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Conservation Area review – Cabinet report March 2007

Agenda Item: 7C Wolverhampton City Council OPEN EXECUTIVE

DECISION ITEM (AMBER) Cabinet / Cabinet Panel CABINET Date 14 MARCH 2007 Portfolio(s) REGENERATION & ENTERPRISE Originating Service Group(s) REGENERATION & ENVIRONMENT Contact Officer(s)/ Richard Wassell / Sue Whitehouse

Telephone Number(s) x4007 x5617 KEY DECISION: YES Title Conservation Area Appraisals - Review IN FORWARD PLAN: YES Recommendation Cabinet is recommended to: 1. Note the outcome of the recent public consultation on the following:

• Methodology for the implementation of a phased programme of Conservation Area appraisals;

• Wolverhampton City Centre Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Proposals;

• Chapel Ash Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Proposals; • Union Mill Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Proposals;

2. Note the comments of the Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel (13 March 2007) to be circulated at the meeting on the implementation of a phased programme of conservation are appraisals and management plans and on conservation area external funding bids.

3. Approve suggested changes arising from the consultation on the above documents;

4. Approve alterations to the boundary of the Wolverhampton City Centre Conservation Area and the boundary of the Union Mill Conservation Area;

5. Approve the additions to the Wolverhampton Local List arising from the consultation exercise as shown in Appendix 1 to this report;

6. Approve the methodology and appraisals as supporting documents to the adopted Unitary Development Plan;

7. Authorise going out to consultation during 2007/8 on appraisals and management proposals for the following Conservation Areas: • Park • Penn Fields • Tettenhall Wood • The Oaks (Merridale Road) • Tettenhall Road and • Castlecroft Gardens;


8. Grant delegated authority to approve future Conservation Area appraisals and

management proposals through Green Decision procedures following public consultation;

9. Receive annual updates on the Conservation Areas appraisal programme; and 10. Refer this report to Planning Committee for information.


Executive Summary This report summarises the outcome of recent public consultation on a Methodology for the production of conservation area appraisals and management plans and pilot appraisals and management plans for three conservation areas. Arising from the consultation, approval is sought for amendments to the boundaries of two conservation areas and also to the inclusion of 28 buildings/structures on the Local List. Cabinet is also asked to approve the Methodology and the three pilot appraisals as supporting documents to the adopted UDP. The report seeks authorisation to go out to consultation on a further six conservation area appraisals during 2007/8 and recommends Cabinet grant of delegated authority to approve future appraisals and management proposals, including Article 4(2) Directions, through Green Decision procedures unless any significant issues arise.

The Methodology recommends a five year programme to deliver a review of the remaining 27 conservation areas in the City. There are 3 Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs) which are related to conservation area appraisals and it is therefore proposed that an annual progress report is submitted to Cabinet to enable members to monitor progress and that any reports are referred to Planning Committee for information.

1. Purpose 1.1 To inform Cabinet of the outcomes of the public consultation undertaken in September

and October 2006 on a methodology for implementation of a phased programme of Conservation Area appraisals and on draft Conservation Area appraisals and management plans for the Chapel Ash, Union Mill and Wolverhampton City Centre Conservation Areas. (Copies of the draft methodology and appraisals for Chapel Ash, Union Mill and Wolverhampton City Centre Conservation Areas, the report on the public consultation and proposed changes, are available for inspection in the Members Room and on the Wolvesnet Planning and Highways page).

1.2 To ask Cabinet to approve the proposed changes to the documents arising from the

consultation exercise and to approve the methodology and three appraisals as supporting documents to the Wolverhampton Unitary Development Plan.

1.3 To seek approval to proposed changes to the boundaries of the Wolverhampton City

centre Conservation Area and Union Mill Conservation Area and to additions to the Wolverhampton Local List.

1.4 To seek approval to go out to public consultation subject to resources during 2007/8 on a

further six Conservation Area appraisals and management plans for the following areas:

• Park • Penn Fields • Tettenhall Wood • The Oaks (Merridale Road) • Tettenhall Road • Castlecroft Gardens


2. Background 2.1 At their meeting of 11th January 2006 Cabinet members gave approval to go out to public

consultation on a standard methodology for the preparation of Conservation Area appraisals and draft appraisal and management proposals documents for three pilot Conservation Areas.

