Nos. 79 and 81, DEANSGATE

Nos. 79 and 81 on Deansgate is a department store that opened on 7 November 1907, designed by architect George Crowther. The building is timber-framed, using wood salvaged from demolished buildings on Bradshawgate, and features white painted panels with a plain tiled roof.

The exterior consists of two storeys with attics, arranged in a loosely symmetrical design around a diagonal axis from the corner entrance. It has a curved corner with a circular two-storey tower above the entrance, continuous bands of mullioned and transomed windows, and a bell cast truncated conical roof that overhangs on bracketed eaves. The ground floor has been renewed throughout.

On either side of the entrance feature, there are two-storey bays with a three-light mullioned window on the first floor, leading to paired three-storey gables that jet out to the second storey and have coving at their apexes. The left-hand gable facing Deansgate features an oriel window on the first floor, while the others have long bands of mullioned lights. The upper storey has continuous fenestration across both gables, and all windows are fitted with leaded glazing. The interior has not been inspected.