Brintons Carpet Works Brintons Main Office Building

This is a factory office building, constructed in 1876 for the Brintons carpet manufacturers and extended in 1926. It is located on Exchange Street in Kidderminster. The building is of red brick with stone dressings, featuring a slate hipped roof concealed behind a parapet.

The building has a large rectangular plan with rounded corners to the east, and the southeastern corner contains the main entrance. The original section has a seven-bay east elevation and a nine-bay south elevation. The east elevation features superimposed pilasters, stone cornices, and strings, with ground floor windows having panelled aprons over a moulded plinth. A frieze above the ground floor windows displays the company name. A large moulded stone eaves cornice and blocking course tops the building, above double recessed windows with cambered stone arches featuring keyblocks and sash windows lacking glazing bars. The southeastern corner has a round-headed doorway with recessed pilasters, curved panelled double doors and a fanlight topped with a large keyblock and a balustrade above the first-floor window. A modillion cornice sits at the corner, above a small stone gable displaying the date 1876, a monogram, and a carved figure within a shaped panel. The south elevation includes a 15-bay extension to the left, mirroring the style of the original building, with a small stone gable on the right and a carriageway in the centre. A modern, three-storey extension is at the rear (north), characterized by large windows between brick pilasters.

Inside, a small, circular entrance vestibule features a domed ceiling, and a mahogany main staircase is present. The boardroom is said to have panelling dating to around 1926, although the interior has been generally altered. The building’s origins lie in 1830 when Henry Brinton acquired the works of Joseph Bowyer, forming the foundation for the current complex. The Brintons Office building makes an important contribution to the townscape of central Kidderminster.