Month: October 2019

Accidental home of a Modernist – I arrived here some fifty years ago and stayed.

Let’s all take a look at several almost bang up to date reasons to be cheerful, exploring the town’s Twentieth Century architectural legacy.

To begin at the beginning – The Plaza super-cinema faithfully restored and providing quality entertainment and sustenance to Stopfordians and strangers alike.

It is, as of 2000 a Grade II* Listed Building.

Built in 1932, the Plaza Super Cinema first opened its doors to the public on Saturday, October 8th, 1932 with a charity show for Stockport Infirmary. The original seating capacity was 1,878, in stalls and circle levels.

The films shown were Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in “Jailbirds” and Gene Gerrard and Jessie Matthews in “Out of the Blue”.

Early programmes were a mix of cinema and live performance, or ‘prologues’ as they were known. The Plaza Super Cinema was equipped with a Compton 3Manual/11Rank theatre organ which has an illuminated surround on the console. The opening organist was Cyril Chadwick. It is still played today. There is a cafe/restaurant located on the circle lounge level.

Cinema Treasures

Architect W Thornley

Just around the corner is the Bus Station – work began here in April 1979, the first stage finally opening on March 2nd 1982.

Slowly emerging from the rough ground – a series of glass and steel boxes worthy of that master of minimalism Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a Neue Nationalgalerie in miniature.

It still retains its original GMPTE orange M identity.

There are now plans for imminent demolition and rebuilding – shaping a transport hub fit for the Twenty First Century – Space Age forms for a brave new world.

It is of 2022 no more.

With a brand new, more than somewhat, old hat link bridge.

Onwards over the brand new Trans-Mersey bridge, catching sight of Regent House a modest modular high-rise block, currently housing a Travelodge and multi-use administrative office space.

Over the road and up onto the elevated car parking space above Merseyway where we can catch sight of The George an inter-war pub now permanently tinned up.

The car park extends across the whole upper level of the precinct. – an accessible Ballardian Concrete Island.

Back down to Earth to pay our respects to the spiral ramp drainage area.

A not insignificant element of Building Design Partnership’s Red Rock scheme.

Thence to the Hatton Street foot bridge over the M60/3

Currently under threat as the town’s development requires a more accessible route between Heaton Norris Rec. and the Red Rock complex.

Next up the BHS Murals they are the work of Joyce Pallot and Henry Collins. Their work was featured in the Festival of Britain, GPO Tower and Expo 70, along with other retail outlets in Southampton, Newcastle, Gloucester, Bexhill and Colchester.

Listing was refused.

We are now above the Mersey in Merseyway – in its concrete culvert home.

Completed and opened in 1965 the shopping precinct was concrete poetry in motion, incorporating the surrounding topography and extant architecture with grace and aplomb. Combining retail, restaurants and car parking facilities in a manner that critic Iain Nairn considered to be amongst the finest in the land.

Architects Bernard Engle and Partners.

Now modified as a Po-Mo Hi-Tec shadow of its former self some details and untreated concrete do remain.

High above the town we ascend to the giddy heights of the multi-storey car park – architect Philip Andrew.

Shielded by Alan Boyson’s concrete screen wall.

Over the bridge and up the hill to Hilton House.

Formerly home to New Day furnishings – a local retail and manufacturing company – with branches throughout the North West.

Preston 1960

Currently awaiting transformation into luxury inner city dwellings.

Ever onwards to Stopford House home to imaginary time-slip police officers, really home to all too real council employees.

Architect JS Rank – Director of Development and Town Planning

With its very own hanging gardens – that nobody seems to hang around in.

That’s y’lot Stockport a town with a big past and big plans for the future.

New North Road Baptist Church c.1970

Architect Colin Wigmore

The building says what the Baptist Church believes: that the ministry of the Word is central; that the believers’ baptism is a public act of witness. The baptistery is not hidden under moveable floorboards as was a common older practice, but is visible as a permanent reminder to each member of his original commitment. Organ and choir are there, but neither obtrudes; nor do they confuse the clear language of the building itself.

A Ronald Bielby – Churches and Chapels of Kirklees 

Kirklees Technical College – now closed formed by an amalgamating the former Infirmary, the older Technical College and later additions.

Bus Station

The Bus Station was opened on Sunday 1 December 1974 and is owned and managed by Metro. It is now the busiest bus station in West Yorkshire. The bus station is situated in Huddersfield town centre, underneath the Multi-storey car park. It is bordered by the Ring Road – Castlegate A62 and can be accessed from High Street, Upperhead Row and Henry Street.

