Reflection Court, the former Pilkington's HQ offices, Grove Street & Canal Street, St Helens

This former headquarters of Pilkington Brothers Limited, now converted to flats and business units, was designed by Herbert J. Rowse and Kenneth Cheeseman between 1937 and 1941. The building is constructed of handmade brick with concrete dressings and has a flat roof, originally covered in asphalt but now in aluminium. Its horseshoe-shaped plan shows strong influence from the Dutch architect Willem Dudok's Modernist style. Attached to the south-west corner is an earlier neo-Georgian block from 1924 designed by Sir Arnold Thornely.

Plan

The building follows a horseshoe-shaped layout with a large two-storey north range (plus basement) that presents a curved facade at the junction of Canal Street and Grove Street. The 1924 Thornely block is attached at the south-west corner.

Exterior

North Range

The north range features deep bands of aluminium windows on each floor, separated by canted concrete mullions with concrete sill and lintel bands. Small raised brick decorative motifs appear at the top of the elevation, aligned with the window mullions below. At basement level, alternate courses of projecting bricks are set between narrow bands of Lenscrete windows with concrete lintels.

An entrance at the north corner contains sliding doors with low zig-zag decoration. This entrance has a concrete surround and rounded flanking piers with concrete fin motifs framing a diapered panel above. Similar but plainer and larger entrances exist at the northern ends of both the Canal Street and Grove Street elevations; these originally provided vehicular access into the central courtyard.

Rising above the rear of the curved north corner is a lift motor room with a projecting concrete roof slab and a multi-paned aluminium door on the east side. Between the ground and first floors towards the southern end of the range's east elevation, large applied white lettering reads 'REFLECTION COURT'. Set above and behind the roof parapet is a horseshoe-shaped lift motor room with a narrow band of windows at the top, a projecting concrete roof slab, and a multi-paned aluminium door on the west side.

East Elevation

On the east elevation facing Grove Street, the north range flows into a series of projections of varying height and then into the south range. Immediately adjacent to the north range is a tall projection with two sets of four windows at first and second floor levels on the north face; the lower windows are set within a ridged band. A taller brick pylon to the left, with a curved eastern end, rises from an original single-storey entrance porch below. This pylon has three courses of raised brick banding at the top incorporating a clock face on both north and south elevations.

The building's original main entrance consists of a horseshoe-shaped porch with narrow concrete banding, a projecting concrete roof slab, and a high band of windows on the north side. The doorway has a concrete surround and contains sliding doors with tear drop and zig-zag decoration at the bottom, accessed via a short flight of curved steps. Above the doorway, applied blue lettering reads 'PILKINGTON BROTHERS LIMITED'. To the rear right of the porch is a small single-storey, flat-roofed projection attached to the north range, which has a Lenscrete window on the north side and a modern inserted doorway on the east side that now serves as the main entrance for the east elevation.

South Range

The south range lies to the left of the main entrance projections and is three storeys plus basement. Its five-bay east elevation incorporates large aluminium windows at ground and first floors arranged in continuous vertical strips, separated by panels of fluted aluminium cladding and double-height brick piers with decorative concrete fins. Smaller windows exist at second floor level.

Attached to the south end of this range is a late 20th-century red brick extension (not of special interest) of two storeys plus basement that wraps around slightly onto the east elevation. The rear elevation of the south range has been re-faced in red brick following demolition of earlier buildings by Medland Taylor and Rowse, but an original Lenscrete stair window lighting the main stair survives. To the west is a late 20th-century first-floor red brick extension (not of special interest) supported on tall brick piers.

Central Courtyard

A large central courtyard originally served as a garage and was originally covered by a Lenscrete roof, removed in 1997-98. The roof's supporting concrete piers still survive, rising from the basement to a still-extant shallow concrete canopy at ground floor level. The original vehicular access tunnels at the north-west and north-east corners of the courtyard also survive. At the curved north corner is a double-height, slender Lenscrete stair window lighting the northern stair. The courtyard elevation's original aluminium windows have been replaced with similarly styled uPVC windows, and two modern windows have been inserted at the north end flanking original doorways.

1924 Thornely Block

Attached to the south-west corner of the complex is the neo-Georgian block built by Sir Arnold Thornely in 1924, fronting Canal Street. It consists of an eight-bay range of two storeys plus basement, constructed of brick with a raised ground floor, large nine-over-six sash windows, and pressed brick and Portland stone dressings. These include a stone plinth, a sill band at ground floor level, and keystones to the ground floor windows. The block's flat roof is hidden by a brick parapet topped by a stone cornice, and the basement is lit by Lenscrete glass-brick windows. The block is attached on the east and north sides to the main 1937-41 Rowse and Cheeseman building.

The south return, originally attached to the now-demolished 1886 Medland Taylor building, has been re-faced in red brick and is three bays wide with inserted small three-over-three sash windows and a raised doorway accessed by a modern metal stair. The rear elevation facing the complex's inner courtyard has windows in the same style as those on the front elevation, except at basement level where they have been replaced. A stair bay projects forward at the southern end with windows on the north return. Attached to the rear elevation at ground floor level is the same shallow concrete canopy and series of concrete piers as those on Rowse and Cheeseman's 1937-41 courtyard elevations.

Interior

1937-41 Rowse and Cheeseman Building

Internally, the 1937-41 building has undergone substantial alteration and modernisation following its conversion to flats and business units. The majority of original features have been removed, including oak panelling in the entrance hall, most of the original Vitrolite tiling in the entrance vestibule, and all tiling in the main stairwell. The original panelled reception kiosk has been removed, along with the building's two lifts, which also possessed Vitrolite tiling.

The building's original concrete floors survive under later coverings, along with two original stairs with metal rails and uprights in streamlined contemporary style. An additional modern metal stair has been inserted at the north-west corner adjacent to the 1924 block. The ground and first floors of the north range retain their corridors alongside the external wall, which were styled on a ship's design. These originally linked the management offices and meeting rooms but now serve as hallways for the flats. The basement has been modernised and converted for business use.

1924 Block

Internally, the 1924 block was thoroughly modernised and converted into flats around 1997-98, and original features have been removed throughout. The two flights of the main stair between ground and first floor have been altered, and the basement flight has been removed. The top two flights, which originally led up to the roof (access now blocked), survive and retain their original concrete steps, brick arched openings, and concrete vaulting. The basement has an asphalt floor and has been partitioned along the western side.