Details
SP08NE
997/7/10340
19-FEB-01
ALLISON STREET
Digbeth
78
RTP Crisps
II
Factory with adjoining boundary wall and gateway. Built 1872 for Corder & Turley, manufacturers of umbrella ribs. Adapted 1923 as a clothing factory for Fawcett Bros. , and in 1975 as a food processing factory for RTP crisps. Alterations and additions 1896 by Cross Franklin and 1923 by Ewan Harper Bros. & Co. Earlier ranges in L-plan fronting Allison Street and Well Lane; C20 ranges at the rear, parallel to Allison Street, linked to the front range and enclosing a courtyard.
1872 range, Gothic Revival style, red brick, with terra cotta dressings, some painted, and Welsh slate roofs. Several side wall and ridge stacks, mostly capped. Plinth, intermediate cornices and impost bands to upper floors, dentillated eaves.
3 storeys; 16 x 9 windows. Windows are mainly original cast-iron glazing bar casements with serrated segmental pointed heads to the ground floor , and serrated pointed arches above. Main frontage to Allison Street has approximately central feature, 2 windows, with enrichment on the upper floors, under a heavily ornamented coped gable with a cusped round window containing patterned stained glass. Ground and second floors have standard windows; first floor has round arched windows flanked by enriched panelled pilasters and swags.
Ground floor has to left a segmental pointed cart opening with a pair of doors, then 5 windows, one enlarged, then a pointed arched doorway and fanlight under a gable. Beyond, 2 windows, one wider, and a small square-headed window at the corner. To right, 4 windows, then a small flat-headed window, then a doorway and a reglazed window. Above, on each floor, to left, 8 windows, those to the first floor reglazed, and to right, 6 windows arranged 4/2.
Beyond, to right, coped brick boundary wall with roller shutter door, C20, and entrance, C20, with flat gable.
Left corner has on the first floor a canted oriel window, rebuilt in plastic late C20, on original moulded masonry bracket.
Left return, to Well Lane, has similar regular fenestration, with reglazed windows to the first floor .
Rear elevation has mainly original regular fenestration, with segmental headed openings. Several segmental pointed openings to the ground floor . Beyond, to left, addition, late C19, 2 storeys, 8 windows. Segment headed openings to the ground floor, with cast iron glazing bar casements. Above, 7 steel framed casements, C20.
C20 ranges, red brick, have concrete lintels and coated slate roofs. Large steel framed casements with glazing bars, divided by brick pilasters. 3 storeys; 7 x 3 windows. Courtyard frontages have regular fenestration, the ground floor windows obscured. North range, fronting loading bay, 5 x 2 windows, has roller-shutter doors to the ground floor, divided by concrete pilasters .
INTERIOR: 1872 range has wooden floors carried on lengthwise beams and round cast iron columns. Single purlin roof. Trusses with diagonal struts and vertical tie rod held in cast iron shoe at ridge. C20 ranges have clear floor spans and angle-iron roof trusses.
Listing NGR: SP0754386595
