38 I Spotlight on... Birmingham
massage at the Santai Spa and we visited Dinosaurs
in the Wild, an innovative exhibition featuring 3D
graphics and ‘Chronotex’ time-travel storyline,
which took us back 67 million years and brought the
dinosaurs startlingly to life.
HIDDEN GEMS
As with most English cities, Birmingham has its fair
share of history. But today, during a two-hour tour of
the Jewellery Quarter, I discover it’s a living history.
We are escorted up and down narrow staircases to
see craftsmanship in action; it’s a fascinating step back
in time, seeing everything from intricate rings to college
coat of arms carved and stamped, continuing traditions
established by goldsmiths and silversmiths who
congregated in the city from the mid 18th century.
Much may have changed since, with jewellery now
mass produced in India and China, but this district
is testament to its quality – it continues to account
for 40 per cent of all UK jewellery production, and
is home to the world’s largest Assay office, which
hallmarks around 12 million items a year.
The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, where most
tourists visit, is built around the historic workshops
of a family-run company, Smith & Pepper. Many of
the displays provide a tangible link with the past but
try and sneak into a real workshop if you can.
We rounded off with a whistle-stop tour of the
Pen Museum (£5 entrance) where, with guidance
through three machines, we made our own nib. If
vinyl is making a comeback, could traditional writing
too? When I returned to the hotel, I dipped it in the
ink bottle and wrote away, enjoying hearing the
nib scratch on the paper and reconnecting with the
authors of old.
Clockwise from
above: Victoria
Square; Custard
Factory in Digbeth;
view from AC Hotel
by Marriott room;
coats of arms
in the jewellery
quarter.