Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter remains one of the most popular destinations for visitors to the city. Now just a quick tram ride from New Street station, it combines the unavoidable allure of chic restaurants, bars and boutique shops with traditional jewellery manufacturers, whose industrial era buildings set a history-drenched backdrop to any shopping trip.
The Jewellery Quarter continues to develop considerably, with new businesses regularly setting up shop and innovative restaurants, shops and bars providing near limitless options for visitors.
In fact, there’s so much going on, that we thought we’d start a new monthly blog series where we take a look at the latest news and developments from the Jewellery Quarter.
Post offices usually only make the headlines when they close down after many years of operation, therefore it’s encouraging to see one of Birmingham’s finest receive a major refurbishment.
Based on Warstone Lane, one of the Jewellery Quarter’s oldest post offices began its transformation in early January and recently re-opened to the public. They’ve done a rather splendid job, too, as can be seen in the photo.
On Friday, 3th March, the annual Big Yellow Friday event will be held within the Jewellery Quarter, with organisers Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF) determined to add a whopping £90,000 to the £664,000 that has been raised to date.
Based in Birmingham city centre, CLDF is the sole UK charity dedicated to fighting all forms of childhood liver disease. With over one-hundred different liver diseases in existence that can effect toddlers, babies and young people, CLDF fights hard to reduce cases in the UK by providing emotional support for families, vital information and fund raising events like Big Yellow Friday.
This year’s event is a great day out for the whole family, and looks set to be another brilliant day of fund raising. For full details, visit http://www.bigyellowfriday.org.
Often known as ‘home of the balti’, Birmingham certainly isn’t short of an Indian restaurant or two.
The latest entrant sits in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter and occupies what was once the Brewsmiths Cafe. Situated beneath the railway arches at Snowhill, the Indian Brewery has retained much of the former tenant’s hipster feel and takes the innovative approach of combining traditional ales with classic Indian cuisine.
The result is certainly unique and the setting about as modern as it comes. Find out more here.
The Birmingham Mail recently conducted a survey that asked the perennial question: as a young couple, where should you look to live in Birmingham?
Having canvassed opinion among countless estate agents, the Mail found that the Jewellery Quarter ranked among the most popular areas for young couples seeking a new home.
This is perhaps no surprise in an area known as one of the UK’s premier hipster hotspots (see below) and which benefits from countless bars, restaurants and a short tram ride to the city centre. The rich history and picturesque architecture has no doubt played a big part in the area’s popularity among the younger generation, too.
Despite the growing popularity of the Jewellery Quarter for young home owners, the influx of hipsters appears to have pushed both trend levels and house prices sky high, according to new research.
The study was carried out by property website Zoopla, which describe areas like the Jewellery Quarter as becoming gradually ‘gentrified’. Unsurprisingly, London tops the bill in the list of hipster-inspired locations, but the Quarter appears to be hot on its heels.
Despite the reported rise in house prices as the result of gentrification, the area is also likely to benefit from increased bar and restaurant trade and the revival of old buildings that may otherwise have lay dormant and unloved.
So, hipster or not, the Jewellery Quarter is clearly one of the places to visit if you want to experience modern culture at its most vibrant, inclusive and welcoming.
February has certainly been a busy month in the Jewellery Quarter.
