Conservationists in Birmingham are mourning the loss of another historic building which has been demolished in Selly Oak.
The Westley Richards Gun Factory was bulldozed to pave the way for work on the relief road through Selly Oak.
Joe Holyoak, of the Victorian Society, said the destruction of the early 19th century arts and crafts factory was “regrettable”.
“It was a very good example of a Birmingham arts and crafts industrial building and there are not many of that description remaining,” he said.
“We were dismayed by it. We believed the building was of listable quality and, in fact, we were preparing a proposal for it to be listed which at least would have given it pause for consideration.
Wendy Richards, of the Selly Oak History Society, said it was a huge loss to the region’s heritage.
“It was right beside the university,” she said. “It would have been seen by people from all over the world.”
It is nearly two centuries since William Westley Richards established his gun-making business in Birmingham.
Today it still thrives as a family-run firm, selling fine guns and rifles out of new premises in Pritchett Street, Aston.
Owner Simon Clode said he felt a tinge of sadness to hear the building had come down.
He said: “We had wanted to stay. We fought to stay, but in the end we were forced out.
“But we’re over it now. We’re in bigger and better premises and we’re moving onwards and upwards.”
A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said the building of the relief road was the subject of a public inquiry in 2005 which found it to be “vital to the area”.
“One of the conditions attached to the planning permission for the road was the full documentation of the building and its history, and a full archive of photographs and drawings has been retained for historians,” she said.
Earlier this year the Birmingham Battery Office in Selly Oak was demolished by owners Sainsbury after it fell into disrepair.
