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A Black Country architecture practice has been handed a new lease of life after being acquired by a Birmingham firm after being placed into liquidation.

Tweedale has been bought out in an undisclosed deal by Jewellery Quarter practice MDG Architects.

The rescue deal has allowed the established Tweedale name to continue trading from its Wolverhampton premises but under a new ownership structure with some staff being retained and an undisclosed number of redundancies.

Tweedale operates across a wide variety of sectors, with particular expertise in education, healthcare, office and commercial, as well as industrial and distribution.

Among its recent high-profile projects was the conversion of the historic former Little London JMI School in Willenhall to create a new head office for Wedge Group Galvanizing.

MDG Architects is recognised as a specialist in the automotive sector and its clients include BMW º£½ÇÊÓƵ and Jaguar Land Rover as well as recent diversification into other sectors such as healthcare, public sector and residential.

Mike Bates, who has been a director at Tweedale since 1991, will be helping with the transition over to MDG.

He said: "The Tweedale name will continue as a well-known and respected brand in the West Midlands, maintaining its presence in the Black Country through the Wolverhampton office.

"Current Tweedale clients and projects will be undertaken by MDG but under the Tweedale name.

"Some key staff from Tweedale have been transferred over to MDG.

"The Tweedale name is recognised for a strong tradition of professional architectural practice dating back more than 40 years.

"Over the decades, success has come from a number of factors including high standards of design and service together with the close working relationships we build with clients."

Darrel Smallman, managing director of MDG Architects, added: "Mike and I have known each other for a number of years and I fully recognise and respect the reputation the Tweedale name carries.

"Acquiring the Tweedale name will be an asset to MDG Architects, complementing and reinforcing both elements of the business and allowing greater diversification as we look to increase our operation into new areas."