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Newman Bros Coffin Works Fleet Street

hi lynne that pic was taken in what used to be the office and its a ledger book...ive just zoomed in on another pic i took of it and its of goods ordered...noticed that one customer ordered from belfast...

lyn
 
lynne i forgot this one...pleased with how it tuned out as i had to take a pic of a pic...women working at their machines...date wise going on the hair styles maybe the 40s or 50s and the table in the pic along with others are still there...impossable to take them out of the factory as they were built inside the works so too large to get down the narrow stairs...

NEWMANSFACTORY090-1.jpg
 
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I knew they slung out tons of stuff - cannot believe how empty the place is compared to the original tour a couple of years ago - When we suggested that they keep all the stock and sell them as souvenirs - they didn't believe anyone would want a cofgfin handle etc, and allowed us to take stuff and put a donation in a bucket - I use my coffin handles as door knocker on my Library room!
There were crates and crates of stuff lying everywhere.
I understand that like most museums, they only keep about 10% for display, but in this case, they didn't put the rest into storage - just to scrap!

At least they retained enough to give an idea of the trade.

Brian
 
hi bri like your idea of coffin handles for your library door lol...bri there is absolutely tons of stuff that has been put into storage for safe keeping which will be bought back into the factory after restoration...what you see in my pics is only the tip of the iceberg..

lyn
 
Just wonderful Lyn, thank you for taking the trouble to take the pics and then to put them onto the Forum for us all to enjoy. I can't help but think of my dear Grandma Laura working there. I wonder if she had her coffin when the time came?
 
maggs i would think it highly likey that lauras fittings came from newmans...glad you liked the pics as it just gives us a feeling of the place...even more so if you actually walk round it...

hope to go again when restoration is finished as there will be much more to see..a possable venue for a forum trip...
lyn
 
Maggs they said on the news the other evening that their shroud etc was a gift to them when they left. Not sure about their coffin though. Jean.
 
Thank you Jean, I bet they couldn't afford to give coffins away, after all they would have been quality wood in those days, with real brass fittings etc.
 
Guess they would have been Maggs. It was very interesting to watch them going round the factory but not a place I would like to have worked. Mind you I don't like sewing at the best of times.
 
maggs said:
Thank you Jean, I bet they couldn't afford to give coffins away, after all they would have been quality wood in those days, with real brass fittings etc.
Click to expand...

hi maggs during the tour there was no mention of newmans helping deceased workers with their coffins..as you know they did not make them...really enjoyed it though lindy and what an unusual early part birthday present off my son tom lol..he bought 2 tickets and our kid came with me..

lyn
 
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Not their coffins Lyn their clothing and pillows. It said on the program me that they chose their color material etc. Was your guide dressed up for the day?.
 
oh sorry jean im not with it..must be me age lol..yes both of the guides really looked the part..one was doing the talking and other one had a big torch to make sure we could see where we were going up and down the narrow stairs...must confess to tripping up a couple of times not looking where i was going when taking the pics...pics of the guides on post 5 pic 3 and post 6 pic 1

lyn
 
jean it wont be so bad when the restoration is completed as the tours will be in daylight..also be good if they can manage to get some of the machinery up and running...
 
last chance to visit newmans before restoration begins folks...

Attachments:
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[SIZE=+0]coffinworksfactorytours.jpg[/SIZE] (1.9M)
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Dear all

With work due to start after Easter we have time for one final weekend of
tours to raise money for the Coffin Works restoration project. There will
be 16 tours over 2 days on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th March - a
strange phenomenon, showing people around in the daylight!

Please find attached a poster and link to website booking to pass on to
everyone you know, and those you don't know yet! Please help us promote
far and wide if you can!

https://www.eventelephant.com/coffinworksfactorytours
​
 
thanks wend i thought it looked a bit iffy lol...

just a small footnote..a lot of paper based goodies and ledgers have now been bought out of storage and next month i shall be joining to conservation trust and will be sifting through the items... the plan being to reduce the amount of items put in the filing cabinet which evenually will be based at the pen room but dont panic folks an awful lot will be coming back to newmans when restoration has been completed.....so looking forward to this...

lyn
 
My own fault for not being on the forum these days but I thought I'd run out of history to tell until I saw Wendy's link on FB to this place. In the early 60's (1962) I worked next door to this place in Fleet Street, it was called Rayboulds Brass Founders and is now a Vietnamese Restaurant.

I'm having some good retort with Suzanne Carter and she wants to use my memories of the place in a blog.

Great photos Lyn, thanks!

More news later.
 
I had a Great Aunt that worked here, does anyone know if they have a record of employees?.
 
I am so pleased to see these photos, and learn more, as in the 1901 census my aunt, Lillian Walker who was 14 years old is entered as a Coffin furniture worker. I assume she would have worked there. I am not too good at deciphering the handwriting on the old documents - there is a word before "coffin" on there, think it starts "Uran..... guess I will get better with practice.
 
Astoness..... Those photographs of the Cofffin "factory" I found magnificant. How often do we get to see our heritage so clearly shown ? The picture of the hand fly press department seemed pretty intact. The floor there was a wonderful example of a well-trodden paving and I hope the restorers keep it as it is and are not subject to H&S resulting
in re-laying level.
 
glad you liked them anvil man..all the machinery etc that you see in the pics i took will remain in place and a lot of the archive material that was taken away for safe keeping will be returned..it is also hoped that they can get the drop forge room up and running again...cant wait for that even though i suspect it will be a very noisy room lol

lyn
 
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Anvil Man be assured that the Conservation team are well aware of the need to retain the sense of the place as well as making it fit for this Century. As for 'Health and Safety' they will make sure that where flooring remains as it was that suitable information will be displayed.

If anyone is interested in the progress being made may I suggest they follow BCT via this link. They are also the people who can answer many of the questions still being raised. Photographs may be viewed here. And as I mentioned elsewhere you can view Alistair McGowan at the Newman Bros Works this evening on BBC1 West Midlands.

As a personal footnote H&S has saved many a life and was in many cases driven by the Trade Unions to make working life safer for their members.
 
Found during work at the factory. Posted on BHF Facebook Page by Wendy.

Coffin_Works_Window.jpg
 
Went past this today! Looks good!

You can access it from Lionel Street to Fleet Street (past the modern hotel)












Also seen from the canal!

 
Re: Newman bros coffin fitting works..

If you'd have said to people 20 years ago that a factory that made coffin furniture would become one of the places to visit on the Birmingham map, who'd have believed you? Just shows what can be done with a bit of imagination, lots of enthusiasm enthusiasm and the necessary cash. Looks interesting. Would like to see the artefacts when the museum opens. Viv.


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Re: Newman bros coffin fitting works..

Ha, ha Mike. But it is early days in the season! Viv.


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