Kingston Works

Kingston Works is a steel, file, and cutlery works with an integral dwelling, dating probably to around 1860 and again around 1900. The building is constructed of red brick, with some rendered sections, and has slate and corrugated sheet roofs, along with brick stacks. It features a rectangular courtyard plan, enclosed by ranges on all four sides.

The front range facing Malinda Street is two storeys high and seven bays wide. It has a stone plinth and a corrugated sheet roof with two ridge stacks and a gable end stack. A cart entrance occupies the central bay, although its original surround has been removed. A doorway with a painted timber surround, pilasters, and an entablature is located in the second bay from the right, leading to a panelled door and overlight. The three bays to the right of the cart entrance likely originally formed a dwelling house. Windows throughout have painted wedge lintels and stone cills, and contain 6-pane sashes.

The return range facing Henry Street is rendered, with a modern timber door and a two-light window with a segmental head and timber casement frame. The south-east workshop range, facing Sudbury Street, is two storeys high and has a monopitch roof. The wall facing the street is rendered. A doorway is located towards the left-hand end, flanked to the right by two rectangular three-by-three-pane casement windows with timber lintels and to the left by two smaller windows. Two further small windows are located on the first floor above.

The rear workshop range also has a two-storey monopitch roof of corrugated sheet. The rear wall is rendered and features five stacks, four of which are truncated, but one remains to full height, with two chimney pots. The return to Henry Street includes a modern vehicular entrance and a two-light window above, with a stone cill and segmental brick head, featuring a modern timber casement.

The north-west range, facing Henry Street, is a two-storey workshop range, probably rebuilt around 1900. It has a slate roof, hipped to the right, with one ridge stack and one stack in the roof slope at the junction with the front range. Large rectangular windows feature plate glass and shutters on the ground floor, and smaller panes above. A long rectangular plastered panel is located between the ground and first floors. The interior has not been inspected.

The works were occupied from around 1860 until at least the early 20th century by the firm of William Spencer and Son, merchants and manufacturers of steel, files, and cutlery. This represents a well-preserved example of a mid-19th century works used for file and cutlery manufacture, which is a significant and increasingly rare survival. The building provides valuable insight into an earlier urban landscape dominated by workshops and industrial housing, reflecting a highly-skilled industrial community of international importance in the 19th and early 20th centuries.