Birmingham Museum Collection Centre - A Birmingham Gem!

The Birmingham Museum Collection Centre is a museum collection facility in Nechells, Birmingham on Dollman Street. Now run by the Birmingham Museums Trust (Birmingham City Council until 2012).


The Birmingham Museum Collection Centre is located at 25 Dollman Street in Nechells, Birmingham.

Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Warehouse at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (September 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

When there is no room at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, or the other City museums such as Thinktank, the collection goes here. Such as old Austin cars, marble busts, statues or sculptures no longer on display, engines and a lot more. There are sometimes free open days during the year such as when it is Birmingham Heritage Week or at other times of the year.

Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Rover SD1 Automatic (1981) in the garage at Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (May 2012). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Objects in Cages (Lockers) at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

You first enter an area in the Museum Collection Centre with various small objects in cages, or lockers with metal bar doors, that you can see the objects through. They usually have tags on them.

Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Vintage toy cars in the cages / lockers at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (May 2012). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Sri Lankan masks in the cage / locker at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (September 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Go here for the post on Objects in Cages at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre.

 

The Warehouse at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

This large indoor space, holds many of Birmingham's largest objects, such as engines, busts, motorbikes and bicycles. On shelves reaching up to the ceiling. A bit like the famous warehouse in the Indiana Jones movies.

Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Warehouse at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (May 2012). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Douglas 4hp Motorcycle (1918) in the Warehouse at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (September 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Go here for the post on A variety of objects in the Warehouse at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre.

 

The Garage at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

In here you will find a variety of classic cars made in Birmingham and the West Midlands, plus an old fire engine and bin lorry. The statue of George Dawson is also in this space, plus the model of the Proposed Civic Centre.

Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Rover PB5 Automatic (1971) in the Garage at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (May 2012). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Ariel Convertible Car (1924) in the Garage at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (May 2012). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Go to this post for the Classic Car Collection in the garage at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre.

 

Objects Outside of the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Sometimes various statues go into storage, and the plinths are covered all over in graffiti. Other works of art are removed, such as the Spirit of Enterprise fountain (formerly in Centenary Square), and they remain there (and unrestored) to this day.

Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Graffiit covered plinth of the original Thomas Attwood statue seen outside of the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (May 2012). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Go to this post on Thomas Attwood: Birmingham's first Member of Parliament.

 

Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

The Spirit of Enterprise fountain seen outside of the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (May 2012). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Go to this post for more on Objects that used to be in Centenary Square.

 

Vintage Bus ride to the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

You could make your own way to the free open day, either by car, bus or train (to Duddeston Station). Or you could catch a vintage bus from Snow Hill Queensway, as what happened in September 2018.

Vintage bus at Snow Hill Queensway

Catching a vintage bus from Snow Hill Queensway to the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (September 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Vintage bus ride to the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre (September 2018). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Go here for the Vintage bus ride from Snow Hill Queensway to the Birmingham Museums Collection Centre, September 2018.

 

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14 Sep 2020 - Elliott Brown
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Objects in cages at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

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It's Birmingham Heritage Week again, but I'm not likely to go anywhere and most events are online. So lets look back to the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre from two open days I've been to in the past. First room you look around has all these cages with objects to look at. But hard to get your lens behind the bars if you have a big camera. Anything from masks to old cameras.

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Objects in cages at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre





It's Birmingham Heritage Week again, but I'm not likely to go anywhere and most events are online. So lets look back to the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre from two open days I've been to in the past. First room you look around has all these cages with objects to look at. But hard to get your lens behind the bars if you have a big camera. Anything from masks to old cameras.


Click here for my previous posts from the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre:

 

When you first arrive at 25 Dollman Street in Nechells, the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre. The first room you go into has objects in cages in both the ground floor and the first floor. When taking photos, it is hard to get your lens behind the bars (don't even try), to get an image of the object behind. Many objects from the collection of the Council (now Birmingham Museums Trust), where there is no room at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery or at other City museum venues such as Thinktank. Unless they go on a special exhibition at BM & AG.

Open Day on Sunday 13th May 2012

Old toy cars. Possibly part of the collection of Chad Valley of Harborne.

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Old helmets. Could be old Policemen helmets.

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Ancient Chinese (or Japanese) ceremonial armour .

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Very old clocks. Scales at the front.

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Model engines.

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Collection of old cameras. Pollaroid and Kodak (I think).

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Who knows maybe one day your camera will end up in here? Halina in the middle.

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Cameras with wooden bodies. These could be well over a century old.

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There was a lot of these old cameras.

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A coat of arms shield.

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Was plenty of old dolls in the cages as well.

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More vintage car toys and motorbikes. Some of them ended up in an exhibition at Thinktank. Chad Valley of Harborne.

