Nos. 2, 2A, 4 And Zetland Buildings

Nos. 2, 2A, 4 and Zetland Buildings are offices constructed around 1872 in Middlesbrough, by W.H. Blessley. The building is located on the north side of Exchange Square. It comprises three main builds, with a slightly later extension to Zetland Buildings.

The buildings are constructed of brick with stone and polychrome brick dressings, and have Welsh slate roofs. They form a slightly concave-curved terrace that curves convexly to the right into Zetland Place. The style is Italianate. The building rises to three storeys and has 23 bays. Renewed doors are present in the 3rd, 10th, 11th, 16th, and 23rd bays.

The ground floor features a segmental-arcaded design, with impost bands, hoodmolds, and a moulded plinth. The windows are slightly recessed and have segmental heads, corbelled sills, and renewed glazing. There are richly carved imposts in bays 1 to 10, and a doorway in the 16th bay. Polychrome tile imposts are found to the windows in bays 11 to 23. The first floor has a round-arcaded design with plain roundels in the blind tympana, above slightly recessed paired round-headed sash windows separated by pilasters with palmette capitals. Slightly-pointed gauged brick arches define the ground and first-floor arcades. A dogtooth sill string runs along the façade. The second floor features paired round-headed sash windows, separated by similar pilasters, under gauged brick heads and hoodmolds. A bracketed sill string and eaves cornice are present. Gabled dormers, incorporating copings, gableted kneelers, and pointed windows, are positioned over bays 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Transverse ridge stacks are visible.

A 7-bay extension is present, with a slightly wider central bay. The windows of the extension have renewed glazing, set within keyed round-headed recesses on the first floor and segment-headed recesses on the second floor, all slightly recessed within tall segment-headed arches. Plain fascias are located below the first-floor windows, and a bracketed eaves cornice runs along the top. Two transverse ridge stacks are present.

A similar 5-bay right return includes an oculus in the gable over the three left bays. A cornice extends over the two right bays, and a partly-projecting stack has a stepped cornice and a tall obelisk shaft. The two right bays on the ground floor have been altered. The rear extensions are not considered to be of special interest. At the time of resurvey, the buildings were largely unoccupied and dilapidated. The buildings are included for their group value.