Ogden Imperial Tobacco Ltd Office Block

This office block for Ogden Ltd (later Ogden-Imperial Tobacco Ltd) tobacco manufacturers was built in 1899, probably designed by Henry Hartley. It is an eclectic Queen Anne style building constructed of pressed red brick with sandstone dressings, featuring a central section with clock tower, side wings, hipped roofs, a moulded eaves cornice, and two storeys.

Plan and Structure

The building has a central corridor with rooms to the front and rear, and at each end of the building.

Exterior

The main elevation is set slightly back from Boundary Lane, with the raised ground floor sitting on a stone plinth. A projecting moulded stone stringcourse runs across both floors, and the roofline features a brick parapet with sandstone copings. Four chimney stacks rise through the roof. The roof of the central section has two ventilation cupolas. Stone banding details appear on the first floor and ground floor of the side wings. All windows have stone surrounds. Cast-iron rainwater goods are fitted throughout. The side wings were originally single storey but were raised to two storeys shortly after construction.

The central section spans 8 bays. Bay 4 contains a projecting 4-stage clock tower housing the main entrance, surmounted by a gableted spire. The entrance doorway is elaborate and large, with a surround incorporating pairs of carved consoles beneath a keyed arched head, and a segmental pediment featuring carved cherub figures, foliage designs and a coat of arms displaying the Ogden crest. The original geometric panelled mahogany double entrance doors remain, along with a multipaned fanlight. Tall arched 3-light windows with carved central mullions and keyed arched heads are set in the left and right returns.

The second stage of the tower has a pair of arched windows with Gibbs-style surrounds, with a carved decorative band above and carved statues of griffins holding shields to each side. Windows to the returns are in the same style. The third stage features false Flemish gables with decorative carved stonework, each containing a multipaned oval-shaped oculus. Above this, large relief lettering reads 'OGDEN'S'. The fourth stage displays a clock face to each side with carved surrounds, pinnacles surmounted by ball finials at the four corners, a brick parapet, and a gableted spire.

The rest of the ground floor central section has arched 6-light windows with multipaned upper lights, keyed lintels, carved lower mullions and transom, and aprons with heraldic style relief carvings. Carved stone pilasters between windows create the appearance of an arcade. The first floor has 4-light square-headed windows with Gibbs-style surrounds and decorative carved aprons with floral designs.

The left wing projects forward from the central section. A central double-height canted bay contains four sash windows to each storey, flanked by windows to each side (shorter windows to first floor), all with 6-light upper sashes and plain lower sashes, and carved stone surrounds. Plain carved aprons sit beneath the first floor windows. Windows in the same style appear on the left and right returns. The ground floor window to the left return has been converted into a doorway.

The right wing comprises 5 bays set back from the central section, matching the style of the left wing. Its right return has 6 bays.

Subsidiary Features

A stone stair flight leads to the entrance, flanked at the lower part by black and gold cast-iron railings and at the upper part by low, curved stone walls either side of the entrance. These walls are surmounted by elaborate ornamental cast-iron lamps. Stone gate piers with lamps in the same style stand alongside a highly decorative black and gold painted cast-iron gate. Railings continue along the full length of the main façade.

Interior

The outer vestibule has a decorative mosaic tile floor incorporating a floral design. The inner vestibule behind features an elaborate mosaic floor incorporating the Ogden crest and an inlaid marble foundation stone to the left with an inscription reading 'THIS STONE WAS LAID 8TH APRIL 1899/ BY/ MRS OGDEN WIDOW OF THE LATE THOMAS OGDEN/ FOUNDER OF THIS BUSINESS/ Directors of OGDEN'S Limited/ R.H. WALTERS Chairman/ THOMAS OGDEN WILLIAM BARKER OGDEN/ PERCY CALLAGHAN JOHN MACCONNAL/ HENRY HARTLEY F.R.I.B.A Architect R.W. STUMBLES Secretary'. Double doors with glazed upper panels have a decorative carved timber surround incorporating egg and dart moulding, a fanlight, and a keyed stone arch.

