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New Road, KIDDERMINSTER, DY10 1AL

According to Colin Bowden - Built 1855, enlarged 1871, and rebuilt 1932 by Joseph Hawcroft, the borough engineer & surveyor. The bit to the left of the chimney, fronting the road has a definitely 1930s look about it. The background chimney is on Castle mill and has been demolished.

This OS cut mark can be found on the NW face of the building. It marks a point 32.702m above mean sea level.

14th Century, Kidderminster’s oldest secular building (so says a plaque on the tower put up by the Kidderminster Civic Society).

The only complete survivor of Kidderminster's many town centre carpet factories, this is what was built as the Morton & Sons works in 1870, and which became the Carpet Manufacturing Company (CMC) and Coloroll.

New Road was new in Victorian times, and even today most of the buildings fronting it are former carpet mills. Those on the left being part of the Castle Spinning Mills, those on the right being part of what was known as Morton's Works. Today they are used for other purposes, including retail carpet showrooms. During the period 1898 to 1929, the Kidderminster and Stourport Tramway used to run all along New Road, and in 1929 was replaced by Midland Red motor buses. The tramway was mainly single track, with passing loops, and of 3 foot 6 inch gauge. The road coming in on the left of this view, now known as Tram Street, gave access to the tramway's depot and an electricity generating station. The depot is long gone, but the electricity facility is still in operation. Image Image

This large former carpet factory is between New Road and Green Street. Built 1870 to the designs of J G Bland for James Morton & Co. From 1890 it became part of the Carpet Manufacturing Company and that eventually became part of a huge conglomerate in the Coloroll Group. This finally died in 1990 and Mortons Works became an industrial estate.

This large former carpet factory is between New Road and Green Street. Built 1870 to the designs of J G Bland for James Morton & Co. From 1890 it became part of the Carpet Manufacturing Company and that eventually became part of a huge conglomerate in the Coloroll Group. This finally died in 1990 and Mortons Works became an industrial estate.

The Victoria Carpet Company started in Kirkcaldy in 1895 and relocated to vacant premises in Kidderminster in 1899. The company also operates from Worcester Road and in 1999 relocated the Green Street operation and sold off the works. This was a grim January day but I was trying to make the best of it and capture some local industry.