Prescot Watch Factory Development Begins

Work has begun on the development of the former Prescot Watch Factory.

The site, on Albany Road, will house 70 new residential properties, including 54 extra-care apartments in the watch factory building itself.

Sixteen extra-care bungalows will be built elsewhere on the site during the current phase of development, due for completion in April 2016.

A later phase of construction will see another 62 homes added.

Christian Bury, managing director at Harbur Construction, said: “The one and two bedroom apartments will transform the historical site into a thriving community in an area where demand for this type of housing is high.

“The new homes are being built in keeping with the site’s rich heritage while providing modern living facilities to help elderly and disabled people live independently.”

Partners at Knowsley Housing Trust and Liverpool-based Iliad also emphasised the transformation would be in keeping with the area’s history.

“Prescot Watch Factory is of great significance to the historic fabric of Knowsley, with this Grade II listed building playing a key role in the industrial growth of the region,” said Iliad’s Ryan Cullen.

The original building was erected in 1889, when Prescot’s traditional watch- and clock-making industry was in decline.

The Lancashire Watch Company used newer American methods to compete with the industry worldwide, but ultimately lost to its rivals and closed down in 1910.

During World War One it became the PALS barracks, and it later housed Tinling’s printers.

Below: More artists’ impressions of the final development.

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