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The Jewellery Quarter

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nipper
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Nipper

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Did anyone ever work in the Jewellery Quarter? I worked there when I was in my early teens for a bloke called Ronnie Broadhead. He had a workshop in Northampton Street. I used to run errands for him. He'd give me a note for some firm or other and when I got there they would give me half a dozen emeralds, a few rubies, a couple of sapphires maybe and an assortment of diamonds, all 'on appro'. Next day i would take back the the ones he didnt use. Talk about trusting? it would never happen today.

I also used to sweep the workshop for him and take the sweeping to Sheffield Smelt (Warston Lane I think) who paid a good price for floor sweepings. They would burn off the dirt and extract the gold shavings. Nothing was wasted.

Also, if anyone has a picture of Northampton Street (preferably pre 1970), I'd appreciate a copy. I'm writing something for the site on this topic which I hope to deliver in the next couple of weeks (honest Rod).
 
Cheers Nipper, we look forward to it!!

I have a friend who works for a firm who recycle gold, silver etc. Its then turned into wire or ribbon to be re-used in the brum quarter for making rings etc. He tells me that tragically he has to melt down some very old and often fantastic things because they have "No Value" to the current owner....
 
J. Quarter.

Hi Nipper,

I used to work in the J. Quarter from 1957 to 1966.
The firm was Swatkins & Turvey now goes by the name of W Bayliss. at 4, Mary Street.
The company made sports trophys, tankards etc.
delt in EPNS also silver.
We did a Mace once for over seas. This was made out of gold.
inserted with rubys, diamonds, emralds and a few more different kinds of stones.
The diamond cutter had a small room in an old house, they did have a safe but it never shut as the hinge was not very good. As you say you could not get away with having a broken safe this day and age.
Sad.
:(

Cheers June.
 
Jewellery Quarter.

My other half has worked in the J.Q. since he was 16, now nearly 60 but dont tell any one :wink: In his early teens he worked in almost every street in the trade, jobs were easy to get then, start a job one day and leave for another the next day!! Over the years he has worked with many priceless objects, he has always been a perfectionist in his job."METAL POLISHER", has polished all metals from Brass to Gold, in all sizes from cuff-links to car bumpers!Jackie
 
Jewellery quarter

I worked in the Quarter in the early sixties (60-63) as a part time runner after school. I worked for Albert Griffiths in Frederick St next to Barclays Bank. I too carried hundreds if not thousands of pounds worth of jewellery around the streets of the quarter in a leather bag. I used to take all our scrap to Johnson Matthey in Vittoria St, remember the Rolls Royce van that they had, the only one in the world, Rolls Royce created a stink and said it bought RR into disrepute or something similar. I remember the rabbit warren of houses that I used to visit to get engine turning, plating, setting, polishing, engraving, silver soldering, gold soldering, diamond cutting, watch repairing, tropy repairing or chain making done, literally hundreds of different crafts and skills. All for 2/6 a week.

Happy days.
 
J. Quarter.

Hi ,

I am back, I have been thinking of the J. Quarter and
do any of you remember the small shop on Warston Lane just near Frederick St ? I always went in there to get some thing to eat.
The lady used to cut the nice fresh bread and fill it with what ever you wanted, loads of it as well. Always put it in a brown paper bag.
My mom was born just off Frederick St. and when she got married it was
at St Pauls Church.
All the trades that made up the Quarter you would have to go a long way to find any thing like it.

Cheers June.
 
my wife worked at Cleweys in Vyse street, in the jewellery quarter, she was a watch strap assembler (gold expanding straps) she used to bring out work home it was a very delicate job assembling al the componements together tiny springs you could hardly see, she used to get samples to bring home if one of the family wanted any jewellery she would come home with hundreds of pounds worth of rings just in a bag no fuss or bother you made your choice of which item you wanted then she took them back the next day and payed for what ever they wanted, workers walked round every day with jewellery of all discriptions with no fear of being accosted she worked there till my first son was born December 1965.
 
