A £750,000 programme of restoration work has begun on a historic project which, when complete, will create a lasting tribute to Birmingham’s industrial and manufacturing heritage.

The JW Evans factory at 54-57 Albion Street, in the heart of the city’s Jewellery Quarter, was bought a year ago by English Heritage from a family whose silverware factory and workshops had been on the site since 1881. The buildings had long been neglected and were in a very poor condition with roof leaks and parts of the workshops on the point of collapse.
The restoration work, scheduled for completion by January 2010, will see the buildings exterior fully repaired and weathertight. It includes the careful dismantling and rebuilding of sections of brickwork. All the windows require extensive repair and 10,000 new slates from Penrhyn are being prepared to go on the roof.
The restoration work will protect the extraordinary interior structure of the building and its contents. The inside of the factory is densely packed with machinery, some dating from the late 19th Century. Since acquiring the site English Heritage have carried out an audit of contents and found approximately 55,000 pieces of machinery, dies and tools in the factory and workshops.
The houses on the site were built in 1836 and rear workshops were added in the 1870s. Jenkin Evans began his business as a die sinker and stamper at number 54 Albion Street in 1881 and in 1900 he was able to buy the whole premises from 54-57. The site was bought by English Heritage from Jenkin’s grandson Anthony in 2008.
Tim Johnston, English Heritage’s West Midlands regional director said: “JW Evans represents a major investment by English Heritage and the site is of considerable historic importance. It has long been recognised as one of the most complete surviving factories of the Jewellery Quarter.
“The key to the successful restoration at JW Evans is to repair the exterior and fabric of the building with as little disturbance as possible in order to preserve the special atmosphere of the place. This will be a major challenge as all the contents will have to remain in place while all the building work is going on, but we are confident this can be achieved.”
It is intended that the site will eventually open to the public as a working museum.