Bricks and bling.

Today is going to be a cultural day, and not only because our No.1 daughter is gracing us with her presence later, but we are exploring the Jewelry Quarter (JQ).

The first bricks we were going to be looking at was the LEGO Discovery Centre and Shop. The 'experience' was sold out so we had a look round the shop. I was pleased to see that despite many of the offerings were kits that went to make up detailed models for lots of money you could go and still buy a big bunch of bits and pieces and use your imagination to make whatever you wanted. I wonder if they emply students/children to make the models etc?

We walked down half the Farmer's Bridge flight of locks to get to the JQ and passed three boats heading down. I am a sucker for a tiled pub and the Queens Arms is special. It was built in 1870, designed by Joseph Ward for the breweres Mitchel and Butlers, and the Art Nouveau style tile work has meant it being awarded Grade II listing. It was restyled in 1901 when the tiling was added

Just over the road is the old Birmingham Assay Office. Precious metals had to be stamped as 'correct' from the 1300's but Birmingham had to send all their wares to either Chester of London with subsequent delays etc. Matthew Boulton lobbied hard to have an assay office in Birmingham and he was successful in 1773. You can see in the lower windows that the Birmingham Assay mark was the anchor. Apparently Boulton from Birmingham, along with others from Sheffield were staying at a pub called the Crown and Anchor whilst working to their ends in London. Sheffield took the Crown, that changed later to a rose, and Birmingham got the anchor! This building dates from 1877 and was purpose built. It was too small as soon as it was built!

St. Paul's Square is the only surviving Georgian Square in Birmingham and was built between 1770's and 1780's. St. Paul's Church was built in 1779 but the steeple was added in 1823. The graveyard makes a lovely open space to sit and cogitate in the sun, and there are several coffee shops and restaurants around too. We then visited the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Gallery on Brook Street just off the Square. The Society is the second oldest independent Art Society in the country and had a print exhibition on. The lino prints certainly made me want to pick up a knife and a tile again.

 These are a set of workshops on Mary Street and I just love them. Just out of shot to the right was the owners house that was built in 1818. He later had the workshops built on his land in 1823, and rented them out. One of the first tenants was George Wyon from a well known local manufacturing family from the area. The littel workshops were used for die sinking, modelling and chaser for medals and engravings. The workshops extended over the courtyard at the back.

Some of the detailing on the brick work is just stunning and makes the buildings really stand out. It must have really made a statement when first built as everywhere would have been covered in soot and grime making this building very special.

This building shows the use of limited space with the courtyard living, office and workshop space all in one building and in lovely Georgian proportions too.

This monument was raised to commemorate the visit of Joseph Chamberlains visit to South Africa as the Colonial Secretary in 1903 after the Boer Wars. Chamberlain had been the Mayor of Birmingham for 3 years in the 1870's and then elected MP for the City in 1876 until 1914 and was a massive figure in the development of the city.

This was originally the Midland Bank of 1893. The very impressive stone carvings are said to be related to the local Vyse family. Joseph Gibbin was a great help to matthew Boulton in his campaign for a Birmingham assay office when he was working at the local branch of the Bank of England. We wanted to set up his own bank and with the help of his friends he did so in 1891. The upstairs was used as jewelry workshops.

All the lovely buildings are not as old as you may think as this one was erected in 1914/15. It was designed by a company with the great name of Crouch, Butlet and Savage. It replaced an early 1800's house that had been altered for industrial use and had become outgrown by 1890. The ground floor had hearths etc and the first floor then had some offices and many glass partitioned workshops, as did the second floor. In the mansard roof space was the living accommodation for the caretaker and family as he was there to keep and eye out of hours on the building full of precious metals etc. As I said before I love a tiled exterior!

Thomas Fattorini Ltd were another newcomer to the JQ. They were established in Yorkshire in 1827 and only moved to this area in 1919. This building dates from after WWII. They are makers of medals, badges and trophies including swords! They have letters patent from the Queen, obviously, and are still well in business with another factory in Manchester.

I don't know much about this factory on Frederick Street in JQ but it is once again a much more modern building with what looks like Art Deco trimmings. I think it was a much later addition to the Argent Building next door.

Our main objective was the pen museum. It is a sobering thought to think the two thirds of everything that was ever written by hand was done using a pen nib made in Birmingham! It was a huge industry employing thousands of people right up until the end of WWII when the factories had been changed to war work and the biro had started to become popular. This was the Albert Works of W.E. Wiley Ltd makers of high class pens and built in 1862/63 and was styled on a Florentine Palazzi. Their products were high class so the building had to be too. Originally the waste steam was used in a Turkish bath on the top floor for paying customers. It was one of the first buildings that used fire proof techniques. The pen factory closed in the 1890's and was later used for making scientific instruments. The Pen Museum is well worth a visit if for no other reason than to learn that Walt Disney's Empire would not have come about without Birmingham as the 200 artists that drew the original cartoons used nibs made here in Birmingham.

On the way to the Tesco's supermarket we passed the Gatehouse to the Warstone Lane Cemetery. This was the Church of England cemetery and was opened in 1848. Major Harry Gem, the 'inventor' of Lawn Tennis, among others. We are now stocked up with grub for the weekend and are now just awaiting No.1 daughters arrival.