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Volunteers at the Newman Brothers Factory will be busy unpacking hundreds of boxes on Tuesday 16^th September ready for the opening of Birmingham newest heritage attraction next month.

After a 15-year campaign to save the Newman Brothers factory, it is ready to return to its rightful home in the Jewellery Quarter. The new attraction will give visitors the opportunity to ‘step back in time’ to the 1960s to view original stock and machinery.

The Grade II listed building was built in 1894 and saw the Newman Brothers produce high quality coffin fittings, shrouds and coffin linings which have adorned the coffins of Joseph Chamberlain and Winston Churchill.

The factory closed its doors in 1999 leaving a lot of original content such as stock and machinery in place like any normal working day. Huge amounts of products have since been revived by Birmingham Conservation Trust volunteers and will be available to view in October.

A grant for £1million from the Heritage Lottery Fund was received for essential repairs and fixtures, which was then matched by English Heritage and Birmingham City Council, making the conservation work possible.

The Newman Brothers factory is currently on the look out for enthusiastic volunteers to help out once the attraction opens in October. For more information, visit: http://www.birminghamconservationtrust.org/volunteer-at-newman-brothers/

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