A Birmingham coffin furniture factory located within The Jewellery Quarter will be given a new lease of life after being bought by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands.
Newman Brothers Coffin Furniture Works in the Jewellery Quarter will be resurrected as a museum and office space following the Agency’s undertaking to preserve the factory and its historical contents.
A ‘snapshot’ of manufacturing in the Jewellery Quarter in the 19th Century, the factory is a veritable treasure trove of high quality coffin furniture including crucifixes, ornate handles and intricately detailed shrouds.
Dated copies of ‘The Embalmer’ (..devoted to furthering the interests of embalming throughout the World), the ‘Funeral Service Journal’ and ‘Funeral Director’ magazine lie amidst piles of factory records, dusty mail rooms and even the original employee time clock and cigarette machine remain in situ.
Special Projects Manager for Advantage West Midlands Tim Prince said: “Far from being a morbid, depressing place, the Coffin Works is a fascinating and enchanting building. It exudes the air of a manufactory where high quality goods with a world class quality were produced, in an innovative environment.
We are confident that the refurbished building will offer small and medium-sized enterprises a superb location in which to work and to grow.”