I worked at David Hollander,'Plato works' corner of Caroline Street and Northwood Street.
We made everything under the sun in EPNS.I was a teenager when I started in the office(1958),I took the wages round the factory on Friday mornings with instructions not to dally in the plating shop because the language of the women who worked in there was too coarse for young ears.These colourful ,middle aged, women with loads of character worked in appalling conditions,covered in rubber aprons, rubber gloves and wellingtons to protect them from the chemicals which smelt disgusting.Any poor unsuspecting young man that entered the area was met with loads of comments of sexual innuendo.Not very PC nowadays.
I first became aware of the class system in those days.We didn't really have any call for silver plated Grape scissors , asparagus dishes or cocktail shakers in our house but Hollanders sold hundreds every year.
 
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I didn't work there but my parents did before WW1. My mother was an enameller at Ashfords and my father was a silversmith at Leathers.
Here is an interesting photo that includes two of the Leather family
athletics2.jpg
 
Re: Jewellery quarter

Bob Johnson said:
I worked in the Quarter in the early sixties (60-63) as a part time runner after school. I worked for Albert Griffiths in Frederick St next to Barclays Bank. I too carried hundreds if not thousands of pounds worth of jewellery around the streets of the quarter in a leather bag. I used to take all our scrap to Johnson Matthey in Vittoria St, remember the Rolls Royce van that they had, the only one in the world, Rolls Royce created a stink and said it bought RR into disrepute or something similar. I remember the rabbit warren of houses that I used to visit to get engine turning, plating, setting, polishing, engraving, silver soldering, gold soldering, diamond cutting, watch repairing, tropy repairing or chain making done, literally hundreds of different crafts and skills. All for 2/6 a week.

Happy days.
Click to expand...

I remember the RR van, when I was working in Watsons garage in Villa Street one day there was a hell of a bang at the crossroads just above and that RR was lying on its side. Eric.
 
Jewllery Quarter

Hi all, I felt I have to mention if you are thinking of visiting the area please go and look at the Jewellery Museum. It is just wonderfull like stepping back in time. The Jewellers Smith & Pepper walked away from their premisies. They left us with a wonderful time capsual of how it was to work in a jewellers. There is no charge but its advisable to book as you have to be taken on a tour. It is just amazing especially if you have ancestors who worked in this trade. Also visit the Pen Room on the corner of Legg St and Fredrick St you can make a pen knib and I don't think you will have seen so many pens and knibs with all the history behind it. You can have a go at caligraphy or just writing with an old ink pen..............go on enjoy yourself............put a few coppers in their tin they do it for free its our heratige if we don't us it it will be gone! support these projects!
 
Just come across this thread, thanks to Wendy's message yesterday. I worked in the Jewellery Quarter in the late 50s @ W.J. Dingley in Warstone Lane (mow Toye, Kenning and Spencer). My boss was Brian Toye and they made sports trophies, masonic emblems, medals etc. It was a great place to work, I was in a small office with wooden floors with the Sales Manager, Roy White. It's expanded a bit since then (!) and now looks very swish. I remember going to the cafe on the corner of Carver Street (opposite the abbatoir!) to get bacon sandwiches and play the jukebox. When I left there I went to the office of Lustre Finish Anodising in Camden Drive. I had an stockings allowance because every time I had to go into the factory the acid would burn holes in my stockings, even though I donned a pair of wellies. The people working there mostly lived in the houses around King Edwards Road, Edward Street etc. and would drink in the King Edward on the corner of Newhall Hill and The Parade. I had returned to my roots somewhat, as all my family were born in Camden Drive and Pope Street. Kathleen Dayus,the author, lived in the next yard to my grandparents in Camden Drive and they get a mention in her books (Mr and Mrs Chapman). Last time I was there the school wall was (more or less) intact and the cobbles were still there. The actual place where the back-to-backs stood was a car park. Still lots of history in that area and I love it to bits! I agree about the Jewellery Quarter Museum and The Pen Room - the people there are so friendly and dedicated.
 
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Jewellery Quarter

Here is a photo of my mother in law Rose Ford polishing at P H Bunting and one of her son Ken Ford on the press at Webbs, both sadly no longer with us.
 
