Messers Barkers' Store

This building is a store, constructed between 1937 and 1938, designed by Bernard George. It is built of Portland stone, with large areas of glass and gilded metalwork. The symmetrical facade curves outwards. The building is seven storeys in height, with the upper two floors set back from the lower ones. There are thirteen windows across the facade, separated by vertical stone piers running from the first to the fourth floors. Two stone stair towers divide the facade, each featuring strip windows set diagonally, and topped with glass lanterns incorporating folded glazing, flagpoles, and metal detailing. The building incorporates considerable relief sculpture on the stair towers, the stone piers by the entrance, and on the metal mullions and panels between the windows. A cantilevered canopy extends over the ground floor, and the ground floor windows feature bronze mullions. The original entrance hall retains its decoration, as does the original escalator.