The oak panelled entrance hall features full height panelling with glazed upper panels. The stair hall contains a Jacobean style mahogany dog-leg stair with turned balusters and an ornately carved square newel post. A large 4-light window lights the half landing. A cantilevered return flight has geometric style panelling to the underside. A doorway to the rear of the stair hall leads into the factory areas behind.

Oak panelling runs along the east side of the central corridor (fake panelling to the west side). Original 5-panel doors are found throughout the ground floor. Moulded door and window architraves appear on both floors. Decorative doorcases incorporating carved flat pediments feature on the ground floor. Later inserted suspended ceilings cover the main office rooms on both floors, though moulded cornicing is believed to survive underneath.

Three safe rooms (two on the ground floor, one on the first floor) retain their original doors, door furniture, tiled interiors and protective air holes adjacent to the door. Two also have original door plaques containing the maker's crest and patent.

Formal offices and meeting rooms occupy the left ground floor end of the building. An internal hall is lit by a large hipped roof light, with the light-well above clad in reflective white tiles. Offices lie to the south, east and west (the eastern one partitioned but retaining its original carved timber fireplace). A large office (originally two offices) to the south has a further fireplace of similar design. A large boardroom (now partitioned) to the front of the building features a large canted bay window, oak panelling to the lower part of the window, and a wide carved timber arch.

A large open-plan main office occupies the right end of the ground floor, with columns featuring Corinthian capitals. An oak panelled dog-leg stair to the rear centre of the room rises to the first floor offices. The upper floor offices were originally partitioned but have since been opened up. Moulded cornicing survives in areas without later inserted suspended ceilings and is believed to survive throughout. Doorways at each end of the building at the rear lead into first floor factory areas.

History

Ogden-Imperial Tobacco Ltd, Liverpool, began as a local private concern in 1859/60 when Thomas Ogden started a tobacconist business from his premises at 54 Park Lane, where he was also a leather dealer. In the following years Ogden opened further shops and also became a cigar importer, culminating in 1868 in the acquisition of premises in St James Street, which became his first tobacco factory. A second factory opened in Cornwallis Street in 1870 and within 20 years Ogden's had expanded to include 6 factories and stores in Liverpool.

Shortly before his death in 1890 Thomas Ogden converted the business into a limited company known as T. Ogden Ltd (Ogden Ltd after his death). Following his death Thomas's two sons, Thomas Ogden junior and William Barker Ogden, took over the running of the business. Six dispersed factories soon became uneconomical and following the issuing of shares in 1895 capital was raised in 1897 to build a new factory and offices at Boundary Lane, which opened in 1899.

Ogden Ltd was the first company in the world to introduce the idea of collectable illustrated cigarette cards, and also helped to found the National Association of Tobacco Manufacturers in 1898. In 1901 James B Duke, head of the American Tobacco Company, acquired Ogden's and extended the office block by adding an additional storey to the side wings. For just over a year Ogden's became the pivotal firm in the American Tobacco Company's attempts to break into and dominate the English tobacco industry. In 1902 Ogden Ltd was sold to Imperial Tobacco and became one of their branches.

During the mid 20th century several tobacco companies merged with Ogden's. In 1962 Ogden's ceased production of cigarettes and concentrated on pipe tobacco, hand-rolled tobacco and snuffs (the latter from 1989 onwards). In 1978 a modern factory building was constructed alongside West Derby Road. In the 1980s the Boundary Lane site underwent £1 million of improvement works, which provided new machinery and resulted in the demolition of a long 4-storey building on the west side of the site. Further change occurred in the 1990s when the engineering department building became a bonded warehouse and the former stables and garages became a staff restaurant and packing area.

Imperial Tobacco is now the world's fourth largest international tobacco company. However, following changes in the market and production costs it was announced in July 2006 that the Liverpool site would cease production and close. The factory finally closed in March 2007.