Museum of the Jewellery Quarter
Birmingham museum built around a jewellery workshop left untouched since 1981, visited on guided tours with live bench demonstrations.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum stands in the former factory of Smith & Pepper, a family firm that made gold jewellery for more than 80 years. When the elderly owners retired in 1981 they simply stopped trading and locked the door, leaving the workshop with its tools, machines and even cups of tea in place. The building became a time capsule of working life in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter.
The site opened to the public in 1992 as the Jewellery Quarter Discovery Centre. It is now run by Birmingham Museums Trust as the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter. A gallery on the story of the Jewellery Quarter covers about 200 years of the district, which became the centre of the British jewellery industry.
Visits are by guided tour. The guide starts in the workshop, which is kept as it was on the firm's last working day, with metal turning machinery and presses under a glass roof, and goes upstairs to the office of Miss Olive, the factory's control centre. A jeweller demonstrates traditional skills at the main bench. The Craft & Culture cafe bar is in the same building.
Highlights
- Workshop preserved as on the last day of work in 1981
- Miss Olive's office
- Live demonstrations of traditional jewellery skills
- Story of the Jewellery Quarter gallery
- Jewellery-making workshops
Permanent exhibitions
- Guided tour of the Smith & Pepper workshop – A tour through the preserved factory with bench demonstrations of traditional jewellery making.
- The Story of the Jewellery Quarter – A gallery on the history of the Jewellery Quarter and its trades, which can be seen before or after the tour.
- Founded
- 1992
- Operated by
- Birmingham Museums Trust
Admission & discounts
| Adults | £10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | £8NUS students and people receiving benefits; a concession rate is also offered to visitors with disabilities |
| Children & teens | £5free up to age 2 · Child ticket for ages 3 to 15. |
| Visitors with disabilities | £8companion free · One personal assistant of a visitor receiving Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment enters free; assistants must be 16 or over. |
| Students & apprentices | £8NUS students. |
Prices shown are without Gift Aid; the Gift Aid prices are £11 (adult), £8.80 (concession) and £5.50 (child). Birmingham Museums members enter free. A 15 percent discount applies at the Coffin Works and the Pen Museum within a week of a visit. Tickets can be bought on arrival if available; pre-booking is advised.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
A lift serves all floors. The main entrance has 2 steps with a handrail; wheelchair users should use the signed Branston Street entrance, which has a buzzer to reception. The factory area can take only one wheelchair at a time, and wheelchair users should contact the museum before booking a tour. Seating is available on request. Assistance dogs are welcome and a water bowl can be provided. A 360 degree virtual tour is available online.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 2 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
The museum runs jewellery-making workshops for children. Unaccompanied children aged 12 or over are welcome; younger children must be accompanied by an adult aged 16 or over. Baby changing is available.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Jewellery Quarter station · 5-min walk
Jewellery Quarter station is one stop from Birmingham Snow Hill (about 3 minutes by train) and the Jewellery Quarter tram stop is about 8 minutes from Grand Central; both are about 5 minutes on foot from the museum. Bus 101 stops at the Clock stop on Warstone Lane, and buses 16 and 74 stop at Vyse Street on Great Hampton Street; the circular 8A and 8C stop at Jewellery Quarter station.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
There is no museum car park; parking is available on Vyse Street and nearby streets, and charges may apply.
The museum is off Great Hampton Street (B4100). There are no bike racks at the museum; racks are about 5 minutes away at Jewellery Quarter station.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
The Craft & Culture cafe bar serves speciality coffee and cake by day and wine and craft beer in the evening (Thursday and Friday, 10am to 10pm at the time of research). It is cashless but takes all cards. Some tables are wheelchair accessible and the cafe has a few steps with a ramp on request.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
The Craft & Culture cafe bar can be hired for private functions.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 45 min |
|---|---|
| Photography | Allowed unless stated otherwise, but not for commercial use; no tripods, selfie sticks or flash. |
| Good to know | The only way to visit is the guided tour, which also includes a demonstration at the jewellers bench. You can see the Story of the Jewellery Quarter gallery before or after your tour. Themed tours such as Workshops at War run on selected Fridays and Sundays. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome. |
