- The Hive Café and Bakery, in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, will reopen on Tuesday 8 September, having won Gold in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2020
- Then from 12-19 September, visitors to The Hive can enjoy talks, film-screening, crafting and an exhibition dedicated to Birmingham’s history of camera making, as part of Birmingham Heritage Week
- Plus take a live digital tour of The Hive’s famous rooftop farm, see honeybees in action and learn about biodynamic gardening in the city
- The Hive is a community hub for Birmingham in an historic building, with an award-winning organic cafe, craft workshops, exhibitions and event spaces.
The Hive in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter will reopen on Tuesday 8 September after a five-month closure due to the pandemic. The café and public spaces will all be open to visitors, with thorough cleaning, pre-booking and social distancing measures in place. Staff at The Hive took advantage of lockdown to make improvements to the public areas, so visitors will find beautiful new signage and refurbishment in the Makers Studio.
In a timely development, The Hive has also recently won Gold in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2020 in the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism category.
From 12 September visitors to The Hive will be able to enjoy a free series of pre-bookable events and experiences and an exhibition for Birmingham Heritage Week, the first activities to take place in the building since the end of March.
100 Years of Camera Making in Birmingham is a free exhibition dedicated to Birmingham’s history of producing camera equipment, with historic cameras and old quirky spying devices dating from the 1860s to the 1960s.
it is accompanied by two live talks on Saturday 12 September from historian James Furnival, where audiences can hear tales of Birmingham’s history of manufacturing lenses and cameras.
On Friday 18 September, Desiblitz will screen a new film, From Africa to Britain, recounting the stories of people who made new lives in Birmingham and the Black Country. These personal accounts reflect on themes of loss, discovery, courage, and often success, broadly highlighting the contribution of the South Asian community on the economic and cultural diversity of the region.
Then on Saturday 19 September, everyone is welcome to A Good Yarn, a free day of crafting accompanied by audio recordings of workers, craftspeople and makers from the Jewellery Quarter who share a few yarns about their experiences of working in the area. Have a go at weaving your own coaster and enjoy a cuppa as you craft. This free event is open to families, adult ‘bubbles’ or individuals.
All live events are free but need to be pre-booked, to ensure social-distancing. The Hive’s famous café and bakery will also be open for pre-bookable sit-in dining and take away on 12 September for the Heritage Week special event day, with home-cooked fresh lunches, cakes and coffees.
As well as introducing live events in the building, The Hive will continue with its popular online tours, including a Facebook Live event on Saturday 12 September: Hidden Nature on a Grade-II listed Jewellery Quarter Rooftop will take you behind the scenes on The Hive’s rooftop farm, with a chance to watch honeybees in action and hear about biodynamic farming, the challenges of nature and growing produce, wildlife during lockdown, beekeeping, worm composting and a bit about being sited on Matthew Boulton’s former back garden.
For people who won’t make it to the exhibition in person, local historian and collector James Furnival will tell you about his exciting collection of cameras and photographic equipment on display in a Facebook Live Q&A event. Tune in to hear James talk about some of his favourite objects and share stories of the photographic manufacturing here in Birmingham from the comfort of your own home!
Dom Lawson, chef at the Hive’s award-winning café & bakery comments:
“It is a joy to finally re-open our doors after so many months, and we are buzzing from our win at the VisitEngland Tourism Awards. We are so keen to welcome people back into our building. We’ve got some amazing organic produce growing on the rooftop, ready to be served to our customers and we can’t wait to feed people again.”
Suzanne Carter, from the Heritage Team at The Hive, adds
“We’re confident that we have the correct measures in place to keep all our visitors safe, with enhanced cleaning, social distancing and pre-booking both for eating in and visiting our exhibitions and events. For those who can’t come into the city, you can still join our online tours, which have been amazingly popular. The Hive is a hub of the community so to be re-opening is a real step in getting our lives back to normal after the difficulties of this year.”
The Hive is a community hub for Birmingham in an historic building, with an organic cafe, craft workshops, exhibitions and event spaces. It is part of the Ruskin Mill Trust family.
