Advantage West Midlands is to give £1.5m towards a £3.4m scheme to secure the future of the unique Newman Brothers coffin works in Birmingham's world famous Jewellery Quarter.
The three storey Grade II listed building in Fleet Street dates from 1892 and once employed 100 people making metal coffin fittings and shrouds – or ‘furniture’ – for coffins.
The first stage of the development will be to catalogue and conserve the many unique artefacts that were left intact when the building closed.
Then, five commercial units will also be created to the rear of the works to help local jewellery companies stay in the area and grow in a historical and creative environment.
At the time of its closure in 1999 it was one of only three remaining coffin furniture manufacturers in England. Advantage West Midlands bought and preserved the site in 2002 on behalf of Birmingham Conservation Trust and, in 2003, the site was featured on the BBC’s ‘Restoration’ programme.
Advantage West Midlands has been working with the Birmingham Conservation Trust to develop a scheme for the works and create a unique new visitor attraction to complement existing local attractions such as St Paul's Church and the award winning Museum of the Jewellery Quarter.
Elizabeth Perkins of Birmingham Conservation Trust said: “Newman Brothers Coffin Works is an amazing place that has really captured the imagination of all sorts of people, so this is great news for the project.”
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