Warwick Bar

Warwick Bar is a canalside conservation area in Birmingham, England which was home to many canalside factories during the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th century. It is named after the Warwick Bar stop lock between the Digbeth Branch of the Birmingham Canal Navigations and the Warwick and Birmingham Canal which stopped water transfer between the competing canal companies.

Warwick Bar Conservation Area

Warwick Bar Conservation Area covers an area of 16.19 hectares (40.00 acres) where the Birmingham-to-London Grand Union Canal meets the Digbeth Branch Canal. [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/ELibrary?E_LIBRARY_ID=413&a=1120040757835 Birmingham City Council: Map of Warwick Bar Conservation Area (PDF)] ] It was designated such status on June 25, 1987. [ [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/ELibrary?E_LIBRARY_ID=508 Birmingham City Council - Planning Committee designation of Warwick Bar Conservation Area 1987 (PDF)] ] It covers the entire length of the Digbeth Branch Canal through the Eastside area and a section of the River Rea. To the south is the Digbeth, Deritend and Bordesley High Streets Conservation Area.

The conservation area includes three statutorily listed buildings built by the canal company in the 1840s and 1850s, and a locally listed canal warehouse built in 1935. In total, there are five listed buildings and six locally listed buildings. One locally listed building, the former Co-op furniture factory works (1899) on Belmont Row was destroyed by fire on January 11, 2007 in a suspected arson attack. 75% of the building was damaged by the fire which caused the roof to collapse and also destroyed seven arched windows. [" [http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/mail/news/breakingnews/tm_method=full%26objectid=18448546%26siteid=50002-name_page.html Huge factory fire treated as arson] " - Birmingham Post, Jan 11 2007] On January 18, 2007, the façade of the building, which had survived the fire albeit smoke damaged, collapsed in on itself in high winds due to the lack of support it received after the fire was put out. This building was due to be redeveloped as part of the Ventureast regeneration project.

Redevelopment

1.9 hectares (4.56 acres) of the conservation area began a redevelopment during 2005 as part of the Eastside development which saw the renovation of dilapidated buildings. Many proposed projects for the area have been submitted including one named the "The Needle" which has had very little information presented about it. [ [http://www.locatebirmingham.com/file/253 Locate Birmingham: Birmingham Developments - 2007 First Issue] ] The developments are mainly residential and will replace or regenerate the old warehouse buildings.

Designs for buildings and a masterplan were submitted at an international design competition [ [http://www.publicartonline.org.uk/archive/project/awards/england/warwick_bar_masterplan.php Public Art Online - regeneration project] ] organised by Midlands Architecture & the Designed Environment (MADE) in summer 2005. [ [http://www.made.org.uk/projects/warwick-bar.html MADE: Warwick Bar Competition Background] ] A total of 45 companies submitted masterplans for the development which was cut down to a shortlist of seven; AZHAR architecture, DSDHA, FAT, S333, Kinetic AIU, Jeppe Aagaard Andersen, and Sarah Wiglesworth. [ [http://www.azhararchitecture.com/news.html AZHAR architecture: 05:09 PROJECT: "Warwick Bar Masterplan", Birmingham] ] The winners were chosen as Kinetic AIU, who were awarded the title by ISIS and Birmingham City Council. [http://www.kinetic-aiu.com/press9.html Kinetic AIU: Masterplanners Revealed for Warwick Bar Area of Birmingham] ] The three groups worked together to produce a masterplan which is yet to be submitted for planning permission to Birmingham City Council. The proposals include a film centre, art gallery, hotel and social areas. Around 600 new homes are to be constructed in the area. The £100 million project is due to be completed by 2013. The development includes the renovation of the locally listed Fellows Morton and Clayton building and the Banana Warehouse. [ [http://www.kinetic-aiu.com/warwick.html Kinetic AIU: Warwick Bar masterplan project] ]

A separate redevelopment scheme in the Warwick Bar conservation area is The Bond which transformed a complex of Victorian factory buildings fronting onto the Grand Union Canal into an office and media complex. The centrepiece of this complex is The Ice House, which was constructed in 1890 for the production of ice. The ammonia compressor was built for W. Tansley, and could produce 40 tons of ice in 26 hours which would then be used in the markets. [ [http://www.thebondco.net/thebond/history.htm The Bond Company: History] ] This and the surrounding canal buildings are locally listed. Companies and organisations based at The Bond complex include the World Wildlife Fund. [ [http://www.thebondco.net/thebond/tenants.htm The Bond Company: Tenants] ]

Warwick Bar stop lock

"Location of Warwick Bar stop lock: coord|52.47985|N|1.88338|W |display=inline,title|region:GB_type:landmark"

The stop lock, or "bar", is a physical barrier to prevent water loss (or theft) from one private canal to another, in this case the Digbeth branch of the Birmingham Canal Navigations and the Warwick and Birmingham Canal (now the Grand Union). Here the stop lock consists of two opposing lock gates at each end of a lock so that a boat could be transferred from one canal to the other with a minuscule amount of water loss, and no water flow, no matter which canal happened to be the higher at any particular time. Today the gates are chained open as both canals are under common control.

The adjacent Banana Warehouse with its overhanging canopy is so named as it was once owned by Geest. Both are grade II listed.

The towpath can be accessed from the bridge at Great Barr Street and where Fazeley Street crosses the Typhoo Branch.

Listed structures

*IoE|217053|- Warwick Bar stop lock and Banana Warehouse - Grade II
*IoE|216754|- Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House - Grade II
*IoE|217054|- 106-110 Fazeley Street, warehouses - Grade II
*IoE|217055|- 122 Fazeley Street, warehouse - Grade II
*Locally listed - former 1935 Fellows Morton and Clayton building - Grade C
*Locally listed - 180-182 Fazeley Street - Grade B
*Locally listed - former Bond warehouse - Grade A
*Locally listed - Grand Union Canal aqueduct over River Rea - Grade B
*Locally listed - part of River Rea - Grade C

ee also

*List of conservation areas in the West Midlands

References

* [http://www.thebondco.net/location/canals.htm The Bond Company - history and pictures of the canal]