Squirrel Works

This is a large manufactory, built around 1905-1910 for S.J. Levi and Co, an electroplate manufacturer, possibly by Martin and Martin. Later alterations and additions occurred in the late 20th century. The building is constructed of dark red/purple brick with terracotta detailing, featuring flat and Welsh-slated roofs.

The design is rectangular, based around a courtyard. The original plan included an entrance and office range facing the street, flanked by workshop ranges and a rear range that enclosed the courtyard, which has since been roofed over.

The asymmetrical six-bay front elevation to Regent Place has two stories above a basement, with return elevations on both sides of seven bays. The central entrance bay is set off-centre, topped by a shouldered open pediment. A deeply chamfered semi-circular arched doorway leads to a recessed entrance with double doors. Above the doorway is a two-light casement window within a semi-circular arched recess, decorated with diagonally-set tiles above the windowhead. A wide semi-circular window is also above it, both set within a tall arched recess framed by plain pilasters and the pediment. Brick pilasters rise above the parapet, defining the bays; most have windows set within an arcade of semi-circular brick arches. Basement windows are at street level, with multi-pane lights and segmental arched heads. First-floor windows are wide, three-light transomed, multi-paned frames beneath flat heads. Upper-floor windows have three-light, multi-pane frames within a wide semi-circular arch. A dentilated parapet interrupts the top of the façade with pilaster heads. The right-hand end bay mirrors the main entrance, with a taller arch-headed opening above and a shallow semi-circular window on the upper floor.

The return bay to Regent Parade features a full-height recessed arch with a segmental arched ground floor window, and a tall stair window rising to the arch head. Further bays include segmental arch-headed windows to the basement and first floors, and semi-circular openings to the first floor. Additional bays include a vehicle entrance and a pair of doorways at the end. The west return elevation is similarly detailed but lacks doorways.

The building forms a group with numbers 24 and 26, Regent Place, and number 53, Regent Place.

This is a large early 20th-century manufactory, relatively unaltered, showcasing typical architectural elements of the area’s 19th-century manufactories, using contemporary architectural vocabulary. It is part of a notable manufacturing community, recognized for its international significance.