Birmingham Conservation Trust is a charity which saves and restores historic buildings in the city of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

History

Birmingham Conservation Trust was founded in 1977 by

Birmingham City Council Birmingham City Council is the local authority for the city of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. Birmingham has had an elected local authority since 1838, which has been reformed several times. Since 1974 the council has been a metropo ...

as a vehicle to preserve and restore the city's built heritage. The Trust's first ever project was the Georgian Brewmaster's House which was completed in 1984. The Trust continued to be affiliated to Birmingham City Council until a "Transition Grant" from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

in 2014/2015 made it possible for the Trust to become independent of the council. However, the Trust retains a good relationship with the council and over the last few years has seen it working on the Prefabulous project which focused on the council owned grade II listed prefabs on the Wake Green Road in the city. In 2004 the Trust completed the conservation and restoration of the last surviving court of Back to Back houses on Hurst Street in the city. These are now run as a visitor attraction by the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

. The Trust moved on to a short term project managing the protection of Perrott's Folly – a tower in the city which has close associations with

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

. Structural work was undertaken to ensure the stability of the tower which is now owned and managed by th
ReFuture Collective
The Trust has also been instrumental in the formation of other charitable trusts set up to oversee single projects within the city. These include Highbury Hall, which is now maintained by th
Chamberlain Highbury Trust
and the Moseley Road Baths which are now run by th
Moseley Road Baths CIO.
The Trust's flagship project is Newman Brothers' Coffin Works: a grade II* listed Victorian factory situated in the Jewellery Quarter. Now run as a museum, the factory and its contents tells the story of Newman Brothers, Birmingham's last coffin-furniture firm, who operated from their Fleet Street premises for over 100 years until 1998 when workers laid down their equipment, and walked out of the building for the very last time, leaving everything, including personal belongings behind. The firm made some of the world's finest

coffin A coffin or casket is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, for burial, entombment or cremation. Coffins are sometimes referred to as caskets, particularly in American English. A distinction is commonly drawn between "coffins" a ...

furniture, including the fittings for the funerals of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

Joseph Chamberlain Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal Party (UK), Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually was a leading New Imperialism, imperial ...

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...

and

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

. Sections of the factory now comprise workshops and commercial units which house local businesses as well as the heritage hub which sees the Trust sharing offices with th
Heritage Trust Network
an
Civic Voice

Aims

Birmingham Conservation Trust believes in working with local people to find imaginative and sustainable solutions that address local needs. By doing this the Trust aims to: * create better places in which to live, work and play * enhance local distinctiveness and create a new identity for the City that integrates the best of the old with the new * form partnerships with local communities, with business, industry and the voluntary sector * empower communities within the City to help improve their environment for the better * act as a catalyst for urban regeneration in run down areas of the City * contribute to the local economy by drawing funds into the City and encouraging tourism and leisure * combine the best of modern design with the use of traditional construction skills It also seeks to actively encourage access and promote enjoyment of the city's historic buildings by: * taking part in the Heritage Open Days in the City * giving talks and lectures to local groups * staging exhibitions and events linked to our projects.

References

External links

Birmingham Conservation TrustBirmingham Back to Backs at National Trust
*{{EW charity, 1063124
Newman Brothers' Coffin Works

Conservation Trust Land trusts are nonprofit organizations which own and manage land, and sometimes waters. There are three common types of land trust, distinguished from one another by the ways in which they are legally structured and by the purposes for which th ...

Conservation and restoration organizations Charities based in Birmingham, West Midlands