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The Jewellery Quarter

sorry alf, didnt see your post before. great that it is in the newspaper. ive already been to the museum twice and still want to go again as nearly all my lot were jewellers and lived in the nearby streets.

chris :)
 
The jewellery museum is a must for anyone who's not been & it's free -what more could you ask. The things they show you & tell you such as the workers who would get gold dust in their fingers & then run them thru their hair so it stuck in the Brylcream & then at home they could wash it out !
I wonder why brums hallmark is an anchor when we are so far from the sea?
 
Izzy didn't it say in the Artical? I'm sure it was.

At a meeting at a pub called Crown & Anchor Chester and Brum went to a meeting and they tossed up for the Crown & Anchor, Chester chose the Crown so Brum got the Anchor:)
 
That's a likely story, Alf! But I agree the Jewellery Museum is really worth seeing, and the article is very well written - informative and interesting without going over the top.
Thanks Alf for drawing our attention to it.
Peter
 
Peter that story that Alf stated about the crown and anchor is a story that i heard about on one of the tv antiques programmes and i believe to be true:)Mossy
 
In Shena Mason's book "Jewellery making in Birmingham" , it is stated that before 1773 there were already 8 assay offices in the uk , including Chester. Sheffield and Birmingham campaigned to get extra offices and during the campaign met at the Crown & Anchor. It then goes on to say that they therefore chose these as the hallmark symbols "perhaps at a toss of a coin, who knows?"
Mike
 
Fascinating Alf. I have never been to this place but will put it on my list
for my next visit. Thanks very much for posting.
 
Izzy didn't it say in the Artical? I'm sure it was.

At a meeting at a pub called Crown & Anchor Chester and Brum went to a meeting and they tossed up for the Crown & Anchor, Chester chose the Crown so Brum got the Anchor:)

I missed that bit, I see it all now:redface:
 
Nice tour of the Jewellery qtr.....
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCKu7ps13fU"]YouTube - History Tour of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham[/ame]
 
Thanks Brumgum I enjoyed that. I have been on a couple of Chris's walks and found them really good. :)I also enjoy his books.:)
 
In the early 80's, my brother in law had a jewellery business in Warstone Lane, and I went, a couple of days a week, supposedly to do the books. I ended up taking pieces of jewellery, repairs, bits and bobs from one jeweller to another. I couldn't believe how magical and at the same time dickensian these small workshops were. I also met some great characters. But, like so many others, my brother in law did go bust.

Ann
 
:encouragement: I visited the Quarter 3 years ago and found it fascinating, especially the museum. Family ancestors lived/worked in the area, including my 3rd great
grandfather who was a jeweller. Other family members found on early census documents list their occupations as silver polishers, silver burnishers and one member a lapidary. They mostly lived in the ecclesiastical districts of St Paul, St Philip, St Martin. I've never been able to find trade directory entries
for any of them, but they worked/lived in the area in the late 1700s. Please does anybody have any information on the Quarter from the late 1700s?
I'm very interested in the social history for the Quarter and immediate surrounding areas.
 
If you have any particular names, with some idea of approx dates , then someone might have come across them. Part of the problem is that directories prior to about 1841 were a bit sparse of detail and not very comprehensive, but you might be lucky
Mike
 
Willmott
Don’t know if any of these of interest:
From directories
Wrightsons directories (Am not sure if the josephs were the same person, but they all appear in different years)
1815-18 Underwood Joseph, gilder in general, Mount-street
1823 Underwood Joseph, victualler, 44, Bull-street
1839 Underwood Joseph, gilder, Charlotte street
1818 Underwood John, gilder, Mount-street
1823 Underwood John, water gilder, 43, Mount-Street
1829-33 Underwood John, gilder, 43, Mount-st.
Whites & also PO directories
1849 Underwood Joseph Assistant overseer 126 Vyse St – this would probably be in the jewellery trade, being in Vyse St
1855, probably nothing to do with the others
Underwood Joseph, manufacturer of flexible purses, pocket books & patent expanding purses, 142 Irving st.
Mike
 
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