historic Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, England.
The “Workshop of the World” began and is still continuing in the Jewellery Quarter, located in Birmingham's North-West region just inside the city centre. 300 years of highly skilled jewellery makers, silver and goldsmiths have made the thriving Hockley area into the jewel of Birmingham’s’ crown. In fact Prince Charles commissioned his 1969 Prince of Wales investiture crown here using pioneering electroforming silver techniques. The engagement and wedding ring, mecca began to flourish following the Australian and USA gold rushes in the 19th century.
In 1746 Ann Colmore started selling plots of land from her Newhall family estate hence the name “Colmore Row” in the city centre and “Newhall Street”. Sir Howard Vyse also owned much of the other surrounding area, creating Vyse Street and other streets in the area named after his children e.g. Fredrick Street, the area would eventually become the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter.
The village atmosphere is retained in the tightly packed street layout as the trade grew from a largely Jewish residential area, slowly turned into workshops and retail from the converted large houses.
The jewellery trade developed around the Vyse St and Warstone lane area, with wealthy factory owners eventually developing the St Paul's Church area as the leafy residential area adjacent to the main Jewellery Quarter. This area too eventually became converted to workshops and factories as the district developed at a huge rate.
Even up to 100 years ago the Jewellery Quarter employed up to 20,000 skilled craftsmen and women. The shopping area now in existence is a recent development over the last 50 years as the area became derelict due to recession and decline. War bomb damage and clearance led to a rebirth of the area with modern retail and workshop developments but tastefully keeping the best of the flamboyant architecture of the industrious past.
