Henry Moore Centre For The Study Of Sculpture

The Henry Moore Centre for the Study of Sculpture, also known as No.74 The Headrow, is a late 1840s office and warehouse building, restored in 1992. Constructed of dark red brick in Flemish bond with ashlar dressings and a slate roof, it stands two and a half storeys high with a basement, featuring 16 first-floor windows arranged in 12 bays defined by pilasters and designed in a Classical style.

The corniced ashlar basement has plinth blocks to giant pilasters, with moulded bases and capitals that support a first-floor frieze, incorporating a moulded string and cornice. Archivolts above all ground-floor openings create a sense of unity. The building includes an attic cornice and blocking course. Bays 2, 4, 7 and 11 feature tall, narrow panelled doors with overlights. The windows are primarily 16-pane sashes, some replaced with plate glass; paired windows are found in bays 1, 5, 8 and 12, while bays 3, 6, 9 and 10 have single windows. Basement windows are mostly boarded up, with remnants of original iron railings. Moulded sills, lintels and archivolts are present on the ground floor, while the first floor exhibits moulded sill bands and cambered gauged brick arches. Shorter arches with plain stone sills characterize the attic windows. Ridge stacks with multiple flues are located at the ends and flanking bays 7-8. A black polished marble façade, added in 1992, forms the new entrance to the sculpture gallery on the south front.

The rear elevation consists of two projecting gabled wings with numerous boarded-up openings. Some original 16-pane sashes remain, featuring cambered gauged-brick arches and stone sills, as well as first- and second-floor sill bands. Between the wings is a wide segmental-arched loading door (now bricked up) within a projecting bay, and a tall round-arched stair window. Paired modillion gutter brackets are also present.

The interior is accessed via narrow halls with a steep staircase. Original plaster ceiling cornices and doors, along with window shutters, are visible. Previously separate offices are now interconnected, with later inserted partitions. The building retains some original features and includes details reminiscent of Nos 19 & 21. No.13 formerly served as the office of George Corson from 1870-76.

Historically, the building belongs to a significant group of mid-19th century warehouses that emulate the converted 18th-century town houses of Park Place and York Place. It contrasts with the Gothic-style warehouses near Wellington Street stations, reflecting the designs of George Corson and others from the 1860s onward. Directory listings indicate that No.17 functioned as a Roman Catholic school and rectory between approximately 1849 and 1867.