Birmingham Assay Office receives £70,900 grant
The Birmingham Assay Office (BAO) has received a grant of £70,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The grant aims to help the Assay Office bring collections dating back to the 18th Century into the digital age.
Collection articles include private silver, coin and metal collections that chronicle the changes in manufacturing techniques, fashion, social history and lifestyles of the area, all of which are on catalogued on paper records and a database that is over 30 years old.
The six-month project will see a team of nine people create an electronic catalogue that will be accessible online.
Kate Hartigan, chairman of the BAO, said: “We are extremely enthusiastic about this project which will enable historians, researchers, local people and students of all ages to benefit from the rich heritage resources of [the BAO].”
Reyahn King, head of Heritage Lottery Fund West Midlands, said: “Birmingham is the home of Jewellery Quarter and a wealth of pioneering industrial heritage, in which the Assay Office played a key role – so millions of items bear the anchor hallmark.
“We’re extremely pleased to support this project to make the Assay Office collections and memories available digitally so that people can access a unique insight into the industries which helped give the city its world-class reputation for jewellery and metalwork.”
