Number 1 Prescot Street And Attached Wall And Railings

TQ 3480, 22/893

PRESCOT STREET, No. 1 and attached wall and railings

GV

II

Office block. C1932 by L G Ekins for the Co-operative Wholesale Society. Built by the CWS Building Dept. Steel frame clad with dark brown brick, with horizontal joints raked out; semi-basement and entrances, concrete textured with feldspar or granite, channelled to appear as stone. Green pantiled mansard roof with two rows of dormers. Rectangular block on corner site. Five storeys, two attics and semi-basement. Main facade thirteen bays plus later addition of seven slightly projecting bays to right. Segmental arched arcading rises from ground floor through 4th floor with splayed reveals of bricks set at angles to give dog tooth pattern; arch heads also of this treatment. Bronzed and green painted metal framed windows of three lights with green metal spandrel panels of corrugated and bead design. Main entrance on centre of thirteen bays; rectangular surround an extension of basement textured cement. Recessed angular mouldings to opening with bronzed iron geometric pattern screen; above, a bas relief rectangular plaque depicting a nude male and female; cornice of corrugated design. Entrance approached by steps flanked by cement balustrades with bronzed iron railings of geometric pattern with bronzed octagonal lanterns. Fifth floor in lighter coloured brick with blue band; continuous 3-light square headed recessed windows with brick mullions and separated by elongated enriched brick ornamentations. Blue and red brick corrugated parapet. Pantiled roof with antefixae. Continuous rows of cream painted 3-light dormers with corrugated lintels and separating panels; alternate panels with angular cream rainwater heads and green painted pipes forming a feature of the decoration. Left-hand angle canted with plainer entrance; brick work at angles forms open-work pattern; angular 2-light oriel through three floors with green painted metal zig-zag patterned spandrel panels. Returns similar to main facade. Attached concrete wall with piers and bronzed iron railings of geometric pattern.

An unusual example in Britain of the German Expressionist style. Ekins worked all his life for the CWS, designing shops and warehouses all over Britain.

Listing NGR: TQ3405680967