Adapt and Repurpose: Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter

About the tour

A guided tour taking in key historical, architectural and public realm sights of the JQ with a focus on reinvention and reimagination of some fascinating post-industrial buildings and spaces that have evolved and been repurposed for modern uses. We will stop at some key buildings/locations along the way to gain limited access and find out more and then will finish at the incredible Indian Brewery for much needed refreshment.

Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter is unique - there is no other historic townscape like it in the world. Described by Historic England as “a national treasure… a place of unique character… a particular combination of structures associated with jewellery and metal working which does not exist anywhere else in the world”. It is rich in heritage, but what makes it so special is that it is a vibrant, living, working and evolving community.

Metal workers, including goldsmiths and silversmiths, have been working in the area we now call JQ for more than 200 years. Originally scattered across Birmingham, they began to congregate in the Hockley area from 1760 onwards, due to the Colmore family releasing land for housing and manufacturing. The different crafts people and manufacturers were dependent on each others specialist distinctive skills, and this ‘symbiotic’ relationship explains their concentration in such a compact area.

As trade expanded, new streets were laid out and substantial new homes were built for wealthy manufacturers - Birmingham the city of 1,000 trades. Alongside these large houses, terraces of artisans homes were constructed. In time these houses were repurposed as workshops, the gardens built upon and spare rooms had work benches installed for highly skilled firms producing a huge range of products - reaching a height in 1913, when some 70,000 people were employed in the precious metal trade.

For most of its history the JQ was a ‘closed community’ - there were no jewellery shops until the late 1970’s when the economic recession prompted some of the manufacturers to evolve and start opening their doors to retail customers. Soon other retailers moved in and in the 1980’s historic buildings started to be restored rather than pulled down.

Today the JQ is still the centre of the jewellery trade in Britain - home to over 700 jewellers and independent retailers, a thriving food and drink scene, commercial premises and residential properties - a lively community of businesses, residents and makers. Therefore the evolution of repurposing of house, to workshop, to shop continues to this day, preserving and enhancing this special place.

Printed and interactive web-based materials will support the tour and add a new layer of interactivity.

Wes Sedman

Urban Design Director, Define

Wes is an Urban Designer and Chartered Town Planner with 25 years experience specialising in new communities, urban regeneration and public realm design. Wes is typically is passionate about exploring all levels of detail of placemaking including spatial and non-spatial design. He has a strong working knowledge of effective stakeholder and community consultation methods. Wes has worked in Birmingham for 20 years and has enjoyed watching the gradual regeneration of the Jewellery Quarter.

Richard Newman

Founder and Partner, BPN Architects

Richard is a director at BPN Architects, a Birmingham-based practice that’s been involved in regeneration projects across the Jewellery Quarter since 1996. BPN Architects' work includes new-build residential, public spaces, and the careful restoration of listed buildings — with past projects including Golden Square, Gilders Yard and Setl. Richard knows the area well and has spent years working with its quirks and complexities.