1-7 Constitution Hill

The former H.B. Sale factory (grid reference SP067876), at 1-7 Constitution Hill, Birmingham, England, at the acute junction with Hampton Street, is a Grade II listed building. Extremely thin, with a tower at one end, this red brick and terracotta building is a remarkable sight end-on.

It was designed 1895-6 by William Doubleday and James R. Shaw for H. B. Sale, a die-sinker (who still occupy premises on Summer Lane within 100 metres of the original building). The original plans specified five stories, but only four were built. A fifth storey was added in the mid-20th century before planning laws were in force to protect the integrity of original structures and as a result, the fifth floor is not sympathetic to the 1895 building. The tower is original and is believed to be a memorial to Lord Roberts. Plans show three independent shops and offices at ground level. Each upper floor, measuring in the region of 900 square feet, was designed as a single workshop with an office in the tower. There was an engine room and dynamo in the basement.

The present owner also purchased the adjacent buildings numbers 9-11 Constitution Hill in the early 1990s in order to provide better access to the listed main body of the property.

Known locally as the 'Red Palace', at present, the building is only occupied on the top two floors. The lower floors have remained empty since the last tenant, a Chinese restaurant trading as 'China Village' vacated in approximately 2002. The basement floor was used as the kitchens serving the main restaurant on the ground floor and function room on the first floor. The building fabric has been deteriorating for a number of years and a significant investment is already required if the building is to survive long term.