Site:   

Crescent House,

Mount Pleasant

Grid Reference:    

SP 0392 6685

Description:

Former needle mills, (the Crescent Manufacturing Company), now apartments.

Late 19th century, converted early 21st century. Brick with slate roof. Courtyard plan with access archway from road. 3 storeys with chamfered plinth, moulded courses at sill and impost levels and also moulded eaves cornice. Main front of 12 bays articulated 2:1:3:1:3:2. Bays 3 and 7 break forward slightly and are gabled with gable ends on corbels. Bays 11 and 12 have been altered or rebuilt. Windows have segmental heads with moulded detail and stone sills. All modern casements replacing former multi-paned metal windows. Bays 3 and 7 have a pointed-arched window on the second floor with a hoodmould returning as a moulded course at impost level. Beneath these large windows are stone archways with moulded brick detail above. The archway in bay 3 now has modern entrance doors but the archway in bay 7 remains open and upon the stonework is inscribed "Crescent Manufacturing Co." Rear ranges similarly detailed.

Significance:

This attractive industrial building has retained much of its original form and character and is well-proportioned so that it integrates well with the surrounding residential development. It survives as a good example of the towns social and economic history and it makes a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the locality.

History:

Crescent Works started life as Walton works. This was the northern wing of the present building.

It had a short frontage along Mount Pleasant giving the building an L shape. During the period 1885-1890 Walter Ireland, needle and fishing tackle manufacturers occupied it.

Between 1890 and 1894 the building was extended with a new frontage parallel with Mount Pleasant with another entrance arch. This is shown on the 1904 O.S map. A new south wing, a central wing and further additions to the northern wing were added between 1904 and 1930.

Sometime between 1930 and 1950 further additions were made to the building including a pointing mill added to the central wing. These were demolished when Crescent Works was converted into apartments.

Walton Works 1886

  Crescent Needle Mills 1904

In 1894 Crescent Manufacturing, needle manufacturers, occupied the building and its name was changed to Crescent Needle Mills. The occupancy of Crescent Manufacturing continued until 1926 when the rationalisation of needle making incorporated many of the Redditch needle companies into the English Needle and Tackle Company, ENTACO. The name Crescent Manufacturing ceased to exist in Redditch.

In the 1929-32 Redditch Trades directory Partridge and Son, fish hook manufacturers were listed as occupiers of Crescent Works.

In the 1934-1936 directory their name had been changed to A.E.Partridge and Sons, fish hook manufacturers.

Dudley Engineering Co. was listed as an occupier from 1929-1936.

Wm. Tyers and Co., wire and sheet metal workers were listed in the 1931-1936 directory and were occupiers of the south wing until 1980, when they moved premises.

Crescent Needle Mills 1930

North Arch c. 1980

A E Partridge and Sons remained until the business was bought and renamed A E Partridge (1970) Ltd. in 1969.The business was renamed Partridge of Redditch in 1984.

In 1980 Argee Pointing Services and W B Clarke Fishing Tackle occupied the south wing vacated by Wm. Tyers and Co. They remained until about 1990 when they both moved to other premises.

The Partridge company occupied the original south wing of the building throughout their tenure plus the pointing mill in the central wing. Partridge of Redditch was bought by the Norwegian fish hook manufacturers Mustad in 1996 and production moved to the Far East in 1999.

Crescent Works was put on the market in 2000 by the Partridge family, who still owned the building, and sold to Steve Dodd Property Development, for conversion into apartments, and renamed Crescent House