Former J.A. MacDonald's shop

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large two storey Edwardian shop of 1913, built in Free Style with three shop units to the ground floor and a restaurant to the first floor. The building is set within the terrace on the S side of Mill Street.

The front façade faces N and is split into 4 uneven ‘bays’ each separated by a polished red granite pilaster with chamfered dark granite plinth and capitals in green coloured glazed brick. To the far left (between the first two pilasters) is a shop front set within a large segmental headed arch and consisting of a central glazed door, fixed light windows to either side and a large multi-pane ‘fanlight’. To the right of this shop front (and separated from it by a pier), is a panelled door with segmental six pane fanlight. This door leads to the rear via a narrow passage. Between the pilasters and around the shop front and passage doorway, the façade is green coloured glazed brick.

The second ‘bay’ is much narrower than the first and contains an segmental headed arch filled with a glazed door screen, with door and fanlight as shop front to left. Similar glazed brick façade around doorway.

The ‘bay’ to the right of this is the largest and is filled completely with a large shop front with central recessed doorway and large areas of glazing to either side. The central doorway recess now has panelled timber sides (which were once glazed) with a timber screen placed within the entrance itself in order to reduce and transform it to an unsuitable ogee arch. Recent [?internally illuminated] sign board above entrance. Within the entrance recess is a glazed and panelled door with acid etching to the glazing. This door appears to be a recent replacement.

To ‘bay’ to the far right is identical to that second from the left. Above each of the bays is a polished dark granite ‘sign board’ with incised and gilded lettering thereon. From the left this reads ‘Cartage Contractor, Funeral Furnisher, Posting Master, Continental Kitchens, J.A. MacDonald, General Merchant’.

The pilasters are carried up through the granite ‘sign board’ to the first floor level where they are in brick and topped with a squat red clay cap. The first floor façade is therefore broken into ‘bays’ also. The first ‘bay’ has two four light mullioned and transomed windows, the second ‘bay’ one such window, with another to that to the far right. The large centre right ‘bay’ is gabled and has a central grouping of three sash windows with panes to the upper sashes in typical Edwardian fashion (4 over 1, 6 over 1, 4 over 1). This grouping rests on a single cill and above the group is a plain rendered panel with central semicircular arch (which lends the group the appearance of a Venetian window). Above this group is a date panel ‘1913’, with moulding over. The first floor façade is finished in pebbledash which has been recently painted. The ‘bay’ to the left carries up as a parapet, but the roof overhangs (in slightly Oriental fashion) that next to it and that to the far right. The pilasters to either edge of the gabled bay now have banner-like projecting signs attached.

The rear façade is completely covered in cement render and all of its former openings have been blocked save for the rear of the passage (see above). To the left (W) is a large, two storey gabled return with several upper level modern windows to its E face. This return links to an open outbuilding to the S. To the right of the return there is a modern fire escape which leads from an upper level doorway which has been inserted into the main rear façade.

The main roof is gabled and covered in natural slate. To the rear there are some large roof lights. Red clay parapets and ridge tiles. Two brick chimney stacks (to each main gable). The return roof also has natural slates and a large roof light to the E side. Metal rw goods. Square down spouts to front.

Historical information

This shop was built in 1913. The upper level was converted to a restaurant some time after 1989.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Very good and rare example of a two storey Edwardian shop of 1913, built in Free Style with the front façade still largely intact, but with radical alterations to the rear.