Historic Wolverhampton building will be preserved for future generations, pledges boss as renovation approved

The man in charge of one of Wolverhampton’s most famous landmarks has pledged to preserve the building for future generations as renovation plans were approved by the council.

Ian Hodgkinson of Midlands Industrial Association (MIA) said work would begin soon on repairing the roof of the Chubb Buildings in Fryer Street, Wolverhampton, after a report revealed it was in need of urgent repair.

Mr Hodgkinson said he hoped contractors would be on site ‘sooner rather than later’ as Wolverhampton Council granted planning permission for the work.

MIA, a non-profit making society, will remove the roof from the tower, repair all windows and doors, and install a new roof that meets modern building regulations.

The new lead roof will be slightly lower than the old roof.

In a report to planners, the building’s owner said its familiar hexagonal tower was ‘in poor condition and requires immediate attention’.

It said major repairs were essential to ensure the Grade II listed building’s future as a monument to the city’s lock-making heritage and its current use as the Lockworks Cinema.

A modern flagpole, which has been blamed for the water ingress, will be removed and not replaced.

Mr Hodgkinson said: “There was a renovation done previously, but we’re looking to further improve on that and keep the building watertight and tidy as well.

“It’s a Victorian building, I love my brickwork coming from a builder’s background, so it’s great to see MIA investing in this building to keep it in good shape.”

Mr Hodgkinson declined to say how much the work would cost, but said it was a substantial amount.

“There’s a lot of historic buildings in this surrounding area which have just been left to go to wrack and ruin, but MIA are actually putting money in to keep this building going, to restore it, and to keep it in good order.

“There is some work on the tower that needs doing, and some work on the roof, and that’s all been covered on the work schedule, so we know what there is to do.

“We’ve got to work through that with the contractors at the moment, but we’re looking forward to seeing it all done, dusted and preserved for future use.”

Mr Hodgkinson said the work would take ‘a few months’ but said it could be done in phasing to keep disruption to a minimum.

He added: “It’s like any building, or even a car, if you don’t maintain a car or service it, it will break down. So we are just carrying out routine maintenance, we are making sure the building is preserved.

“It’s what we should be doing and it’s definitely going to happen.”

Mr Hodgkinson, a master bricklayer who was previously project manager on BBC One’s DIY SOS, said the building’s Victorian construction meant it had been designed to last.

“Just to look at some of this awesome work in here is brilliant,” he said.

“Older buildings are a little bit more pragmatic to use, the walls are thicker. The fact that the building has been here so long is a statement in itself. It’s got longevity, whereas some of the new buildings these days are only built for a certain period of time, their lifetime is measured in about 60 years now.

“I think the building speaks for itself, it’s not in bad shape, but we need to give it some tender loving care.

“It’s a building Wolverhampton should be proud of.”

The building is home to the Lockworks Cinema, which opened last year, and 41-small and medium-sized businesses which rent space.

The red-brick building opened in 1898, to celebrate the famous lock manufacturer’s 80th anniversary, and was designed to accommodate a capacity of 350 locksmiths and 350 safe-makers.

The five-storey building was notable for its large, repeated windows to provide maximum natural light, one for each locksmith bench, and for its imposing tower.

The architect’s report said: “The hexagonal tower with its copper and castellated parapet sandwiched between the wings lettered with the company name, made the lock works distinct and a dominant part of the Victorian skylines.”

Chubb moved production to its Wednesfield Road factory in 1938, and the building fell into decline until it was renovated in the 1980s, reopening as a leisure and office complex in 1987.

It was taken over by MIA in 1991, when the Light House Media Centre moved into the building, opening a two-screen cinema. It closed in November 2022, but reopened last year as the new Lockworks Cinema.