Would you like to learn more about the diverse and fascinating history of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and its surrounding area? This year’s joint Birmingham Assay Office and University of Birmingham Day School will take place at the University of Birmingham on Saturday, 15^th June from 10am until 4.15pm. Tickets are available now. ‘Made in the Jewellery Quarter: People, Place and Things’ will feature talks from six speakers from the Assay Office, the University of Birmingham, local heritage organisations and local industry. Firstly, Sally Hoban will provide an update on the Assay Office’s new building and Dr Sue Tungate will speak about Matthew Boulton’s Soho Mint. Following these talks, Sue Thomas will discuss the making of the Jewellery Quarter as a dissenting community in the early 19^th Century and Simon Buteux, Director of the Birmingham Conservation Trust, will talk about the importance of heritage in the Quarter, including an update on the Newman Brothers Coffin Fitting Works. Finally, John Berkeley OBE, former Chairman of Brandauer Holdings (a long-established precision engineering firm on the edge of the Jewellery Quarter), will discuss the Birmingham Pen Trade. There will also be a chance to hear Dr Malcolm Dick talk about a new book about Matthew Boulton published by Ashgate. The first joint Birmingham Assay Office and University of Birmingham Day School took place last June and was a great success. Sally Hoban, Heritage & Training Officer at the Assay Office says: ‘The aim of these annual collaborative events is to explore the rich history of the Jewellery Quarter and at the same time celebrate the vibrant culture of the Quarter today. The Birmingham Assay Office is immensely proud of its heritage and we work closely with the University and other educational and heritage organisations in Birmingham and the region to share our history and our place in the Jewellery Quarter and open up this heritage to as wide an audience as possible.’ Tickets for the Day School are priced at £36 per person, including refreshments and lunch. To book a place visit http://shop.bham.ac.uk and click on ‘Other Courses’. Follow the link from ‘Jewellery Quarter History Day.’ Alternatively, contact Dr Malcolm Dick in the Centre for West Midlands History at the University of Birmingham on 0121 415 8253 or email m.m.dick@bham.ac.uk.    

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