2.2 The consultation exercise took place between 4th September and 14th October 2006.

Copies of the four draft documents were circulated to consultees selected from the list compiled to support the Statement of Community Involvement. In addition summaries of the Conservation Area appraisals and management plans, together with a questionnaire, were circulated to all addresses within the relevant Conservation Area boundaries and relevant ward members. A small exhibition was displayed at five venues in the city centre over the consultation period. Copies of the documents were also made available for public comments at the Tourist Information Centre, Central Library and Civic Centre. PDF versions of the documents were put onto the City Council web site and the Wolverhampton Partnership web site which also provided an opportunity to complete the questionnaires on-line. The consultation was publicised in the local press and an A5 information flyer was also widely circulated. In addition invitations to speak about the Chapel Ash appraisal were received from the Graiseley &Park and Whitmore Reans & Dunstall Area Forums (LANAs).

2.3 It is proposed that the consultation outcome report, once approved by Cabinet, should be

made available on the Council web site. A summary of the responses is given below. Those who responded will also be informed of the outcome of the consultation exercise.

2.4 There are 3 BVPIs which are related to conservation area appraisals. These are :

• Total number of conservation areas in the local authority area (BVPI 219a) • Percentage of conservation areas in the local authority area with an up-to-date

character appraisal (BVPI 219b)

• Percentage of conservation areas with published management proposals (BVPI 219c)

2.5 The Methodology for Conservation Area Appraisals recommends a five year programme

to deliver a review of the remaining 27 Conservation Areas in the City (subject to availability of resources). The implementation of any preservation and enhancement proposals arising out of the appraisal and management proposals will be dependant upon assistance from public sector funding, English Heritage or the Heritage Lottery Fund ( THI for instance).

3. Summary of consultation responses 3.1 Methodology – those who responded to the consultation on the methodology were

generally supportive of the approach being taken although a few suggestions were made for additions to the checklists.

3.2 Wolverhampton City Centre Conservation Area – Once again those who responded to

the consultation were generally supportive. All respondents agreed that the special character of the area should be preserved and enhanced for the future. There was particularly strong support (98%) for preservation of Lucy boxes, the need to encourage


higher standards of property maintenance (95%) and the need for grant regimes to assist in the regeneration of the area (98%).

3.3 Eight suggestions were made for the Local List. Not all meet the Council’s criteria and

some of the suggestions were outside the Conservation Area. One suggestion is already a building on the Statutory List. A full list of all buildings recommended for inclusion on the Local List, arising from the current consultation, is included in Appendix 1 of this report.

3.4 A number of respondents made general comments on the City Centre Appraisal. There

was concern that conservation objectives and the needs of the business community should be balanced and concerns were also raised about anti-social behaviour and litter in parts of the area. The condition of some footpaths and the need to ensure that any alterations made respect the needs of the disabled community were also raised as issues. There were also several general comments in support of the protection of the heritage of the city centre.

3.5 Union Mill Conservation Area – The level of responses to the consultation in this area

was lower than in the other two areas. All respondents agreed that the special character and appearance of the area should be preserved. There was strong support for enhancing links between towpaths and other pedestrian routes (86%), the need to encourage higher standards of property maintenance (92%) and the need for grant regimes to assist in the regeneration of the area (92%).

3.6 Two suggestions were made for additions to the Local List, one being outside the area

and a second which provided insufficient information for the buildings to be assessed but there was strong support for the three buildings recommended for inclusion identified in the appraisal.

3.7 The recommended changes to the boundaries were generally supported and 71% of

those who responded agreed that the Council should consider a further Conservation Area designation in the canal side area south of Horseley Fields.

3.8 This appraisal asked a specific question concerning the name of the area and, although

the building which originally gave the area its name is no longer standing, there was a 58% response in favour of retaining Union Mill as the name of the Conservation Area. No change is therefore being recommended

3.9 It was suggested that some reference should be made to the proposed 5Ws extension to

the route of the Midland Metro and the impact this is likely to have on the Conservation Area. Your officers suggest that some reference to this extension should be included in the appraisal documents for Union Mill and Wolverhampton City Centre and recommended wording is given in the consultation outcome.

3.10 Chapel Ash Conservation Area – There was a good response to this consultation

bearing in mind the size of the area concerned. A large majority of respondents agreed that the Conservation Area has a special character that should be preserved and enhanced although in this case a small minority (6%) disagreed. There was very strong support for encouraging the restoration of architectural details (89%) and a similar proportion agreed that higher standards of maintenance should be promoted by the Council. The restoration of traditional style shopfronts in the area was also supported by 84% of respondents.