Details of all events and how to book can be found at www.thehiveJQ.org
Birmingham Heritage Week returns from 10-20 September 2020, with both in-person and digital events. Full details at www.birminghamheritageweek.co.uk
ENDS.
For more information contact Helen Stallard, PR on behalf of The Hive, on 0774 033 9604 or helen@helenstallard.co.uk
The Hive, 43-47 Vittoria St, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham B1 3PE
Twitter: @thehiveJQ
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheHiveJQ/
Instagram: thehivejq
THE HIVE September 2020 listings:
LIVE EVENTS:
Exhibition: 100 Years of Camera Making in Birmingham
Explore local historian James Furnival's collection of historical cameras and photographic equipment made in Birmingham. The exhibition includes historic cameras and old, quirky spy equipment dated between 1860 and 1960.
This special exhibition has been curated for Birmingham Heritage Week. Social distance measures will be in place for your safety and comfort
FREE but tickets should be pre-booked at
Saturday 12 September. Timed ticket entry 10am-4pm
https://100-years-of-camera-making-sat12sept.eventbrite.co.uk
Tuesday 15 – Friday 18 September. Timed ticket entry 10am-1pm
Saturday 19 September. Timed ticket entry 10am-4pm
Talks: 100 Years of Camera Making in Birmingham
Saturday 12 September, Talks at 11am & 2pm
Tickets FREE but pre-booking required at
https://100-years-of-camera-making-sat12sept.eventbrite.co.uk
Local historian James Furnival gives two talks about the fascinating world of detective and disguised cameras, dating back over 150 years. Pre-book your ticket for this fascinating insight.
DESIblitz Screenings – From Africa to Britain
Friday 18 September, 7.30pm
Tickets FREE but pre-booking required at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/desiblitz-screenings-from-africa-to-britain-tickets-119089526981
A new documentary by Aidem Digital & DESIblitz, From Africa to Britain, recounts personal stories of those who made new lives in Birmingham and the Black Country. These personal accounts reflect on themes of loss, discovery, courage, and often success, broadly highlighting the contribution of the South Asian community on the economic and cultural diversity of the region.
Significant changes in the Commonwealth Act and key shifts in global politics during the late fifties, sixties and seventies impacted hugely on migrants already resident in the UK, as well those wanting to move here. Many South Asians sought new homes in Britain, compelled to relocate after political events in Africa.
This project was made possible thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
A Good Yarn in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter
Saturday 19 September, 10am – 4pm.
Timed activity tables for ‘bubble’ bookings.
FREE but pre-booking required at
As you craft, you’ll hear audio recordings of workers, craftspeople and makers from the Jewellery Quarter as they share a few yarns about their experiences of working in the area. We’d love you to share a few stories of your own too!!
Social distance measures will be in place for your safety and comfort. You will be asked to book a table. Activity session expected to last 1-1.5 hours.
DIGITAL EVENTS:
Facebook Live event
Hidden Nature on a Grade II listed Jewellery Quarter Rooftop
Saturday 12 September, 3-3.30pm
FREE at https://www.facebook.com/TheHiveJQ
Discover the hidden natural world of our Jewellery Quarter micro-farm from the comfort of your own home. This virtual tour of the rooftop of a former Jewellery manufactory, built in 1879, will be led by the horticultural tutor of Argent College and the Hive’s heritage team. We’ll be watching the honeybees in action, talking biodynamic farming, the challenges of nature and growing produce, wildlife during lockdown, beekeeping, worm composting and a bit about being sited on Matthew Boulton’s former back garden too – LIVE.
Facebook Live event with Q&A
Discover 100 years of camera making in JQ
Wednesday 16 September, 6.30-7.15pm
FREE at https://www.facebook.com/TheHiveJQ
Won’t make it to the exhibition? Local historian and collector James Furnival will tell you about his exciting collection of cameras and photographic equipment on display in the Gallery at The Hive. Tune in to hear James talk about some of his favourite objects and share stories of the photographic manufacturing here in Birmingham from the comfort of your own home! The event includes a pre-recorded film with LIVE Q&A in the chat with James during and after the film.
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