History

Factory of c1901 by H. B. Cresswell, for Willans & Robinson, manufacturers of water-tube boilers and specialist steels, such as vanadium steel. A photograph of 1899 shows it under construction, with scaffolding to the front facade. It was a pioneering example of a factory built on Modernist principles, Nikolaus Pevsner describing it as 'the most advanced British building of its date'. It was designed so that the structural components and detail related to the processes within: The 3 buildings were flat-topped as gantries were housed on the roof, requiring support from buttresses which also formed the bay divisions; a dentilled brick course above the window bands provided ventilation. There was originally a tower, now truncated, which housed hydraulic accumulators. Sadly, the factory was not a financial success and closed in 1910, though Willans & Robinson Ltd continued in Rugby until the 1920s. The works was disused when the First World War broke out in 1914, and it was requisitioned as a prisoner of war camp. The German prisoners left for the Isle of Man in May 1915, and the works became a munitions factory, mainly producing explosives such as guncotton. A local report stated 'very soon the interiors of the existing structure took on an entirely new aspect'. It remained an explosives factory well into the C20. Alterations to the buildings took place, such as the removal of parts of the parapets and the addition of gabled roofs, as there was no longer a requirement for overhead gantries. Although the original factory has been compromised, it was designed for a use which was short-lived, and these alterations form an important part of its history.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a pioneering factory designed on Modernist principles, making it a highly significant building of c1900. The factory's association with the First World War is of additional historic interest.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29506894

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair