JQ Rise

Location

Known as the “City of 1,000 trades” and “the Workshop of the World”, Birmingham was at the centre of the Industrial Revolution with a rich history in manufacturing anything from brass to toys and buttons to jewellery.

Today, Birmingham is not only the largest UK city outside London with a population of 1.1m, but also one of the country’s biggest financial and commercial centres. The relocation of firms such as HSBC, PwC and Deutsche Bank will bring a large number of professionals to the city and boost the housing market.

The city is home to five universities with a student population of over 60,000. The University of Birmingham and Aston University are consistently ranked in the top 50 UK universities and the local economy benefits from a vast talent pool helping to attract major employers to the city.

Birmingham is an increasingly aspirational city that lies at the heart of the UK’s road network 100 miles to the North-West from London and has an international airport that links to hundreds of destinations worldwide. Construction on the £100bn HS2 rail link is now underway and will further improve the city’s connectivity, drastically cutting travel time to other major UK cities and reducing the travel time to London to just 45 minutes.

The city is seeing substantial large-scale investment and regeneration with a number of new developments creating thousands of new jobs and homes, putting the focus on Birmingham as a popular investment destination.

The Jewellery Quarter

The Jewellery Quarter has been described by English Heritage as ‘unique in Europe’ and ‘a national treasure’. With an abundance of museums, galleries, historical buildings and public art, there is plenty to enjoy. Add to that list, some fabulous specialist jewellery retailers and around eighty restaurants, bars and cafes and it makes an irresistible combination for the young professional.

Located immediately to the North-West of the City Centre and within a short walk of the main commercial district, today’s Jewellery Quarter is home to over 1,500 businesses. Of these more than 300 are still involved in the jewellery trade, producing 40% of all the jewellery manufactured in the UK.

The Jewellery Quarter is ideally placed to attract businesses and residents being well served by public transport and both on and off street parking. It is also just a few minutes’ walk from the City Centre with the added bonus of the Metro Tram extension now planned.

Facilities such as banks, supermarkets, coffee shops and a burgeoning arts scene all add up to a highly desirable place to live. The overwhelming majority of the Jewellery Quarter’s eighty restaurants, bars and cafes are all proudly independent. It also has a thriving entertainment scene with many venues featuring live music.