Upper Precinct, North and South Link Blocks and Piazza

Upper Precinct, North and South Link Blocks and Piazza

Two ranges of retail buildings facing each other across a piazza, joined by aerial pedestrian walkways at first-floor level. They were designed and built between 1954 and 1956 by WS Hattrell & Partners.

The two ranges mirror each other in design. Each consists of four storeys with shop fronts at ground and first-floor levels, and storage space and staff facilities above. The buildings are constructed from a reinforced concrete frame covered in red Blockley City mixture brick laid in English bond and stretcher bond, with dressings of Westmorland slate, Hornton stone and Travertine.

Each range has ten wide bays corresponding to the width of a single shop. The lower two storeys feature shop fronts divided by pilaster mullions clad in Hornton stone. Above these, first-floor fronts are divided by mullions clad in green Westmorland slate which continue upward as square pillars standing proud of the front and supporting the upper recessed balconies. Above the first-floor shop fronts are panels of vertical timber boarding. The balconies have square metal balusters topped by mahogany handrails. The walling at second and third-floor levels is faced with Travertine panels, with continuous horizontal bands of metal-framed casements providing windows. Deeper pillars at the far right and left of each front support the projecting flat roof that extends forward over the balconies. Shop windows at both levels have been remodelled but retain the original stone-clad mullion pilasters dividing them.

A walkway at first-floor level runs around and across the precinct, providing access to the upper shops and creating a rectangular aerial circuit. The walkways and bridges running around the Upper Precinct at first-floor level are replacements installed around 1994, with metal column supports beneath the bridges at east and west. The walkways along the north and south sides are partially supported by the ground-floor shop fronts projecting forward of the upper floors and do not have pillar supports. At the centre of the northern side, a group of three escalators leading from the piazza to the walkway is housed within a glazed structure with powdered metal supports painted green, added at the end of the twentieth century. A shop front at first-floor level on the south side has a distinctive façade appearing to date from the later twentieth century, featuring a background wall of mosaic and vertical timber boarding from which showcase oriel windows with stainless steel surrounds project outward.

The rear of the southern range sits lower than the piazza due to the fall of land. At its centre is a staircase tower, and to the right is an off-loading bay connecting to service ramps which lead upward from basement level in two slopes to a first-floor service yard with entrances into the backs of the first-floor shops. A similar arrangement formerly existed at the rear of the northern block but has been altered by removal of the ramps and substitution of a service lift with a new brick wall adjacent to the southern wall of the West Orchards Shopping Centre, built between 1986 and 1991.

All shop interiors have been remodelled and some have been joined to create larger premises. On the south side, several shops retain their original upper-floor plans with stairs leading to storage space, kitchens and washrooms, with access to the balconies. On the northern side is a former staff dining room at second-floor level which straddles two premises.

The piazza is paved in yellow and red brick laid in diagonal diamond patterns. At its eastern end stands the Levelling Stone (Grade II) with two railed enclosures. The piazza connects with Broadgate to its east and with Smithford Way and Market Way to its west.