3.11 No changes to the existing boundary were recommended in the appraisal but 44% of respondents suggested extensions to the area. A number of these suggestions involved properties that are already included in adjacent Conservation Areas and it is therefore recommended that nearby and adjacent Conservation Areas should be shown on maps in future appraisal consultations. Having said this there was some support for extending the area to include more properties in Chapel Ash and Clifton Road but it is felt that these areas have insufficient townscape quality to be included.

3.12 Several additions to the Local List were suggested but several of these were already on

the Local list or in adjacent Conservation Areas. One suggestion to include 49 Chapel Ash, the former Bell Public House was considered but since this building is outside the Conservation Area this will be included in the proposed annual Local List update. .

3.13 A number of general comments were received concerning the number of food take-

aways in the area and the resulting litter problems. Concerns were also raised about the lack of on street parking and heavy traffic levels in the area. Many respondents were also concerned about what impact the new Raglan Street development will have on the area.

4. General conclusions 4.1 The consultation has demonstrated that there is a high level of support for Conservation Area designations from the general public. A majority of those who responded to the consultation endorsed the recommendations contained in the appraisals. 4.2 There were a few typographical and minor factual errors which will be amended as appropriate and some elements of the maps will be clarified in response to comments. In particular the details of nearby and adjacent Conservation Areas and Listed Buildings will be included on maps included in future appraisals and consultation documents. In general the format and content of the appraisals was well received, as shown by the following extracts from comments from the Council for British Archaeology and English heritage respectively: “surprisingly readable appraisal documents which set an example to other authorities in the conurbation” and ”among the very best appraisals that I have seen from the region. They are particularly clear, well-observed, well-written, logical and very attractively presented”. 4.3 The response to the Chapel Ash consultation was particularly good taking into consideration the size of the Conservation Area. This was in part due to the assistance given by the two LANA teams (Graiseley and Whitmore Reans) and therefore this approach will be followed up in any future consultations. 4.4 The responses received from the on-line consultation facilitated though the Wolverhampton Partnership web site were disappointing (only 2 responses being received) but this method will continue to be used as it is anticipated that this method will increase in popularity as local residents become more familiar with this means of responding to consultations and home access to the Internet increases. 4.5 A number of buildings are recommended for inclusion on the Wolverhampton Local List as a result of the Conservation Area review and consultation. A schedule of those buildings and structures for which approval is now sought is given in Appendix 1 of this report. 4.6 Changes to the boundaries of the Union Mill Conservation Area and the Wolverhampton City Centre Conservation Area arising from the review are also recommended. Maps showing these proposed changes are attached as appendices 2 & 3 in this report.


5. Further Consultations 5.1 The Methodology for Conservation Area Appraisals recommended a five year programme to deliver a review of the remaining 27 Conservation Areas in the City (subject to availability of resources). During 2007 it is proposed to go out to consultation on appraisals and management proposals for a further 6 areas:

• The Oaks (Merridale Road) • Tettenhall Road • Tettenhall Wood • Park • Penn Fields and • Castlecroft Gardens.

. 5.2 Each consultation will take place over a six week period and these will be phased throughout the year. Consultation copies of the documents will be made available in the Members’ room as they are published and relevant Ward Members and Cabinet Members will also receive copies direct. 5.3 Since most of these areas contain properties which are largely in residential use it will be desirable to consider the removal of certain permitted development rights, through the imposition of an Article 4(2) Direction, to control inappropriate alterations that affect the character and appearance of the areas. Such recommendations are included in the management plan for each area. 5.4 It is proposed that unless any contentious issues arise from these consultations full details of the outcome of consultations will not be reported back to Cabinet but that amendments and final versions of each document, including boundary changes and management plan recommendations, should be approved through the Green Decision procedure. A short annual report will be made to Cabinet at the start of each calendar year on progress with the review programme. 6. Financial Implications 6.1 There are no direct financial implications arising from this report. The commissioning of consultants to assist with the review programme has been funded through approved budgets for 2005/6 and 2006/7. 6.2 Completion of the full five year review programme will be subject to resources continuing to be available. 6.3 The implementation of any preservation and enhancement proposals arising out of the appraisal and management proposals may be dependant upon assistance from public sector funding, English Heritage or the Heritage Lottery Fund. 7. Equal Opportunities 7.1 There are no equal opportunities implications arising from this report.


