Convert the Lock-up
Donation protected
The West Midlands Police Museum is looking for a new home. There is a chance the Steelhouse Lane Lock-up could become that new home - BUT... with severe cuts to police funding we need to finance the conversion of the Lock-up ourselves.
The Grade 2 Listed Lock-up itself is a fantastic example of a Victorian city centre mini-prison and was Birmingham's central police holding facility for 125 years from 1891 until 2016.
It therefore has an incredible heritage of police history, beautiful terracotta architecture and some amazing stories to tell within its walls - before anything from the police museum is even moved there!
The West Midlands Police Museum collection is world class and contains exhibits, pictures and information going back to the days of the Night Watch before formal policing, to the early days of the Birmingham Borough Police, as well as Coventry, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Dudley forces up to modern day West Midlands Police.
With an incredible collection of obsolete helmets, uniforms, badges, kit and equipment, as well as personal stories of bravery, heroism and sacrifice - the Lock-up would give us the opportunity to showcase more of our history than ever before, engage with different sections of the public on a scale never before achieved, and offer a wide variety of potential income streams to ensure we have a sustainable business plan.
We are planning a wide programme of engagement with schools, community groups, history groups and those at risk of becoming excluded from school and later, convicted criminals. We want to build bridges between the community and the police, teach children about the social impact of crime and ensure they receive a multitude of current safety messages including road safety, online safety, child sexual exploitation, knife crime and drugs.
Through a variety of crime prevention inputs we hope to prevent future offending and prevent vulnerable people becoming victims.
As we are part of West Midlands Police and therefore not a charity there are many sources of income not available to us. We are midway through a Heritage Lottery bid and plans are being developed thanks to a £145k development grant from this bid, the second part of which is anticipated to be submitted March 2019. The more local support and matched funding we can contribute to this bid, the more likely it is to be successful.
The money is required to separate the Lock-up from the police station next door, install a lift to offer disabled access, install a new stairwell to improve access, provide new facilities such as visitor and disabled toilets, a small cafe and shop, create new displays to showcase some of the exhibits and various mechanical and electrical works.
Thanks in advance for your support.
West Midlands Police Museum team.
The Grade 2 Listed Lock-up itself is a fantastic example of a Victorian city centre mini-prison and was Birmingham's central police holding facility for 125 years from 1891 until 2016.
It therefore has an incredible heritage of police history, beautiful terracotta architecture and some amazing stories to tell within its walls - before anything from the police museum is even moved there!
The West Midlands Police Museum collection is world class and contains exhibits, pictures and information going back to the days of the Night Watch before formal policing, to the early days of the Birmingham Borough Police, as well as Coventry, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Dudley forces up to modern day West Midlands Police.
With an incredible collection of obsolete helmets, uniforms, badges, kit and equipment, as well as personal stories of bravery, heroism and sacrifice - the Lock-up would give us the opportunity to showcase more of our history than ever before, engage with different sections of the public on a scale never before achieved, and offer a wide variety of potential income streams to ensure we have a sustainable business plan.
We are planning a wide programme of engagement with schools, community groups, history groups and those at risk of becoming excluded from school and later, convicted criminals. We want to build bridges between the community and the police, teach children about the social impact of crime and ensure they receive a multitude of current safety messages including road safety, online safety, child sexual exploitation, knife crime and drugs.
Through a variety of crime prevention inputs we hope to prevent future offending and prevent vulnerable people becoming victims.
As we are part of West Midlands Police and therefore not a charity there are many sources of income not available to us. We are midway through a Heritage Lottery bid and plans are being developed thanks to a £145k development grant from this bid, the second part of which is anticipated to be submitted March 2019. The more local support and matched funding we can contribute to this bid, the more likely it is to be successful.
The money is required to separate the Lock-up from the police station next door, install a lift to offer disabled access, install a new stairwell to improve access, provide new facilities such as visitor and disabled toilets, a small cafe and shop, create new displays to showcase some of the exhibits and various mechanical and electrical works.
Thanks in advance for your support.
West Midlands Police Museum team.
Organizer
Corinne Brazier
Organizer
