The Coffin Works’ Collection is made up of around 100,000 objects, including furniture, metalwork, tools and machinery, textiles, oral histories and a business archive. Much of the collection spans the 105 years that Newman Brothers were in business giving us an insight into how this Victorian company once operated, eventually becoming Birmingham’s last coffin furniture manufacturer in 1998.

The Coffin Works’ collection naturally falls into categories covering particular themes. Exploring the online archive thematically will help you navigate the collection if you wish to focus on a specific area in depth.