8. Environmental Implications 8.1 The preparation of Conservation Area appraisals and management plans has implications for the preservation and enhancement of areas of special architectural and historic importance designated by the Council. Background papers Methodology for the implementation of a phased programme of Conservation Area appraisals Consultation Draft (Sept 2006) Union Mill Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Proposals Draft for Public Consultation (Sept 2006) Chapel Ash Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Proposals Draft for Public Consultation (Sept 2006)

Wolverhampton City Centre Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Proposals Draft for Public Consultation (Sept 2006)


Appendix 1

Schedule of properties recommended for inclusion on the Local List (March 2007) Property Address Description Conservation

Area Victorian letter box on south side of Queen Street outside Express and Star building

A large cylindrical Victorian letter box painted red with a black base. The main body of the pillar box is inscribed with the scrolled Royal cipher ‘VR’ and, above, the words POST OFFICE are embossed on either side of the narrow horizontal opening for letters. In 1840 Rowland Hill suggested the idea of roadside letter boxes for Britain. The first pillar box on the British mainland was erected in 1853 but cylindrical boxes did not appear until 1879. The early boxes had no royal cipher and are known as 'anonymous' boxes. This oversight was corrected from 1887 when the words POST OFFICE were also placed either side of the aperture. This box probably dates from c1890 and has considerable local interest. It makes a valuable contribution to the character and appearance of Queen Street.

City Centre

Amar House, Broad Street A very large building with three sides facing streets. The Broad Street frontage is the most significant, consisting of three storeys. The building is accessed through two grand entrances, one in the centre of the Broad Street façade and the other around the corner on Fryer Street. The entrance to Fryer Street leads to a tiled hall and stairway which gives access to a very large hall which was once used as the Paloma Banqueting Suite but is currently (2005) used as snooker halls. The corner between Broad and Fryer Streets is articulated by an octagonal turret and spire. The building is marked as a warehouse on the 1912 OS map. A vehicular through-way exists towards the western end of the building between Broad and Long Streets (not accessible). The Fryer Street elevation has the remains of several large loading bays, apparently modified in size and number at some time, although now mostly bricked up.

Constructed as a major warehouse building during the first decade of the twentieth century, or earlier, in an eclectic style with Queen Anne detailing in faience and terracotta.

The building is notable for its use of terracotta, internally and externally, and has considerable townscape value, being a local landmark beside one of the gateways to the City.

City Centre

Former Drill Hall, 184 Stafford Street

Victorian Gothic territorial army building in two sections. Principal block is of three storeys beneath a pitched roof: first floor single large hall, very finely decorated internally. Seven bay façade; central bay emphasised with an oriel window at first floor and a squat tower and spire over. Four-bay subsidiary block to north matches lower two floors of main block.

The building was built c 1890 as a headquarters building for the South Staffordshire Yeomanry Regiment of the Territorial Army whose device appears in two stone panels on the façade. Originally connected to a drill hall on a site in Thornley Street, now redeveloped.

Fine Victorian military architecture with an excellent range of interior features extant and notable terracotta details. The first floor mess hall, and the formal stairs and approach to it, are of real quality. A building of architectural, townscape and social history value.

City Centre


Express and Star building, Queen Street

Built as head offices for the Express and Star in the 1930s at a time when Malcolm Graham, son of Thomas Graham who founded the Evening Star in 1880 (merged with the Evening Express in 1884), was “working tirelessly to drag the Express and Star into the age of modern newspapers, gradually bringing in new production machinery, speeding up printing times and producing a cleaner and more attractive newspaper” (Express and Star supplement 1999).

The Express and Star building consists of two wings on either side of a stone projecting central bay. Central bay includes a rounded arch rising through three storeys with a high level sculpture of Mercury. The east wing, also built with stone, is a four-storey six bay building with glazed shopfront and channelled ashlar above with a projecting stone string course between floors two and three. The late 20th century west wing is not part of the locally listed building.

A plaque commemorates R. J. Emerson, art teacher and sculptor who sculpted Mercury in 1932. The sculpture adds to the variety of public sculptures found on several of Wolverhampton’s buildings, possibly as a result of the influence of the Art College in Wulfruna Street.

The building is a fine example of architecture of the period with landmark quality and a notable public sculpture.

