From 1894 to 1998, the Newman Brothers Coffin Furniture Factory operated out of a building in Fleet Street, in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham.

The company specialised in the manufacture of brass furniture for use in the production of coffins. Having previously operated a brass foundry elsewhere in the city, the move into the funerary business presented greater scope for profit.

It proved to be a successful move, with the company operating for over a century, before its closure in 1998. During its time, the company were experts in manufacturing up-market coffin furniture, used in the funerals of leading statesman such as Sir Winston Churchill, and royals including George V, George VI, and the Queen Mother. One of its final high-profile commissions was to provide the coffin furnishings for the funeral of Princess Diana.

After the company collapsed, a campaign to restore the building as a museum began. Funding was secured from a range of different sources, with work finally getting underway on a £3.4 million restoration in July 2013.

Improvement work is ongoing at The Coffin Works, which is now a museum. Storm were called in to provide 28 windows, working directly with Sarah Hayes, the Museum & Trust Director for Birmingham Conservation Trust. The trust was keen to work with Storm due to the sympathetic nature of our units and our association with project surveyors PNP consultants and BPN architects.

After quickly working on a sample unit to be signed off by the trust, we drew up a work plan to install front elevation arch top slimline units, upper vertical sliding sash units, and rear elevation slimline units. A two-phase installation of square units will be completed during 2024, with the shaped units being installed during the early part of 2025.

It’s been a great pleasure to return to the Jewellery Quarter after previously having worked in Mary Street. With the addition of our glazing, The Coffin Works can look forward to a warmer, and more energy-efficient future.