34-44, Northwood Street

This building, located at 34-44 Northwood Street in Birmingham, is a late 19th-century frontage range that was part of a former manufactory and is now part of a larger late 20th-century industrial complex. The structure is primarily made of red brick and terracotta, featuring moulded terracotta detailing and a pitched roof that is concealed by a shallow parapet.

The building has an asymmetrical three-storey design with five bays, rising from a shallow chamfered plinth. The ground floor is constructed of rusticated terracotta and includes a wide, shallow arch-headed vehicle entrance on the right, which has flanking spur stones and now features a 20th-century roller shutter. To the left, there are two wide arch-headed windows with three-light timber frames that have transoms. On either side of these windows are semi-circular arch-headed pedestrian doorways, each with overlights and panelled doors. All openings are topped with rusticated heads that connect to a moulded cornice serving as a storey band.

The upper floor bays are defined by plain terracotta pilasters, with window openings that contain two and three lights set within brick panels. The first-floor openings feature double transomed frames with multi-pane upper sections, all beneath keyed segmental brick arches. The upper floor windows also have transomed frames and are topped with flat terracotta heads. A deep eaves cornice is present below the brick parapet, which is designed as a segmental pediment with moulded terracotta coping.

Historically, this manufactory was developed after 1889, replacing a court of terraced housing as indicated on the 1889 Ordnance Survey map. The building is a finely detailed and little-altered example of a late 19th-century manufactory frontage, showcasing features typical of purpose-built industrial buildings in a manufacturing district of Birmingham, which is now regarded as internationally significant.