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Up on the first floor. Miniature bust of King Henry VIII and King Charles II.

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This was a Ceramic figure of a man.

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Open Day on Sunday 16th September 2018

This was on the last day of Birmingham Heritage Week. Where I caught a vintage bus from Snow Hill Queensway to BMCC.

Carrier bag from The Birmingham Shopping Centre. This was what later became The Pallasades (now Grand Central Birmingham).

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Cadbury chocolate bars. Dairy Milk, Whole Nut and Fruit & Nut. Probably decades old, so don't eat them!

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Was also a couple of old boxes of Cadbury's Roses Chocolates.

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Lamp sculptures. Candle stick holders.

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Another old clock.

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Maquette of the Forward sculpture that used to be in Centenary Square from 1991 until it was burnt by an arsonist in 2003.

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Luckily this original Forward maquette by Raymond Mason survives in the cages at BMCC.

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Death Mask of Oliver Cromwell.

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Bronze bust of Frederic Lord Leighton by Thomas Brock.

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Sri Lanka Masks.

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There was a wide variety of these Sri Lankan masks in the collection.

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This Sri Lankan mask at the back of the cage was quite big.

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In here was a ZX Spectrum - ZX Microdrive.

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Also a couple of joysticks with a keyboard and mouse.

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This is only a small selection. For more photos check out my album on Flickr.

 

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown.

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07 Jul 2020 - Elliott Brown
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Classic Car Collection in the garage at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

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The last area of your visit to the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre is in the large garage. Where they store many classic cars from various different eras. Many made all over the West Midlands. From Rover's to Austin's to the earliest cars from the beginning of the 20th century. Some of these cars might be in Thinktank now. I first saw them on an open day I went to in May 2012.

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Classic Car Collection in the garage at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre





The last area of your visit to the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre is in the large garage. Where they store many classic cars from various different eras. Many made all over the West Midlands. From Rover's to Austin's to the earliest cars from the beginning of the 20th century. Some of these cars might be in Thinktank now. I first saw them on an open day I went to in May 2012.


Here we will look at the classic cars in the collection of the Birmingham Museums Trust (originally Birmingham City Council). The following photos were taken during a May 2012 open day I went to. So when I went again 6 years later in September 2018, I didn't take these cars again (apart from if I saw them at Thinktank in 2013 or 2014). These cars were seen in the large garage at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre on Dollman Street in Nechells.

The following vehicles below date from about 1900 until 1985.

Carriage

I had no details about this carriage. But assume it dates to before the 20th century, and probably needed horses to pull it.

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Benz Voiturette

This Dogcart was built in 1900 to Karl Benz's system. It took part in the inaugural 'Brighton Run' and also again in 2003 despite the appalling weather. Benz first made a motorcar in 1883. He retired in 1903, but remained on the board, even after the company merged with DMG in 1926. He was still on the board at the time of his death in 1929 by which time the company was now called the Daimler-Benz corporation.

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Clement Panhard

This Clément-Panhard automobile was built in 1901 or 1902, it was registered in 1904. This light car was marketed in England as the 'Stirling Dog Cart'. The automobile manufacturer started in 1898. The owner of the company was Adolphe Clément. Was probably made in France.

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Jackson Motor Car

This car was built in 1909 by Jackson / De Dion. It was a single cylinder wagonette. The Jackson Automobile Company was an American Brass Era automobile manufacturer located and named for Jackson, Michigan, USA. They produced the Jackson from 1903 until 1923. The De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer making cars from 1883 until 1953. It was founded by Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton and Charles Trépardoux. It was probably a Jackson automobile with a De Dion engine.

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B.S.A. Open Tourer

This was a 4 seater car built by B.S.A. in 1912 at the Sparkbrook Works. The car had the legendary Knight Double Sleeve Valve engine. It was one of the earliest uses steel panels in motor cars. The Birmingham Small Arms Company started out in 1861 making machine guns in the Gun Quarter. By 1880 they started to make bicycles. They moved to Sparkbrook in 1906 and started making motorcycles in 1910. They started making cars from 1907. The company went out of business in 1973.

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Castle Runabout (Prototype)

This prototype was made in 1919 and was the 4 wheeled version. It never reached full production. The Castle Motor Company of Kidderminster made about 350 3 wheeled 'Runabout' light cars known as the Castle Three from 1919 until 1922.

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Singer 10 H.P. Coupe

Made in 1920 by Singer Motors. It was Model C. 1124cc. The company under George Singer originally made bicycles, before they started making motorcycles. They became the 3rd largest car builder behind Austin and Morris.

