The Wind-up and Sale of the Workers' Institute.

It was in 1968 that the Trustees of the Institute were first notified of the scheme to build a Cradley Heath by-pass that would mean the demolition of the Workers’ Institute. Over thirty-five years later those plans finally came to fruition, and the owner received a compulsory purchase order from the local authority.

They had struggled for some years to meet the running costs of the building. It had reached an age when it required considerable sums of money to be spent on maintenance, a situation made worse by a spate of vandalism.

Apart from the practicalities of running and maintaining such a building, there was no longer any call for such a venue in Cradley Heath, since society had undergone such major changes and the community it had served since 1912 no longer existed.

The monies received from the sale of the Institute were distributed amongst local charities chosen by the Trustees, and eighty-four years of history came to an end. Ownership passed to a local businessman, who used the building for storage, with solicitors William Attwood and Son remaining as tenants.

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Updated: Wed 21 May 2008 - 0
Interpretation written by Louis Howe
Author's organisation Curatorial
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