J URNAL
of history & nostalgia
BIRMINGHAM The world’s only museum dedicated to honouring and celebrating the important legacy of Birmingham’s 19th Century steel pen trade has launched a Crowdfunder campaign to help it stay open after being forced to close during the coronavirus lockdown. At its height, Birmingham’s pen trade employed an estimated 8,000 workers, of which 70 per cent were women. The mass production of affordable pens helped improve literacy worldwide and wherever a pen was used it most likely had been manufactured in Birmingham. With its unique and extensive collection of pens, nibs, machinery and exquisite artefacts the museum recounts the history of one of Birmingham’s most famous industries and narrates the lives of entrepreneurs, manufacturers and workers whose expertise placed Birmingham at the centre of this worldwide trade. Being an independent museum of charitable status it relies extensively on the regular income from visitors to keep the museum open. However, in view of Government advice in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, it was necessary to temporarily close until further notice and to take the difficult decision to cancel all events until August. The Pen Museum has launched a Crowdfunder campaign to support the venue, with incentives such as annual memberships for two with names on a thankyou plaque (£500) or a free calligraphy taster session with museum entry for £5. “Each year visitors from home and abroad receive a warm welcome to our museum. However, with the loss of this income the Pen Museum now faces an uncertain future and possible closure,” says a spokesperson. “As guardians of the Pen Museum we face our toughest challenge yet and need your help to save a unique glimpse of Birmingham’s heritage.” Visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ support-the-pen-museum
JEWELLERY QUARTER VENUE FACING UNCERTAIN FUTURE DUE TO CLOSURE
Pen Museum Launches coronavirus Crowdfunder Pictures courtesy The Pen Museum
COFFIN WORKS REACHES £3,000 FUNDS TARGET After launching a similar crowdfunding campaign, Birmingham’s unique Coffin Works museum reached its £3,000 fundraising target 14 days before its deadline. It takes £10,000 to run the grade II* listed building per month, but £3,000 was the target to keep the
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site heated and collections safe during its coronavirus closure. The Coffin Works offers visitors the opportunity to ‘step back in time’ and experience the factory as a time-capsule, set in the 1960s, Newman Brothers’ heyday, producing some of the world’s finest coffin furniture, including the
fittings for the funerals of Joseph Chamberlain, Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother. The Coffin Works has launched a new scheme of memberships through its Crowdfunder appeal. Visit https://www.crowdfunder. co.uk/support-the-coffin-works
DIGITAL MAGAZINE – SUMMER 2020
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