The History of The Building!

The stunning West Midlands House building has an interesting history dating as far back as the early 1900’s. 

Willenhall was once known as the lock capital of the UK and like many of the surrounding buildings, the West Midlands House building was originally constructed to be a lock-making factory, serving this purpose until the late 1980’s. In the 1980’s the industry faced a downturn with most lock-making going overseas and resulting in this factory being one of many that unfortunately had to close.

The building was then taken over by WorkSpace Northwest who adopted the same multi-occupied business centre layout that the business had developed in an old grade II listed Manchester paper mill. The doors to West Midlands House officially opened for it’s first business tenants in 1993. 

In early 2000s the centre changed ownership  to the Your Space Plc group and underwent an extensive refurbishment including but by no means limited to: 

• A new glazed atrium
• The transformation of an old loading bay into a an on-site cafe
• Reception area renovation
• Updated offices and meeting rooms with individual designs and types 
• Installing biometric access
• High speed internet
• Cloud based phone systems

The current owners took ownership of the building in 2006 and we are proud to continue to provide characterful business accommodation to SMEs and entrepreneurs in the Black Country and beyond. As well as offering business services and support by forming partnerships with local business parks, business links, Black Country Chamber of Commerce and other support networks building a reputation as a ‘go-to’ for start-ups and young businesses. 

West Midlands House has a collection of artwork around the building that serves as a reminder and dedication to its rich history. Jeni Sellick, Business Centre Manager stated, “Looking at these images, it’s hard to believe this is the same bricks and mortar that once provided hundreds with employment in lock making all those years ago.”

The Future 

West Midlands House is an ever evolving landmark which will move with the times and needs of businesses and workers to provide different types of accommodation for all types of company.  Traditional leases are moving more towards flexible renting options and shared spaces are as popular as private offices, so the new phase of WHM story is to create new spaces where business communities can thrive and have even more options on how and where people work.