Ruskin Buildings

The Ruskin Buildings, located at 179 to 203 Corporation Street in the City Centre, were built in the late 19th century. This five-storey plus attic structure is constructed of red brick and terracotta, topped with a slate roof. The building features 13 bays, with the outer bays slightly projecting and adorned with small shaped gables. The inner three bays have polygonal shafts on either side starting from the third floor and culminate in a large gable.

The ground floor is accessed through a central door that is set up steps within a round-headed arch, which includes masks in the spandrels and an open segmental pediment. The shop fronts have mostly been altered. The first and second floors are characterized by shallow bay windows; the first-floor windows have arched lights, while the second-floor windows feature decorative panels below and small balconies above.

On the third floor, there are pairs of windows framed by moulded surrounds. The fourth floor showcases Serlian windows that rest on a moulded sill band and are flanked by stumpy columns beneath a bracketed eaves cornice. The attic includes flat-headed dormer windows. Notably, the three central bays differ in design, featuring a central shallow bow window that extends from the first to the third floor, while the outer windows have concave-sided gables. The gable is decorated with slender colonettes and moulded strings that enclose shell-headed niches, along with four segmented-headed windows and four blind arched windows. The outer bays are entirely made of terracotta, with the third-floor windows also featuring concave-sided gables.