17, REGENT PLACE

Details

BIRMINGHAM

997/0/10354 REGENT PLACE 29-APR-04 17

GV II Manufactory. 1905-6, by Martin and Martin, architects of Birmingham, for Deakin and Francis, Jewellery Manufacturers, and incorporating earlier structures, including part of a house of 1824 which had been converted to industrial use, and additions of 1887-1902. Further extended between 1910 and 1914. Red brick, partially rendered, with hipped slated roof together with north light glazed roof pitches.
PLAN: Accretional linear plan with T-shaped frontage range to Regent Street.
EXTERIOR: Regent Street frontage of 5 bays, 2 storeys above a basement, with 4 wide semi-circular arch-headed openings to the left, with multi-paned metal windows to ground floor and within arch heads, serving upper floor. Basement windows with segmental-arched heads. Entrance bay to right below gablet with recessed doorway, panelled door and rectangular overlight with internal grille. Shallow terracotta flat hood above entrance, and small multi-pane window to left. Low 3-light first floor window below slit window to gablet apex. 4-bay attached 2 storeyed workshop range to rear with hipped north light roof pitches and multi-pane metal workshop windows between plain brick piers. This range adjoins the range of workshops of the 1887-1902 period, which is of 2 storeys above a basement, with segmental arched heads to window openings with cast-iron workshop windows. A hipped roof cross range at the junction with the 1906 building has 4-pane sash windows, denoting a different function to the longer workshop range. To the west of the rear workshop range, an extension of 1910 with a flat lead roof basement and a basement engine house of c.1914 with an extant gas engine used to power machines in the adjacent stamping shop, powered by a belt drive within a tunnel between the 2 locations.
INTERIOR: Known to retain little- disturbed plan form representing the constituent phases of development.
HISTORY: The 1905-6 development was considered to be an advanced factory design, which provided open plan, double depth workshop facilities with natural light from both side walls and roof lights allowing jewellers' boards to be placed in the centre of the workshops as well as along the side walls. This then state- of-the-art complex was equipped with telephones, an advanced central heating system and compressed air for the blow pipes used for soldering. The frontage and rear ranges were interconnected. The history of manufacturing on the site begins with the conversion of No.29 Regent Place , a house of 1824, and continues with 4 successive phases of development.
Forms a group with No.16, Regent Place (q.v.), No. 22 Regent Place ( q.v.) and Nos. 24 and 26 Regent Place (q.v.)
A multi-phase manufactory spanning almost the full history of the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, beginning with the conversion of a dwelling house and culminating in the development of an advanced, purpose-built manufactory of 1905-6. The site retains evidence of almost every phase of development of this manufacturing district of Birmingham, now considered to be of international significance.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

505844

Legacy System:

LBS

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