22-34 Lichfield Street Late 19th century office development with shops below. Red brick with stone dressings. Nos. 22-24 Lichfield Street is three storeys with dormers. Modern ground floor. Stone oriel window at first floor and stone banding to second floor. Two hipped dormers. Nos. 26-32 is a six bay symmetrical design with central brick stack. Ground floor altered but retains elements of original shopfronts and cast iron railings above stone cornice. Timber upper floor windows are sliding sashes with single pane lower sash and multi-paned upper sashes. Balustraded brick parapet with stone coping and three ball finials flanking large gabled dormers.

A good example of late Victorian office building in brick and stone. The building has the qualities of style and materials of adjacent listed buildings and makes a significant contribution to the cohesive late 19th century character and appearance of Lichfield Street which was totally redeveloped in the 1880s. Group value.

City Centre

29-31 Queen Street An impressive three storey Edwardian building in a faintly Baroque style. Six bay façade divided into three two-bay sections by four terracotta Corinthian columns. Ornate balustraded parapet topped with four ball finials. The outer sections are gently curved above first floor. Ground floor shopfronts divided by pilasters and continuous fascia interrupted by round arched off-centre doorcase. Classical detailing includes round and triangular pedimented window heads, applied Corinthian columns and festoons above second floor windows.

The building is particularly notable for contrasting red and brownish-red terracotta, a distinctive feature of many of Wolverhampton’s late 19th century buildings.

City Centre

Electricity Distribution Cabinets ‘Lucy’ Boxes

Know locally as ‘Lucy’ boxes these cast iron distribution cabinets became a common feature of the street scene in Wolverhampton during the early 20th century when the electricity network was being established. The first boxes serviced Wolverhampton’s unique ‘Lorain’ system of trams which used contact boxes set between the tramlines at 10 feet intervals and connected to each other by a cable. The Lorain system dispensed with the need for unsightly overhead wiring and ran successfully for 26 years from 1902. Subsequently cabinets of this type were also used for the general

City Centre /Chapel Ash


Early electricity distribution cabinet on the east side of Waterloo Road near the junction with Darlington Street Margery Cabinets on footway at the following locations: • South side of

Cheapside near to junction with North Street

• Corner of Blossoms Fold adjacent to old Town Hall

• East side of Waterloo Road near to Junction with Darlington Street

• Corner of Darlington Street and Victoria Street

• North side of Queen Square

• Corner of Stafford Street / Broad Street

• East side of Thornley Street opposite No 46

• East side of Thornley Street near junction with Broad Street

• Corner of Lichfield Street and Princess Street

• North side of Berry Street near junction with Piper’s Row

distribution of electricity and street lighting control systems and continued in use for this purpose until relatively recently. Strictly speaking only those cabinets manufactured by W Lucy and Co Ltd, Oxford should be referred to as ‘Lucy’ boxes although this has been adopted as a generic term to cover all such boxes in the Wolverhampton area in recent years. The future of the boxes has been the subject of some debate locally since many are now being decommissioned and as a result are at risk.Lucy and Co definitely supplied cabinets for the Borough Council between 1913 and 1930 when electricity supply was still under the control of local authorities. Before 1913 it is uncertain whether the cabinets were supplied by Lucy and Co or were cast locally. It is also likely that a vast majority of these very early boxes have been superseded by later models. One exception may be that on the corner of Darlington Street and Waterloo Road which would originally have stood next to the old tram route to Tettenhall and stands next to a later ‘Margery’ style cabinet (see below). Measuring 1140mm x560mmx400mm, with a decorative crest on the top and old style borough coat of arms, this cabinet is somewhat smaller than the later distribution cabinets and may not have been capable of accommodating the equipment required later on as the electricity network expanded. A vast majority of those cabinet seen today date from c1930 and could be referred to as ‘Margery’ boxes after the man who designed them, T A G Margery, the then Borough Electrical Engineer. These boxes measure 1370mmx760mmx300mm and had access doors on both sides decorated with the Wolverhampton Borough coat of arms and no decorative cresting on top. Eleven such cabinets survive in the Wolverhampton City Centre Conservation Area and where possible these are to be refurbished and used to accommodate modern service equipment, therefore largely retaining their original function. These boxes may have been cast by the Lucy company but their name does not appear on the outside of the cabinets. They also could have been cast by a local foundry. Further research is required to answer this question.


