8,9 And 10, Tenby Street North

BIRMINGHAM

997/0/10260 TENBY STREET NORTH 29-APR-04 8,9 AND 10

II Manufactory. 1879 with late C20 alteration. By Osborne and Reading, architects, for W.H.Ashford. Red brick with blue brick detailing and a Welsh slated roof, hipped at the north end. PLAN: Narrow, wedge-shaped plan, formed from part of earlier plot of detached house, with covered vehicle bay. EXTERIOR: front elevation with narrow end to left, of 3 storeys above a basement, 5 bays of grouped windows arranged 3:4:4:3:2, each group beneath a continuous painted flat lintel, with sloping blue brick cills and multi-paned metal window frames with central 4-pane pivot lights. Ground floor with wide goods entrance to bay 2 at north end, with fanlight grille beneath segmental arched head. At the centre of the elevation, wide doorway to loading bay. To the right of this, a pedestrian entrance with double 3-panel doors. South end bay with office entrance doorway with double 3-panel doors below segmental arched head. Between the various doorways are clusters of 2 and 3 arch-headed window openings. Above the office doorway, a canted oriel window with undivided sash frames, and, to second floor, a pair of windows with flat brick arch heads below a diminutive pediment. Plain coped gable to south end. INTERIOR: Former workshops served by stair at north end of building, with office stairway to first and second floor offices leading from main entrance. HISTORY: The building was designed to provide and workshop space at all levels, including the basement, used for polishing, as well as office accommodation. The building plans show hearths positioned along the blind rear wall of the complex and muffle tanks for dirt and dust generated within the workshops. Forms a group with Nos. 11-14 Denby Street North (q.v.) and Nos. 57-59 Denby Street North (q.v.) A purpose-built manufactory of 1879, erected on a narrow, wedge-shaped site, detailed to maximise the advantage of natural light into manufacturing workshops on all levels. The siting and detailing of this building reflects the demand for industrial premises at the end of the C19 in a specialist manufacturing district of Birmingham, now considered to be of international significance