Creative Midlands Heritage

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Union Lock works offices, Willenhall Posted: 28 Feb 2012 07:31 AM PST Blurb First found out about this from BUK (and indeed its on here elsewhere) been meaning to check it out for a while and finally got round to it a day or two ago. My interest was aroused as to why it was just left standing when everything else around it was gone.. it was only after digging round that I revealed the reason why its still standing and its interesting history.. locally listed Quote: Street: Gower Street (c/o Wood Street) Town: Willenhall Property: Union Lock Works Remarks: c1930 factory and office. Moderne style with Art Deco detailing to Gower Street entrance. Painted brick and concrete, flat roof behind parapet. Turns corner on a radius. Horizontal steel glazing bars in continuous strip windows. Place AB 1998 Willenhall Conservation Area History Quote: THE UNION LOCK WORKS - JOSIAH PARKES AND SONS LTD From evidence available it seems that the Parkes Brothers, William, Richard and Josiah set up in the ironmongery trade in about 1840 at premises 28, 29, 30 Doctors Piece. The business grew rapidly and by 1851 William and Josiah were trading as William and Josiah Parkes Iron, Steel and Wire Merchants from Union Street. Both brothers had numerous sons and additional companies were set up by Josiah Parkes junior trading as Josiah Parkes and Sons from 18, 28, 29 and 30 Doctors Piece. Josiah Parkes and sons then bought out the Union Street business of Parkes, Parkes Co. and sold the Doctors Piece property in 1890. By 1906 employees had totalled 35 and by 1913 they had increased to 100. In 1930 the Union Street premises in Willenhall were modernised and a new office block on Gower Street was completed in 1933. In 1945 work began on building a new factory covering 150,000 square feet on spare land at the company's sports ground at Portabello. The factory started producing lock parts in 1946. It is not clear what happened until early 2000 when Williams Holdings sold the Union factory to Assa Abloy and its closure followed. The building follows the lines of art deco/streamline moderne (1930 – 1942). Building forms replicated trains, ocean liners, massing simplified forms with rounded corners, devoid of much applied decoration. Horizontal compositions depict bands of window glazing and flat roofs. Better examples featured glass block, steel and terrazzo facades. Streamline Moderne was a reaction to Art Deco. Gone were unnecessary ornamentation. Sharp angles were replaced with simple curves and wood and stone were replaced with concrete and glass. The above is from an application for planning and demolition consent dated 2005 (I'm guessing it wasn't given..) Lots more from here- A Gazetteer of Lock and Key Makers Pics architects drawing of the original building the new offices dated 1933 now the offices after the factory extensions (1945 - 46 ish)- so anyway, we had a quick look inside but the floors were unsafe and there was evidence of druggys.. interesting graffiti tho.. and thats where we left it.. :(

Bridge over Avon(?) Posted: 28 Feb 2012 05:07 AM PST Hi guys, been away for a while - long story. Went for a walk on an old railway line which is now used as a water treatment roadway and spied a bridge across the avon which fell in years ago, the interesting feature is the tunnel inside the bridge - any ideas what it was used for. Im hoping to take a look inside at some point but it needs to be in the dark and with safety ropes, the reason for not posting where it is, is that I want to have a look first? Unless of course you guys already know of it and have been in?

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