A nostalgic journey into the past

Expert gun makers made a nostalgic journey into the past whilst getting a sneak peek at what the future holds for Gunsmith House, an old gun factory which was once at the centre of the world’s gun making trade in Birmingham.

Elevate invited gunsmiths and former employees of the factory in Price Street to take a look at the transformation, before enjoying a chance to catch up and swap memories over a drink at The Bull pub, opposite.

Gunsmith and Price Street neighbour Brian Bateman was astonished by what had been achieved by Elevate. He said: “The most important thing is they’ve kept the character of the building, and the renovation has been sympathetically completed. It really is a first-class job."

Craftsman Phillip Duffell has been engraving shotguns by hand since he left school in 1969 remembered visiting “Robert the Case”, who made the gun cases, said: "It’s wonderful to see this building transformed and being put to good use. We’ve pulled down so many old historic buildings in Birmingham over the years and it’s fantastic to see Gunsmith House preserved and restored. May it continue to stand proud in the Gun Quarter for many years to come!”

For gunsmith Steve Horton, from Horton and Sons, it was a step back to where it all began. He said: “I started my career many years ago in this building on the top floor, so it holds fond memories for me."

“I remember it being draughty, paint peeling off the walls with bare floorboards, essentially a proper old workshop. The transformation is amazing, they’ve done a great job. I’m pleased the building can continue to live on.”

Elevate managing director James Costello was delighted with the gun makers’ reaction to the development.

He said: “Coming here today and seeing the reactions to the transformation from some of the people who have worked here over the years has made it so worthwhile.

“It’s always a journey into the unknown when you take on a building like this. There’s usually a moment when you ponder and think “how are we going to make the transformation?”, but credit has to go to the design team and and Steve Dodd, our CEO, who had a fantastic vision for this development.

“We’ve also worked closely with the local conservation officer to ensure windows and external features have been replaced like for like to keep the character of the building, so it’s been a real team effort.

"There have been a few surprises along the way, as you’d expect from a city centre industrial heritage building, but the reactions today made it all worthwhile.”

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