We headed to The Coffin Works museum, on the edge of the Jewellery Quarter this morning and had a really good time.
We went as part of our Buckt subscription (code: SMALLHOUSEBIGTRIPS will get you 50% off your first month).
We had booked on for the 11am tour which lasts approximately an hour and headed to the venue for 10:45am which was the time that The Coffin Works opens.
The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly and Cornelius the tour guide introduced himself and gave us a clocking in card each and we headed into the courtyard to wait for the tour to start.
The girls were soon greeted by another friendly member of staff who gave them an apron each so that they could be workers on the tour. The aprons contained a magnifying glass and a magnet and they were given a clipboard with a quiz book and colouring in.
Cornelius kindly showed the girls how to fill the book in and pointed us to the first cat.
This was a really nice touch for the girls and they soon felt really involved in this museum tour and were excited to get started.
First we were all taken to clock in for our shift.
And then we headed back to the courtyard which is where the tour continues.
We loved being able to explore the museum. The Stamp Room was my favourite section. We got to see the original machines working.
The girls enjoyed checking what material the stamps were made from by using their magnets and looking closer at the stamps with their magnifying glasses.
Cornelius our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable. Knowing answers to any questions which were asked.
We liked looking at all the fittings, the well made handles and iconography. It was interesting to hear that the religion I grew up following (Catholicism) were the bigger spenders on funerals, up to 40% more than other religious and none religious coffins.
The rooms all had their own individual stories of things that had happened, staff that worked in them and one of my favourite stories was in the shroud room about a member of staff and her wedding dress (I won’t spoil it for you).
It was nice to see all the original sewing machines, all sat in the same place that they would have been in when the factory was still a working factory.
The office is where we heard more about the history of the factory and feuds with members of staff who were not keen on having a female boss when the Newman Brothers were no longer running the factory.
There is so much History in this former Coffin Works factory and I would really recommend this tour. I thought we might struggle taking the girls with us as I presumed it would be a serious adult tour, but the way children on the tour are encouraged and included is fantastic and I would like to highlight how family friendly this tour is.
We loved it and are so glad that we had the opportunity to come along.
At the end of the tour, you have the opportunity to browse the well stocked shop. Our girls chose some lovely pom pom toy cats and a badge each. There are lots of options for adults and children with all budgets.
Key Information:
Address:
13 – 15 Fleet Street, B3 1JP
Opening Times:
Doors open 10.45am.
Tours on the hour at 11am, 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.
Admission to the museum is by guided tours only.
Tours are limited to 15 people at a time. You are welcome to just turn up before a tour, but they advise that to avoid disappointment, you reserve a space by phone: 0121 233 4790 or by email: newmanbrothers@coffinworks.org
Prices:
Standard prices (they do have gift aid prices too)
Adult £7.00
Concession £6.00
Child (5-16) £4.00
Child (under 5) FREE
Family (1 adult + up to 3 children) £12.00
Family (2 adults + up to 3 children) £18.00
Do check out The Coffin Works Website here: http://www.coffinworks.org/newmanbros/visit/ as they have various offers including kids go free, discount if you travel by bus and a special meal price at a local pub.
Disclaimer: We went along as part of our current Buckt Subscription which we have been gifted to review. If you would like to join Buckt and relish in great activities like this one, check out their website here: https://www.buckt.uk/ and use code SMALLHOUSEBIGTRIPS when buying a duo box for your first month to cost only £12.50 (thats £6.25 each) for 5 wonderful trips/activities a month.
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