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Ariel Convertible Car

Made in 1924 with an Ariel 4 cylinder engine. The Ariel works was based in Selly Oak and they built over 1000 cars from 1923 until 1925. When they switched to making motorcycles as they were priced out of the market by the Austin Seven. Ariel existed from 1902 until they were sold to BSA in 1970. They were based in the Bournbrook area. Today the name is remembered in Selly Oak with the Ariel Aqueduct, which was built in 2011 near the former site of the Battery works.

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Bean 14HP Coupe

This car was built in Tipton in 1927. It was a 4 Cylinder, 2385cc, Coupe. The Beans Foundry survived to make engine blocks for other car manufacturers (but production ceased in 2005 and was closed in 6 months by the administrators). Bean made cars from 1919 until 1931 by A Harper Sons & Bean, Ltd at factories in Dudley and Coseley.

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Ford Model A Saloon

The Ford Model A was probably made in Manchester in 1928. It had a 1626cc 4 cylinder engine. Most of it's 'working' life was spent in the London area. It was also known as a Tudor sedan (in the US) or a Tudor saloon (in the UK).

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Daimler 20 Saloon

Was built in Coventry in 1931. It had a 20 HP engine, with a six cylinder sleeve valve engine, pre-selector gearbox and a fluid flywheel. At the time it would have cost more than £750.

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M.G. Midget (J Series)

M.G. built this J2 sports car in 1933. It had an 847cc Engine. It was developed from the Morris Minor. It was restored to working order my museum staff and has been seen on the roads. I saw it a year later in April 2013 at Thinktank in the Move It section. M.G. began producing cars in 1924 by William Morris in Oxford. It has had many owners over the years. Including: British Leyland, Austin Rover, Rover Group, MG Rover Group and more recently the Nanjing Automobile Group until 2011. The current company MG Motor had been producing cars at Longbridge since 2012 and is owned by SAIC Motor UK.

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Armstrong Siddeley - 'Foursome'

The chassis of this car was made in Coventry in 1935 but the car was finished in Birmingham. It had a 17HP, 6 cylinder engine.

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Rover 12 Sports

It was built in Coventry in 1936 and was a 12HP Sports Saloon typical of later designs available with three different engine capacity engines, the 10, 12 and 14HP.

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Austin A90 Atlantic

The A90 'Atlantic' Coupe was made in 1949 by Austin at Longbridge. It drove continuously for 7 days and nights, taking 63 American stock car records. It was the first British car to attempt the American National Stock Car Record at the Indianapolis Speedway. It was owned by the Birmingham Museum of Science & Industry. So probably been in storage at BMCC since 1997 (as no room at Thinktank).

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Heinkel 'Cabin Cruiser'

Also called Heinkel Kabine. This was a 3 Wheeled Bubble Car built in 1958. The door of the vehicle opens at the front. It owes much to aircraft technology. The company started in Germany making aircraft. After the war they were prohibited from making planes, so had to make cars. It is possible that this one was made in Ireland under licence to the Dundalk Engineering Company.

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Riley 'Elf' (sectioned)

Similar to a Mini. It dates to 1961. The boot in the Riley 'Elf' was slightly larger than a Mini. It had a walnut veneered fascia. It was sectioned by Austin Apprentices. Saw it again displayed at Thinktank in the area called We Made It during April 2013.

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Rover 2000

Built in Solihull in 1964. It has a 2 Litre engine and was a Manual car. It was one of the new style 'Rovers'. Triumph almost built a similar model to this one.

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Rover P5B Automatic

This car was built by Rover in Solihull in 1971. It has a 3.5 Litre engine. It was restored to it's concours by it's former owner.  The P5B has a 3528cc V8 engine (which was in production from 1967 until 1973). The mileage at the time it was donated to the museum's collection was at 45,462.

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Rover SD1 Automatic

Built in Solihull during 1981. It has a 3.5 litre engine. It was returned to concours condition by it's former owner.

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It was the last model made by Rover before they linked up with Honda. I later saw it again a year later at Thinktank in an area called Move It, during April 2013.

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Sinclair C5 Tricycle

Technically not a car. The Sinclair C5 was built in 1985 by Hoover Washing Machines, in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. It was a 12 volt electric vehicle and was considered a novelty and unsafe by the majority of other motorists. It could be bought from Woolworths for £399 with a £29 delivery fee. It was capable of 15 miles per hour, the maximum speed allowed without a licence. Designed by Sir Clive Sinclair, he was known for the ZX Spectrum computer. He was ahead of time with an electric vehicle. Sadly it wasn't very successful and only being available by mail order was a mistake. As customers couldn't inspect it in shops before purchasing it.

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Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown. Thanks for all the followers.

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60 passion points
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22 Jun 2020 - Elliott Brown
Did you know?

A variety of objects in the Warehouse at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre

Post image

I've been to the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre twice in the past. During an open day in May 2012 and another open day during Birmingham Heritage Week back in September 2018. Here we will look at some of the objects stored in the warehouse. It reminds you of the big warehouse in the Indiana Jones movies (the 1st and 4th ones). But no swinging on Indy's whip in here!

