Memories of district wanted for £2m project

A £2 MILLION project to collect people’s memories of working in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter is hosting its first events on Saturday.

The three-year Jewellery Quarter Townscape Heritage (JQTH) project is backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and is calling for people to share their memories of living and working in the area.

The project wants to document a community that has evolved over generations to build what it is calling the Jewellery Quarter People’s Archive.

The digital archive, which will launch next year, will preserve personal experiences from the quarter.

Activities manager Kate O’Connor said: “The Jewellery Quarter played an instrumental role in the lives of many generations.

“We are looking for personal stories from people with a deep connection to the area.

“Whether you visited as child, worked as an apprentice or lived here before the slums were cleared, we want as many people as possible to come forward.

“By documenting these memories, we want to develop a digital archive that will be accessible for current and future generations.”

The heritage project is also aiming to bring historic buildings back into use by offering restoration grants to owners.

These will focus on the part of the Jewellery Quarter known as the Industrial Middle including roads such as Vittoria Street, Frederick Street and Legge Lane.

The first two drop-in events are on Saturday September 8, from 11am to 3pm and Wednesday September 12 from 2pm to 7pm.

Both are at The Big Peg, in Vyse Street, in the Jewellery Quarter.