Merlin's is transformed

The former Merlin’s bar in Wolverhampton Street, Dudley, is next to the former Express & Star district office in the town centre.

The transformation of the two listed Victorian properties on Wolverhampton Street that were originally Dandys Wine Bar into offices for MET Recruitment came with a few challenges for Wolverhampton architects Tweedale.

Terry Reynolds, managing director at Tweedale, which is based on Tettenhall Road, said: “The buildings fall within Dudley Town Centre Conservation Area and are locally listed so we needed to preserve the heritage features while creating modern offices.

“At some point the two buildings were knocked through to form one double-fronted property. To complete the project we did needed to do some demolition work, which included all the stairs in the building. Also, structural reinforcement was needed so we put in new steel beams and roof timbers to ensure the building was safe – we were able to do this while keeping the heritage features of the Victorian shop front and roof.

“Working on a project like this – to transform a dilapidated property into a useful office space is always satisfying and we are pleased MET Recruitment is happy with its new base.”

MET Recruitment purchased the buildings from Dudley Council, whichl has been a major driver in the transformation of the heritage buildings on Wolverhampton Street, which have stood empty for 20 years.

The project was managed by the council with funding through the Townscape Heritage programme, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and funding from the Local Enterprise Partnership.

Robin Tong, managing director of MET Recruitment, said: “We are expanding as a business and had outgrown our former premises, so we were really pleased to move into our new offices. Tweedale has done a great job to not only transform the properties into modern offices suitable for a growing business, but also maintain the heritage and character.”