Birmingham Proof House

The Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House is a proof house and museum in Birmingham .

history

Entrance to the Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House

Entry gates of the Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House

The Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House was established in 1813 by decree of the English Parliament. Since then, this firing office in Birmingham has been performing firing tasks. Previously there were private test centers in Birmingham that were not used by all local traders in the gunsmithing trade . With the establishment of the fire department, official fire tests became compulsory for all weapons manufacturers in Birmingham. This later became binding for England on a national level with the Gun Barrel Proof Act 1855 and the subsequent Gun Barrel Proof Act 1868, the rules of which are still in force today. The establishment costs were borne by trade and manufacturers in Birmingham. The building was designed by John Horton at the time. The complex was expanded in 1883 by a gatehouse that was provided with Jacobean architectural elements.

For the period from 1855 to 1864, the following information on weapons production and testing is known, which remarkably differentiates between the "trade proof house" and the "government proof house" for Birmingham and also gives figures on weapons production:

“In the 10 years from 1855 to 1864, 6,116,305 rifles and pistols were tested in England; 3,277,815 of these in the Birmingham trade proof house and 978,249 in the government proof house there, these latter were all intended for the army and navy. Then in London 1,325,139 at the Enfield factory 505,102. Annual arms production is as follows: Birmingham trade proof house 327,781; in the probation house of the government 97,824; London trade proof house 135,513, Enfield 72,154, - in total 633,272. "

- Globus : The arms factory in Birmingham

The above figures have also been documented elsewhere and thus provide a means of comparing the scope of weapons testing and manufacturing in Birmingham and other locations in the United Kingdom.

Fire office

The Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House is still active as a fire department to this day. It is one of two existing British fire protection offices and is registered with the CIP . The classic firing tasks that are performed there include testing weapons and ammunition. In addition, certificates and reports are created for various objects and processes in the shooting system. The former shooting range on the Bordesley Railway Viaduct has since been abandoned. The Beschussamt offers individual lectures in the in-house museum and the provision of historical conference rooms.

museum

The existence of the museum in the Birmingham Shelling Office is divided into 2 epochs. From 1858 there was a weapons collection that was closed in 1876 due to a lack of public interest. Since July 2000 there is again a public exhibition, which has been gradually expanded since then. It includes weapons, ammunition and a library on the subject.

literature

Samuel Timmins, The Resources, Products and Industrial History of Birmingham and the Midland Hardware District , Verlag R. Hardwicke, London, 1866, page 406 ff. "Birmingham Proof-House" ( online book )