Author Description

Following on from the publication in 2000 of a short history and guide, this large hardback volume explores in much more detail the unique historical environment of the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter. This area of Birmingham was developed in the early 19th century with many purpose-built structures designed to house the jewellery and metal-working industry and its workers. This architectural history of the urban development of the quarter derives from a three-year survey carried out by the RCHME, and includes chapters on the origins and development of the industry, the processes involved, the development of workshops and factories, the buildings, and the operation of the factories, all set into the wider regional and national context of the Industrial Revolution. The final chapter looks at the area today and a gazetteer of 141 important buildings in the area rounds off this great study. Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales. Summaries in French, Italian and German.