[1] It was built as a social centre for the people of Cradley Heath and surrounding areas within the Black Country, intended to become a venue for educational meetings and lectures.

It also housed Union offices, where members could come to seek guidance, and from which the Contributory Unemployment Fund would be distributed.

[3] With its projected gables, leaded windows, exposed brickwork and signage in green tiles, the building is a demonstration of Arts and Crafts style.

Until the campaign to save the Workers' Institute, the story of the Women Chainmakers' Strike of 1910 had largely been forgotten.

Now, the annual Women Chainmakers' Festival, which is still organised by Midlands TUC, is held in Cradley Heath, most recently at the Mary Macarthur Memorial Gardens on the site of the original strike meeting ground (next to the former site of the Workers' Institute).