• East side of Dudley Street near junction with King Street

Large Margery style cabinet on west side of Market Street near junction with Queen Street Electricity distribution cabinet on the north side of Skinner Street near junction with Victoria Street Margery cabinet on pavement outside the Alexandra public house, Chapel Ash

Another ‘Lucy’ box in the Conservation Area worthy of mention near the junction of Market Street with Queen Street measuring 1300mmx660mmx500mm does stand adjacent to the old tram route but the design of this cabinet is much more akin to the later ‘Margery’ box and the coat of arms is also in the same style. The conclusion being that this must also be a c1930 cabinet. The cabinet, located in Skinner Street near the junction with Victoria Street, measures 1400mmx660mmx500mm and is the largest of all of the boxes in the area and the only one to bear no coat of arms (and no obvious evidence of there having been any). The detailing of this box is dissimilar to the others and the lack of coat of arms makes it difficult to date. It is not located near the route of the old tram system. In style however is appears closer to that in Waterloo Road and may well be a pre-Margery cabinet used for the general electrical distribution. ‘Margery’ style electricity distribution cabinet designed by, T A G Margery, the then Borough Electrical Engineer. Measuring 1370mmx760mmx300mm with access doors on both sides decorated with the Wolverhampton Borough coat of arms and no decorative cresting on top. These boxes may have been cast by the Lucy company but their name does not appear on the outside of the cabinets. They also could have been cast by a local foundry. Further research is required to answer this question.

The Clarendon Hotel, 38 Chapel Ash

There appears to have been a hotel on this site since the 1880s and possibly earlier. The Clarendon Hotel is run by Banks’s, owners of the nearby Park Brewery, and has been an outlet for the local brew for over 100 years. The present building, which dates from the early 20th century, holds a prominent corner position at the junction of Lovatt Street and Chapel Ash and is uncharacteristically aligned with its gable end facing Chapel Ash. The building is notable for its Edwardian detailing and stone dressings and leaded light stained glass. It has four symmetrically placed brick chimney stacks. Later extensions to rear.

Chapel Ash

80 Chapel Ash Built in an approximate Georgian style, this building replaced an earlier carriage works and garage and dates from the late 1940s. Its rainwater hoppers are embossed with the letters JHB 1948. Though altered at ground floor, the Classical first floor window surrounds, balustraded parapet, clock and cupola give the building a distinctive appearance. It is notable for its corner location on the approach to the city, forming a pair of ‘gateposts’ with locally listed nos. 17-31 Chapel Ash opposite.

Chapel Ash

Brick brewery building, Lovatt Street, Park Brewery

There has been brewing at Park Brewery at the end of Lovatt Street, formerly Clarence Place, since 1875. Bank’s Brewery (otherwise known as The Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Plc) was formed out of a merger of three local brewing businesses on 14 May 1890 and today is a major contributor to Wolverhampton’s local identity. This functional four storey plus basement industrial building is the best preserved late 19th century building of Park Brewery.

Chapel Ash


Lincoln Works, Lincoln Street

To the east of the Low Level station, and part of the Union Mill Conservation Area alongside the demolished Midland Railway Goods depot, lies a complex of mid 19th century industrial buildings constructed around a courtyard off Lincoln Street. These buildings have considerable local interest built for the Britannia Safe and Lock Works, one of the characteristic manufacturers of Wolverhampton.

Union Mill

Union Mill Buildings, Union Mill Street

Two parallel mid 19th century brick buildings survived the demolition of Union Mill. The western building is the wider of the two. Though not of great architectural merit, and altered, they are reminders of a grander building once on site. Their use of characteristic building materials (red brick, slate, cast-iron glazing bars), historic link to Union Mill and relationship to both canal and Union Mill Street contribute to the special interest of the Birmingham Canal and the Union Mill Conservation Area.

Union Mill

16b Union Mill Street No. 16b Union Mill Street, though much altered, is a rendered three-storey building that was formerly the Union Wharf Manager’s house. Its unusual narrow plan form reflects the necessarily small triangular piece of land (narrow road entrance, wide canal side wharf) on which it stands. The building forms part of a good group of historic canal buildings around the courtyard ‘behind’ the Cheese and Butter Warehouse. No. 16a (grade II) was also a manager’s house. A third manager’s house was demolished after the fire at Union Mill in 1989.

Union Mill

Horseley Fields boat dock, Limekiln / Commercial Wharf

The former slip dock close to Horseley Fields Junction forms part of the complex of canal related features at the western end of the Wyrley & Essington Canal, opened in 1797. Roof supported by elegant cast iron columns with riveted wrought iron arms. This is a rare surviving example of an end-on slip dock built for the repair and construction of working canal boats.

Union Mill

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