Concrete Curtain Wall

Civic Centre

Exsilite panels set in the stone faced columns – a brand name for a synthetic, moulded, artificial marble.

Exsilite is made by fusing grains of silica and pigments to form a slab that simulates onyx marble.

Magistrates’ Court

Co-operative Store

It gives the town of Huddersfield a store that is entirely modern in design and equipped on the most up to date lines – a store of which the townspeople generally, and co-operators in particular, can be proud. 

Huddersfield Daily Examiner 1937

As a powerful retailer in the north of England, the Co-op ran its own architectural department, producing good modern design. J.W. Cropper reputedly travelled to Russia in the early 1930s. Other buildings designed by him in association with W.A. Johnson, the Co-op’s chief architect, are in Eastbank Street, Southport 1934, and Sunbridge Road, Bradford -1935, which was recently listed at Grade II. 

Monocular Times

Queensgate Market – Grade II Listed August 4th 2004

Market Hall. 1968-70 to the designs of the J. Seymour Harris Partnership, with Leonard and Partners as consultant engineers. Reinforced concrete, board-marked internally to columns and partly clad in local Elland Edge stone and ceramic panels, with patent glazing. Rectangular building on a site that slopes steeply downhill from the town centre to the west towards the ring road, Queensgate. The structure comprises 21 ‘mushroom’ columns each supporting an asymmetrical rectangular section – each 56ft long by 31ft wide by 10ft deep – of board-marked hyperbolic paraboloid roof, four rows of four and one of five facing Queensgate, where the market is set over a delivery bay and car park. From north to south the rows alternate in height, and from west to east they step upwards, then down. This means that there are gaps of 4’6″ between each roof section which is filled with patent glazing to form clerestoreys, the glazing suspended from the upper hypar to accommodate any movement which may occur and having aluminium bars. Further patent glazing over natural stone walling and expressed framework to facades on Princess and Peel Streets, whence there are direct entrances into the market hall from Peel Street via steps. Ventilation is by fixed louvres.

Along the north wall of the hall is a relief sculpture entitled ‘Commerce’, in black painted metal with semi-abstract figures representing agriculture, trade and products, by the sculptor Fritz Steller.

The façade of the market hall on Queensgate incorporates five roof sections with patent glazing and is decorated with square ceramic panels by Fritz Steller, entitled ‘Articulation in Movement’, set over natural stone cladding. These continue across the façade of the adjoining shops, to make nine panels in all, with a tenth larger panel added in 1972, pierced by stairs and an entrance to the market hall from Queensgate. They have representations of the mushroom shells of the market hall, turned through 90 degrees, with abstract representations of the goods available within.

Historic England

The Library & Art Gallery

The library was designed in 1937 by E.H. Ashburner. The entrance is flanked by two stone figures symbolising Art and Literature.

As a design the late neo-Classical elevations appear somewhat stark and unwelcoming. The relationship between glazed area and wall surfaces is poorly proportioned even though the ashlar stonework is of high quality. The ornamental detailing, cornice, and frieze of the central bay fail to relieve this monolithic appearance. Interest is created at the entrance by the sculpted figures by James Woodford R.A., who also designed the panels between ground and first floor windows. 

Murrayfield Redevelopment

Part of a wider BDP undertaking to reshape and pedestrianise the area and including the development of the inner ring road and Buxton House and the Hammerson Development.

The Development of the Woollen Industry from a Cottage Craft Practised as an Ancillary to Farming – Up to the Beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

Harold Blackburn 1966

Midland Bank – now HSBC

The use of bush-hammered concrete, highly polished Brazilian Old Gold granite facings and tinted glass is given emphasis by the projecting form of the floor beams which also reveal the structural bones of the building.

It was designed by Peter Womersley, who also designed the thoroughly modern private house, Farnley Hey, near Castle Hill, which won the RIBA Bronze Medal in 1958.

The Hammerson Redevelopment Scheme & Buxton House 1968

The architects were Bernard Engle & Partners London and the Consulting Engineers were J. Roger Preston London.

Mosaic – Systematic Sequence in Line and Shade. 

Artist – Richard Fletcher. 1969.

Neaversons

This new shop front was installed by Bradford shop fitters Sharp & Law in 1935 – with curved glass to reduce reflections and aid viewing. The interior was based on the potter Susie Cooper‘s London shop.

Finishing off in the listed inter-war warmth of the Sportsman – for a welcome rest.