Springing back to life: Birmingham Museums' heritage sites prepare for 2016 opening!

Spring rains will start powering the watermill at Sarehole Mill and the breeze will blow away the cobwebs at Aston Hall, Blakesley Hall and Soho House this Easter, when some of the region’s top heritage sites re-open for the 2016 visitor season.

“As the tourist season gets into swing, so we prepare to launch another exciting year at our fantastic heritage sites around Birmingham, with the promise of an exciting year of tours, events and exhibitions set against the backdrop of the finest historic properties in the Midlands,” comments Marketing Manager for Birmingham Museums Trust, Andrea Fox. “These sites are true oases in the city – historic sites that have watched the conurbation grow up around them, so they are wonderfully preserved capsules of the past within easy reach of a thriving metropolis!”

Indeed, many of the highlight events planned for the sites have been designed to give visitors a hands-on experience of life back in their heyday. For example, visitors can watch the watermill at work grinding wheat at Sarehole Mill on most Wednesdays and Sundays throughout the Spring and Summer – the freshly-milled flour is available for purchase in the shop, or indeed, for cooking on-site on Sunday 10 April during a pizza-baking masterclass!

At Blakesley Hall – a timber-framed house built in 1590 – the clock is always turned back to the Tudor period, with visitors welcome to explore its historic rooms and spacious grounds, but the sights, sounds and smells of the era will be brought to life for the late May bank holiday (29 & 30 May), when the clash of steel on steel and music of the hurdy gurdy will resound around the property for a special Tudor Weekend, complete with a living history travelling camp.

There will be no idle fingers this season at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, which has hands-on activities for children planned throughout the year – starting with crafty workshops on 31 March and 7 April. Adults can try their hand at working with precious metals, too, during the highly popular Silver Jewellery workshops, the first of which takes place on 16 April, whilst those who prefer to watch others hard at work can join any of the factory tours, in which guides demonstrate some of the traditional skills that would have been part of the daily routine during the 80 years of trading of the Smith & Pepper jewellery factory.

To mark the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, a Shakespeare celebration will be held at Aston Hall on Saturday 16 April with a day of al fresco performances, and Elizabethan music played against the splendour of one of the last great Jacobean houses.

In its day, Soho House, the elegant home of 18th century entrepreneur Matthew Bolton was a favourite meeting place for inspiring conservation between the likes of James Watt, Erasmus Darwin and Joseph Priestly, and continuing that tradition on Saturday 26 March, there will be an opportunity to meet popular children’s author B B Taylor and her famous characters Bubu the owl and Sox the raccoon. Her light-hearted, imaginative stories based on real animals strike a chord with young readers and she will be reading her books at 12 noon and 1.30pm. Admission is £2 per child.

Birmingham Museum Trust’s heritage sites open Tuesday to Sunday from 25 March to 30 October 2016 (Soho House and Sarehole Mill closed Tuesdays during term time), with a café at each site offering freshly prepared drinks and snacks.

For more details of all of the events taking place around Birmingham’s heritage sites, please visit www.birminghammuseums.org.uk or drop into any of the sites for a free visitor information leaflet.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Birmingham Museums Trust is an independent charity that manages the city’s museum collection and venues on behalf of Birmingham City Council. It uses the collection of around 800,000 objects to provide a wide range of arts, cultural and historical experiences, events and activities that deliver accessible learning, creativity and enjoyment for citizens and visitors to the city. Most areas of the collection are designated as being of national importance, including the finest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art in the world. Attracting over one million visits a year, the Trust’s venues include Aston Hall, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Blakesley Hall, Museum Collections Centre, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Sarehole Mill, Soho House, Thinktank and Weoley Castle. www.birminghammuseums.org.uk

Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2015 and 2018, Arts Council England plans to invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and an estimated £700 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk

For further media information or photographs, please contact:

Jay Commins

Pyper York Limited

Tel:         01904 500698

Email:    jay@pyperyork.co.uk