Museum of the Jewellery Quarter facts for kids
Exterior, May 2009
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| Established | 1992 |
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| Location | 75-79 Vyse Street, Hockley, Birmingham |
| Type | Industrial |
| Visitors | 19,354 (2019) |
The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter is a special museum located in Hockley, Birmingham, England. It's one of nine museums managed by the Birmingham Museums Trust, which is the biggest independent group of museums in the United Kingdom.
In 2008, the museum was even called the third best free tourist spot in Europe by TripAdvisor! It was ranked behind famous places like the Pantheon in Rome and the National Gallery in London. Today, there is a small fee to enter.
A Glimpse into the Past
For more than 80 years, a family business called Smith and Pepper made beautiful gold jewellery in this very building. They used the same tools and methods for a very long time.
When the elderly owners retired in 1981, they simply locked the door and left everything inside. It was like a time capsule! Tools were still on the workbenches, overalls hung on hooks, and even cups of tea and jars of jam were left behind.
What You Can See
The museum first opened in 1992 as the Jewellery Quarter Discovery Centre. It was part of a plan to protect the city's history.
The museum keeps this amazing "time capsule" of a jewellery workshop safe. It also shares the 200-year story of the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter. This area was once the main place for making jewellery in Britain. You can learn about the old craft skills used there.
The museum also has collections of jewellery on display. You can even start a self-guided walking tour of the Jewellery Quarter from here.
