Cloth Hall

Location

Situated at corner of Queen Street.

History

Commercial premises, formerly known as Cloth Hall. A drapers in later C19, known as The Emporium before c1883, then renamed Cloth Hall, gentleman's outfitters and milliners of John Davies & Son. Illustrated in a late C19 letterhead with significantly different detail, presumably altered for Montague Burton & Co, owners from 1935. When still Cloth Hall there was a gilded metal sheep hanging from the upper floor of the canted angle. The late C19 engraving shows a similar basic form but a modillion cornice, and upper storeys divided into panels by piers without capitals, and with cornicing and 2 string courses in each panel, the lower string linked to first floor hoodmoulds. A photograph of the 1930s shows a butcher's shop on corner, which was listed as Eastmans Ltd in No 2 in 1926. No 3 was then occupied by Sutcliff & Sons, fruit merchants. Ground floor remodelled 2002.

Exterior

Commercial premises on corner site of 7 bays altogether, 4 bays on King Street elevation, a wide canted bay on the corner, and 2 wide bays on Queen Street. A stripped down 1930's classicism loosely based on its predecessor. Painted stucco, 3-storeys and parapet with moulded cornice. Upper floors with giant pilasters with moulded bases and capitals between each bay. Five pilasters to King Street, 3 to Queen Street, none to canted bay. All windows probably 1930s, metal 6-pane, the windows in each bay linked vertically by a plain panel. C20 shop fronts to ground floor renewed 2002. Black marble foundation stone at plinth to extreme right, reading: "This stone laid by Raymond Montague Burton 1935".

Interior

Ground floor completely remodelled 2002, upper floors altered in 1930s.

Reason for designation

Included as a prominent later C19 corner commercial premises remodelled for Burtons in 1930s, in classical style, the giant pilasters effectively closing view down King Street.