J. Ashford & Son building

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Ashford & Sons
Ashford & Sons Great Hampton Street.JPG
The factory's frontage in January 2013
J. Ashford & Son building
General information
StatusEmpty
Type Factory
Address16-18 Great Hampton Street
Town or city Hockley, Birmingham
Country England
Coordinates 52°29′22″N1°54′27″W / 52.4894°N 1.90751°W / 52.4894; -1.90751
Completed1912 (1912)
Technical details
Material
Design and construction
Architect(s) Arthur McKewan
Designations Grade II* listed

The former Ashford & Sons factory in Birmingham, England is a Grade II* listed building in Arts & Crafts style. [1]

Contents

The factory, at 16-18 Great Hampton Street in the city's Jewellery Quarter, in the Hockley district, was designed by local architect Arthur McKewan and completed in 1912. [1]

It was given Grade II* listed status in 1982, protecting it from unauthorised development or deletion. [1] [2] The list entry describes it as: [2]

A particularly sensitive formal elevation to a jewellery works, containing Birmingham Arts and Crafts with Edwardian Baroque details all executed to a very high standard.

In June 2016, plans to convert the then-empty building into 64 one-bedroom, 77 two-bedroom and six three-bedroom residential apartments were announced. [1] As of 2022, the converted apartments have been operated as a build-to-let development by Grainger plc [3] .

Ashford & Sons

John Ashford was a gilt toy maker ("toy" meaning small items like buckles and buttons, not children's playthings) in Birmingham from 1842. [1] In 1905 he sold the business to Joseph Aitken. [1] The firm, which made enamelled objects and men's jewellery, closed in 1980, but its name is still shown, carved in Portland stone on the building's frontage. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jones, Tamlyn (6 June 2016). "Conversion plan for old Ashfords factory in Jewellery Quarter". Birmingham Post . Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1075540)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  3. Beech, Adam (18 November 2024). "Grainger completes second Birmingham development - forms part of £105m investment" . Retrieved 13 March 2025.