Andy has worked in the Jewellery Quarter in many guises over the last 20 years. Before partial retirement, he was Operations Director for the Jewellery Quarter Regeneration Partnership for ten years overseeing the regeneration of the area. He is currently a trustee at The Pen Museum and gives talks about Birmingham including the Jewellery Quarter and the Balti Triangle, which was the subject of his book ‘Going For A Balti’. We emailed him to ask what his first memories of visiting the cemeteries were:

‘Never having been to the JQ before starting work in 2000, I was fascinated by the leafy and peaceful seclusion of Key Hill surrounded as it is by buildings and industry, and the dark foreboding atmosphere of the Warstone Lane Catacombs. Also it may have been the time of year but the moss on Alfred Bird’s headstone had turned the colour of custard!’

We visited Alfred Bird’s grave this week to check – but despite the dry weather there was no custard coloured moss at the moment! You can learn more about Bird and his custard in this blog post.

Jewellery Quarter Cemeteries Project

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The Snowflake Trail is over now until Christmas 2023.
120 of you took a Snowflake home for your own tree and 40 people left a message for a loved one on our memory tree. Thank you for visiting and making this event so special
#JQChristmas #keyhillcemetery
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The Snowflake Trail is back for a 3rd year in Key Hill Cemetery and the weather laid on some real snow for us too!

The trail is free and open to everyone from 18th December until 1st January. Wrap up warm and explore, hunting for wooden snowflakes which hang from some of the trees forming a trail around the cemetery. Add the name of your loved one to our memory tree using the stars and snowflakes provided. Choose a decorative snowflake from the trail to take home for your own tree.

Please take care while walking as paths may be slippery in snowy, icy oe wet conditions. Please visit during daylight hours only.

Share your photos of your snowflake on your tree at home and tag us!

Key Hill Cemetery too far to travel? There are also snowflake trails at Lodge Hill Cemetery (18th Dec- 24th Dec), Lodge Hill Cemetery (18th Dec- 24th Dec) and Sutton Coldfield Crematorium (19th Dec - 24th Dec).
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This project is possible because of funding from: