Building Plans

From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, local councils began to adopt building control systems to regulate the types of buildings that could be erected. Developers had to submit plans to a local authority committee for approval and a copy of the plan was retained by the council for future reference.

The earliest surviving plans from Wolverhampton Council date back to 1899, although none appear to have survived from the former councils of Bilston and Tettenhall.

The plans vary in content and condition but the best are those that include sections through the site, precise measurements and levels, details of materials as well as plans and elevations. It is often possible to determine the exact use of rooms and see details of the façade of a long demolished building.

Plan of house to be built on the Penn Road, 1903