Marks and Spencer and 4-10 Smithford Way

Retail store designed and built for Marks and Spencer by Norman Jones Sons & Rigby, 1953-1955.

MATERIALS: reinforced concrete frame with Blockley City Mixture brick cladding, laid in English bond, with reconstituted Clipsham stone and Westmorland slate dressings, with concrete canopies.

PLAN: the building is of three storeys at the corner of the Precinct and Smithford Way; this lowers to two storeys behind this and there is a further three storey section at the rear of the Marks and Spencer premises.

EXTERIOR: the principal entrance facade faces south on to the Upper Precinct and is symmetrical and of five structural bays, as is the facade facing Smithford Way. At ground floor level are glass shop fronts which sit under a continuous concrete canopy with Westmorland Slate fascias; the canopy has sections pierced with glass lights to allow light to the pavement below and steps up on the Upper Precinct side to accommodate the changing ground level. The display windows are divided by granite-clad mullions and there are two recessed entrances at each end of the elevation facing the Precinct. These both have mosaic tiled floors and that to the east has bronze door frames.

Above the canopy on the Precinct elevation, the central three bays are slightly recessed with two rows of nine windows contained within a projecting Clipsham stone surround which has large coffered mouldings to its inner sides and soffit, and with Westmorland Slate clad mullions rising through two storeys, with Travertine panels between the floors. This central feature is flanked on either side by single square windows at each storey.

The Smithford Way elevation also has single windows at each end of the upper floors, with three pairs of windows per floor between. At first floor, the outer pairs have projecting balconies with decorative railings. The separate shop units which form the northern end of the Smithford Way block have refitted shop fronts beneath the canopy. The first floor level has Travertine panels and a row of continuous windows.

INTERIOR: the interior of Marks and Spencer is largely open throughout both floors with square piers supporting the ceiling; these have dentilled cornices and there are plain cornices to recessed ceiling panels. Stairs within the shop have metal balustrades with curving handrails. The staff restaurant area retains some timber-panelled piers and stairs throughout the service areas appear to retain original handrails.