16 Regent Place

By Sheila Haran, research volunteer

Regent Place was laid out between 1811 and 1819, the choice of street name is probably because of the Regency era (Feb 1811-Jan 1820), during this period George III was deemed too unwell to rule so his son ruled as Prince Regent.  Until the mid-1880s the street was populated by outbuildings within gardens of domestic properties on Caroline Street.

A grade II listed building of Edwardian Arts & Craft free style, by the architect J G Dunn of Birmingham.  The building known as “Regent Buildings” was built in 1910 for E L Gyde, a jeweller and property owner, a diamond mounter of 32 Frederick Street and previously noted in 1883 at 123 Vyse Street as a wholesale jeweller.  16 Regent Place was purpose built as a jewellery manufactory and the layout suggests it was built for four different firms, each floor had an office, warehouse and waiting room at the front with shopping, or workshops, to the rear.

Maurice Lipkin & Co

Cathy Stephens, a jewellery designer and maker in her own right and who has shops in Leicester and Nottingham, entered the jewellery industry on a graduate apprenticeship at Maurice Lipkin, Birmingham, which was noted as being an engagement ring manufacturer (cathystephens.co.uk).

Comments from a happy owner of a string of Lipkin’s Lotus pearls:

“My parents bought me an artificial string of pearls on 23 May 1958 to celebrate my 21^st birthday.  I still have the pearls and have worn them hundreds of times over the intervening years and they are still in very good condition”.  (Trademarkia.com)

A description appears in the National Archives records held at Kew dated 1934, for a piece of jewellery incorporating the head of King George V, manufactured by Maurice Lipkin & Co Ltd.