Newman Brothers at The Coffin Works

Title: Newman Brothers at The Coffin Works

Built in: 1894

Location: 13-15 Fleet Street, Birmingham

Short intro: a museum dedicated to the social and industrial history of the Newman Brothers Coffin furniture factory

Description: The Newman Brothers moved into 13-15 Fleet Street in 1894, and specialised in the production of brass furniture used in the manufacture of coffins. The term ‘coffin furniture’ refers to handles, crucifixes, nameplates and ornaments. The factory would produce some of the highest quality coffin furniture in the world, used in the funerals of figures such as Winston Churchill and Joseph Chamberlain, and royals including George V, George VI and the Queen Mother. The company reached its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, employing 100 people and exporting products internationally. The business survived until 1998, after which it underwent a long term renovation to open as the Coffin Works museum in 2014. The museum displays the building as it would have looked in the 1950s and 1960s, recreating the sights, sounds and smells of factory life at this time.