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Wolverhampton's
Architectural Heritage Places of Work Factories / Workhouses When considering the architecture of buildings, it is easy to overlook factories. Due to their nature they are often thought of as buildings of function and use rather than decoration. This section however aims to show that not all factories in Wolverhampton and the surrounding area were dull and without character. Wolverhampton Workhouse
extract from Isaac Taylor Map 1750 One of Wolverhampton's first workhouses was built in 1700 on what was then Old Mill Lane off Horseley Fields - it can be clearly seen. marked on Isaac Taylor's 1750 map. The workhouse remained until its closure in 1839, after a new workhouse had been built on Bilston Road. The old workhouse building remained and was later occupied by Chubb & Sons Lock and Safe Co. Ltd.
Wolverhampton Workhouse 1913 (L6/CHU/E/2) The Poor
Law Amendment Act of 1834 urged that all able-bodied paupers were
now only allowed to receive relief, during times of hardship at
Poor Law Union workhouses. Although workhouses were already in use
across the country, before 1834, they had only played a secondary
role in providing assistance to the poor. In the 19th century the
workhouse was intended to be a deterrent to the poor, and the 'workhouse
test' compelled inmates to accept living standards below those of
the worst paid independent labourer. The working-classes had several
different names they used when referring to the Union Workhouses,
such as "The Union House", "The Union", or most
common of all, simply "The House". The workhouses were
also more ominously known as "The Bastille" or "Old
Basty", names which derived from the poors popular belief that
workhouses were like prisons. One Assistant Commissioner, when referring
to the already established workhouses, used this popular belief
and claimed that the new unions had the job of making their workhouses
as 'wholesomely repulsive' as possible. Apart from the meagre provisions
of the workhouse, entry into them also meant separation from other
family members, the segregation of the sexes, monotonous labour
and a strict and regimented lifestyle. Chubb & Son's Lock & Safe Co Ltd
Chubb Building c. 1913 (L6/CHU/E/1) When travelling to Wolverhampton by rail, one of the finest buildings is the Chubb Building. The large brick structure situated in Railway Street dominates the approach to the city centre. Jeremiah Chubb arrived in Wolverhampton to open a lock-making factory in 1818. In 1820 he opened a factory in Temple Street, and in 1836 moved to St James' Square. In 1838 the works moved to Railway Street on to the site of the Old Workhouse. In 1899 a new lock works was built in Railway Street, an imposing 6-storey brick building with its name in white glazed brick.
Plan of New Chubb Works 1899 (L683p)
Interior of Chubb Building 1898 (L6/CHU/I/2) The company moved to premises on the Wednesfield Road at Heath Town in 1938. The building is now used as a leisure and media centre. James Baker & Sons Ltd was founded in 1850 to make boots and shoes. A factory was erected at the junction of Cleveland Road, Vicarage Road and Powlett Street. It consisted of 3-storey buildings facing Cleveland Road serving as the main entrance, showrooms and workshops with the employee entrance in Powlett Street.
James Baker Boot and Shoe Factory 1898 (L6/BAK/E/3)
James Baker Boot and Shoe Factory, Powlett Street Entrance 1975 (L6/BAK/E/1)
James Baker Boot and Shoe Factory c. 1898 (L6/BAK/I/1) By 1897 the company was making 341,000 pairs of boots and shoes a year. The factory closed in the 1970's.
© Copyright. Wolverhampton City Council, 2002
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