This discussion is really fascinating. I would like to repeat Wendy's recommendation of the Jewellery Quarter Museum. I went twice last year, and would willingly go again some time. As you have to go in guided parties, a lot depends on the guide, and the first one I had was superb, although he was not an 'official' guide, and was not authorised to demonstrate the machines. His description of the members of the family who ran it and of working conditions was superb, if leisurely - the next party was on our heels all the time.
It's a wonderful place.
Peter
 
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Jewellery Quarter

It has been a real treat to read in the forum of everyone's memories of the jewellery quarter. My Willstrop family were living in the area for more than 100 years from early 1800s to late 1930s.

My ggg grandfather Thomas Willstrop b. abt 1772 died 1833 aged 52 and is buried in St Paul's with two of his daughters Ann d.1852 aged 32 years and Eliza d. 1862 aged 50 years. There are only a few stones in that cemetery so I know I am lucky that their's is well-preserved. However I have never been able to find the burial place of my ggg grandmother Rose who outlived them all and died in 1874 at 165 Icknield Street.

Albert Willstrop lived at 2/74 Carver Street and attended Brookfields School in 1917. He died in 1929 and is buried in Warstone Lane Cemetery with father John, died 1924, and mother, Martha, who died 1932. John's father, also John, married Letitia Stokes and they lived in Warstone Lane in 1841. By 1849 they were at 133 Icknield Street and then in 1870 their address included 134 Icknield Street. I have copies of the architect's drawings for an extension to their grocery shop front.

My gg grandfather Henry Willstrop b. 1814 died in 1894 at 57 Guest Street. He was living in 165 Icknield Street as a master tailor when my great grandfather and his twin sister were born.

I have been researching my Willstrop family for over 40 years but I have never been able to find out where anyone else is buried! Some left Birmingham but many must have remained and died there. Any sitings would be appreciated and any suggestions for finding their gravestones or even records of where they once were would be appreciated.

Thank you
Penny (Willstrop) Denby
www.willstrop.com
 
Hello and welcome willstrop. Finding burial places is always difficult but there are a few ways. St Pauls churchyard was closed for burial in 1861 and laid out as a garden in 1894 by the council parks department. I can only think your family grave was full so Rose would have been buried elsewhere. My first suggestion would be Warstone Lane Cemetery in the middle of the Jewellery Quarter the bottom end of the cemetery is on Ickneild Street. The other cemetery would be Key Hill although less likely as it was mainly non conformist. The burial records for both of these cemeteries are on microfilm at Birmingham Central Library. The other way maybe the national burial register but this is incomplete. Just a suggestion.
 
Burial Records

Hi Wendy
Thanks for your reply. I think I will have to make a trip to Birmingham and search the burial records for Warstone Lane and Key Hill Cemeteries. There are so few headstones standing at St Paul's I guess I am lucky that my ggg grandfather is still there and is in excellent condition ... partly I think because a large bush is growing round it so it is protected! When the churchyard was made into a garden do you know if there would have been records made of the original headstones and burials?

Also I have just emailed Charlie who responded to your photo of the Mint with shops in background. Do you know which shops these were. It is difficult to see the detail.

One of my great uncles remembers visiting his grandfather who was a tailor in Icknield Street and watching him as he sat on a table top sewing.

Appreciate any suggestions/advice on where to look for more info.

Thanks Penny (Willstrop)
 
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St Pauls, Hockley graves

I once had a chat with the vicar there when I was looking around the graveyard. He told me how the church fell into disrepair and was under serious threat of demolition back in the 60's. He also said how many of the records went missing so they really dont know who was buried there at all, let alone where. It is such a lovely area these days though

Steve
 
I was afraid of something like that but will live in hope that the records might turn up one day ... always an optimist!

I agree it is a lovely area round St Paul's Church. One of my sons lives in Coventry now and occasionally goes to a nightclub just opposite where his gggg grandfather is buried!

Penny (Willstrop)
 
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.
 
Alf said:
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:)
Click to expand...

I missed that bit, I see it all now:redface:
 
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