Jewellery Quarter - Tourism

Tourism

As well as being an industrial area, the Jewellery Quarter has become a tourist attraction itself as many of the workshops retain their 19th century appearance.

Birmingham City Council first recognised the importance of tourism in raising the profile of the Jewellery Quarter in the 1980s. Studies were commissioned on the industry and potential for tourism in the area. These were put together into a strategy which included aims such as improving views in the area, established a museum and a trade centre to rival Germany and Italy. This was accepted, except the trade centre proposal. The first things to be implemented were the refurbishment Vyse Street car park and the improvement in street parking provisions. Former derelict sites were turned into surface car parks. The existing street furniture was improved whilst necessary additions were made. To influence the quality of design for future shops, a shopfront design guide was prepared by the council for the area. There were also plans for an arcade and gateways into the Jewellery Quarter, but these were abandoned in the 1990s due to a lack of available finances.

The city council also launched a series of initiatives aimed at promoting the Jewellery Quarter and raising the awareness of the location of the Quarter amongst the general public. Articles were published in local and national newspapers and magazines such as British Airways' own magazine Airtime. The council produced 200,000 leaflets in conjunction with Centro called How to find the Jewellery Quarter which were distributed through a range of outlets.

Manufacturers were approached to allow members of the public to enter their premises and see products be manufactured in the Quarter. Many accepted and a 'Factory Tours' pack was published for the public. Retailers were also approached to assist in the publication of a prestigious shopping guide along with World Gold Guides. However, despite promises that over one million of the guides would published and distributed around the world, nothing was ever produced.

The plan for gateways into the Jewellery Quarter was revived at the turn of 21st century and three metal sculptures designed by Anuradha Patel, a local freelance artist, were unveiled on lamp posts at strategic location on Hall Street with Great Hampton Street, Newhall Street with Lionel Street, and Vyse Street with Great Hampton Street on 13 February 2003. The sculptures themselves were manufactured in the Jewellery Quarter by Form Fabrications (Birmingham) Limited. They are made from a variety of steel tubes and rods, which are rolled, bent and then welded together.

The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter came about as a result of the strategy. It was created when the Smith & Pepper jewellery firm on Vyse Street closed their doors in 1981, leaving all the contents in the building. It is now a branch of the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and in 2008, TripAdvisor named it as the third best free tourist attraction in Europe, behind the Pantheon in Rome and the National Gallery in London.

There are also a variety of art galleries. The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists is a historic society of artists who moved to an art gallery in St Paul's Square in 2000. St. Paul's Gallery is the largest commercial art gallery outside of London and opened in February 2003. Another gallery that was in the Jewellery Quarter was Colony, which opened in 2004 and closed in August 2008.

There are also two trails through the Jewellery Quarter that were created by the city council. The Findings Trail was designed by Laura Potter, a practising maker and graduate from the School of Jewellery. There are 30 pavement slabs, with a stainless steel information plaque based on the form of a hallmarked tag usually found on jewellery. There is also a glass cat's eye set into each information plaque which reflects light at night and day on the principle of a gemstone set in jewellery. Slabs contain various elements of either stainless steel or cast bronze. The Charm Bracelet Trail was designed by the Birmingham-based artist partnership Renn and Thacker. The trail is shaped like a giant bronze charm bracelet. At the bottom of Newhall Hill is a charm bracelet padlock that illuminates at night, marking the start of the trail.