Irvins Building

The Irvins Building is an offices, sale room, chandlers’ shop, workshops, and warehouse constructed in 1913 for Richard Irvin and Sons. It is built of red brick with ashlar dressings, and has a hipped slate roof to the range on the right, and a flat roof to the steel-framed or reinforced concrete range to the left.

The building is arranged with a two-storey office range located to the right (north-east) of a warehouse which is cranked to the north. The right-hand office range has a modillion cornice to a deep band, outer canted bay windows and a central window, all with stone mullions and cross transoms. Swags are carved into the band above the ground floor openings, all within square-headed surrounds, with carved brackets to the cornice over and pilasters rising to pyramidal finials flanking the shop window to the right. The taller, four-storey three-bay range to the left features three segmental-arched openings to an ashlar ground floor. Recessed bays are articulated by pilasters with flat-relief carved capitals beneath a broad entablature and cornice with a stepped central parapet, and segmental-arched windows.

The interior of the range to the left features timber columns with cast-iron compression columns. The timber floors are reported to bear marks left by nets pinned out for repair. The office range on the right is said to feature oak panelling.

The building was constructed as a multi-functional commercial premises for Richard Irvin and Sons, who were fishing boat owners, fish salesmen, and auctioneers. Richard Irvin was a pioneer of steam trawling, and a major operator in the industry, outside of Peterhead in Scotland. A banking system for Irvin’s employees was housed in the office range, and included a first-floor boardroom. The building is a large-scale, prominent and historically important example of a specialist fishing port which developed in the late 19th century around North Sea ports of England and Scotland. It is the most prominent building on the harbour front at North Shields.