Westminster Building

The Westminster Building, located at No 40 on High Street in Doncaster, is a house that has been converted into shops and offices. It was originally built in 1780 for James Whitaker, a wine merchant, and was largely rebuilt around 1920, with some later alterations. The exterior features mosaiced stone with stone dressings and a slate roof.

The building stands three storeys tall and has five bays arranged in a 1:3:1 pattern, with two-storey, single-bay wings on either side. The ground floor has four 20th-century shop fronts that span the full width, with an entrance to the upper storeys located in the fifth bay. The central five bays are accentuated by giant Ionic type pilasters at the corners and between the bays on the first and second floors. The central three bays project slightly and are topped with a pediment.

On the first floor, there are five full-height openings featuring 1920s metal glazing. The side bays have similar glazing in semi-circular headed windows with projecting sills. Above, the second floor has a plain sill band interrupted by the pilasters, with slightly projecting sills to five smaller original openings, again with 1920s glazing. All windows are framed with slightly projecting architraves. The side bays are adorned with eaves bands and balustraded parapets.

The main block is topped with a full entablature that includes dosserets over the corner pilasters, a dentilled cornice, a central pediment, and a low blocking course. Brick stacks are located at the ends of the building. The facade is covered in pale blue mosaic from the 1920s, with dark blue mosaic architraves around the windows and decorative motifs in gold, white, and blue above the first-floor windows. The interior of the building has been completely renewed.