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A variety of objects in the Warehouse at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre





I've been to the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre twice in the past. During an open day in May 2012 and another open day during Birmingham Heritage Week back in September 2018. Here we will look at some of the objects stored in the warehouse. It reminds you of the big warehouse in the Indiana Jones movies (the 1st and 4th ones). But no swinging on Indy's whip in here!


Remember the scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, when the Ark of the Covenant was placed in a warehouse in Area 51? (later revisited in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). Well the warehouse at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre is a bit like that. Most objects are not in crates, but on shelves all over (there are some objects in crates though).

Located at 25 Dollman Street in Nechells (near Vauxhall). It is also near Duddeston Station (on the Cross City Line and Chase Line). Formerly run by Birmingham City Council, it is now run by the Birmingham Museums Trust.

I've been to two open days over the years. One during a Sunday in May 2012. And another in September 2018 during Birmingham Heritage Week.

 

Entering the warehouse at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre on the 13th May 2012. There was a pair of volunteers in yellow jackets at the open day.

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There is many rows of shelves all through the warehouse. But on your visit you can only see the items on the bottom shelf.

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Some rows were closed off to visitors.

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I think only staff can go up the steps in here (not members of the public visiting on an open day).

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Another view of the shelves during the Birmingham Heritage Week open day on the 16th September 2018. On the second visit was hard to find objects I'd not seen 6 years previously.

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Now back to the May 2012 open day visit.

An old red telephone box. I think it is type K6. Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. Most phone boxes are now obsolete, or not as used as much as we all have smartphones  (or mobile phones) now. Some have been converted into small coffee shops or had defibrillator machines installed.

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Next up was a Boiler Feed Pump. It was built by J. Evans & Sons of Wolverhampton circa 1920 and it was made for the Round Oak Steel Works. This type of Pump is also known as a Banjo Steam Feed Pump.

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This was a Weighing Machine. It was a pendulum operated weighing machine made by W & T Avery of Birmingham in 1900.

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Two objects here. On the left was a Tensile Testing Machine. Made in 1950 for Loughborough College. Colleges used machines like this to stretch materials. On the right was a Small Crank Operated Power Press. It was used over 50 years ago to stamp small metal components by Edwin Lowe, Bearing Manufacturers of Perry Barr, Birmingham

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A pair of Clock Machines. These two clocking-in machines dated to 1920 were made by the International Time Reading Company. I'm used to modern clocking-in machines where you put a card into a machine and it prints the time you clocked in our out, but is digital, unlike these analogue ones.

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I didn't make a note of what these machines were used for. I usually take a photo of the information sign, but didn't with these machines.

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This was labelled as Cycle. It was a Railway track inspection cycle used by platelayers.

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Finally we have a Press. This was a power press made by Taylor & Challen, Birmingham in 1888. From the factory of Gordon & Munro Ltd., Tipton.

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Six years later. Some of the objects I found in the warehouse during the September 2018 open day during Birmingham Heritage Week.

First up was a Soda Water Plant. This machine was used at Military Staff College in Camberley for making and bottling Soda Water from the mid to late 19th century. Siphons were also refilled there. This was a machine I'd previously seen on my fist visit back in 2012.

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Next up we have a Hotchkiss 47mm Naval Gun. The gun was captured from the Chinese torpedo boat destroyer 'Taku' during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900.

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This is The 'Netley' Carriage. It was made at R.A. Harding Limited in 1955. It was an aids works hand operated tricycle. It would have allowed wheelchair users greater mobility. This model was recommended for hilly districts.

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Next up we have a Ariel 'Pixie' Motorcycle. It was made by Ariel Motors Ltd in Birmingham in 1965. I previously saw it here in 2012 as well. They don't seem to move the objects.

dndimg alt="BMCC" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/BMCC Warehouse objects (Sept 2018) (4).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Another motorcycle. This one was a Douglas 4hp Motorcycle. Was made in 1918. The Douglas Engineering Company was formed in Bristol in 1882. They produced a large amount of motorcycles in 1914 for the war effort. Douglas Motors Limited ended production in 1957. I had also seen this one before in 2012.

dndimg alt="BMCC" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/BMCC Warehouse objects (Sept 2018) (5).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Finally we have a Petrol Pump. Dating to 1932. It was a electrically operated petrol pump used by a Birmingham Company to refill delivery vehicles.

dndimg alt="BMCC" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/BMCC Warehouse objects (Sept 2018) (6).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

There is also bronze and marbles busts in here, but will leave thoese to a future post.

Photos taken by Elliott Brown.

Follow me on Twitter here ellrbrown. Thanks for all the followers.

 

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