Office Building, Corus Steelworks

Office Building, Corus Steelworks

A large and prominent office building constructed in the Freestyle style with Continental and Art Nouveau influences. Built of red brick with yellow terracotta detailing, topped with slated gambrel roofs and two chimney stacks set slightly forward from the ridge. The building is symmetrical in composition with a central castellated tower, comprises two storeys with basement and attics, and measures seven bays across the front.

The front elevation is arranged with a five-stage tower flanked by pairs of narrow bays, with wider outer bays that are slightly advanced and feature gambrel-shaped gables. Terracotta detail includes a decorative string course, banding, and moulded copings to parapets throughout. The windows are narrow horned sashes without glazing bars, mostly paired, with mullions and moulded window surrounds.

The tower is dominated by a shallow terracotta porch with battlemented parapets decorated with circular bosses. A prominent segmental-arched entrance with several orders of mouldings and splayed jambs features a high exaggerated keystone bearing the initials JS in relief, which rises to the top of the parapets. Inset within is a doorway with a narrow revolving door, a likely original feature, set between walls with glazed green and decorative tiling. Four panelled and half-glazed doors surround the revolving door. The entrance arch is flanked by narrow lights with high keystones, above which are narrow diamond panels with stylised JS motifs. Octagonal corner buttresses flank the porch, rising to the fourth stage of the tower; these are banded, with terracotta parapets featuring narrow blind lancets. The second stage contains a four-light mullioned and transomed window set within terracotta; the third stage has two single lights with high keystones that rise into the sills of the narrower windows of the fourth stage, set within decorative terracotta bearing bosses and JS motifs. The fifth stage features pronounced castellations with corbelled octagonal corner buttresses. A prominent clock sits beneath the parapets on the front and each side, under a hoodmould with scrolled end stops.

The pairs of bays flanking the tower contain two-light mullioned windows with a decorative terracotta air vent beneath each. The gambrel roof reaches the attic storey, which contains raked dormers with slate-hung sides, three to each pair of bays; the dormers contain mid-20th century wooden windows. The basement storey features a segmental-headed window to each bay with tall keystone. The outer bays have shallow angle buttresses rising above parapet level, their tops finished with blind lancets. The gambrel-shaped gables are set back behind the parapets with terracotta detailing; each contains a Diocletian window, with the left-hand glazing replaced in the mid to late 20th century. Beneath each gable sits a three-light wooden-framed window to the first floor and a wider three-light terracotta mullioned window to the ground floor; the basement storey has a three-light window.

The parapets continue around the east and west sides, with the attic storey featuring raked dormers. The east side contains six windows: the basement has openings with rusticated segmental heads, including a door with overlight positioned third from the left. Ground and first floors feature two-light windows and single lights matching the front detail. The west side has terracotta canted oriel windows to the first floor, lighting the boardroom, and narrow two-light windows elsewhere; a 1950s block adjoins below. To the rear, a four-window section to the left of the tower is slightly advanced; it has terracotta banding and sashes as elsewhere, but the window surrounds lack moulding; parapets continue from the east side, above which runs a long four-window raked dormer. At the centre of the rear elevation are round-arched stairlights to ground and first floors, flanked by smaller arched lights; a flat-roofed porch to the basement features a doorway with banded jambs. The tower is set back behind the ridge of the pitched roof, with the fifth stage containing two narrow lights set in brickwork and terracotta. The rear wing to the right of the tower is three-storey, mostly with iron railings in place of parapets, and with sash windows in plain terracotta surrounds; its east side is five windows wide with a large oriel window to the first floor offset to the left; the north end is four windows, with a door positioned second from the left at basement level.

Access to the entrance is by a bridge, with the ground cut away to allow light to the basement storey. The bridge features parapets with decorative terracotta balustrading and buttressed terracotta end piers; a stepped retaining wall at right angles adjoins to the right, constructed of brick with swept terracotta copings.

A large 1950s extension to the west comprises two- and three-storey flat-roofed blocks of red brick, with bays divided by pilaster strips and parapets with sandstone copings. Window bands to bays, mainly two-window units, sit under continuous sandstone lintels; wide metal-framed windows, some altered.

The building contains a fine Art Nouveau interior. The entrance opens into a central hall with a flying imperial staircase leading to the first floor and down to the basement storey. The staircase features pronounced swept moulded handrails and capped newel posts of dark polished wood, octagonal above handrail level. Art Nouveau cast iron balustrading includes shields bearing the letters JS in relief. At mid-level of each flight is a round-arched stairlight flanked by smaller lights, linked by a continuous rear arch. These contain Art Nouveau stained glass, including a ship on the sea in the upper central light and a human figure in the lower central light. Additional detail includes segmental-headed doorways with panelled fielded doors, a dado rail, and fine glazed wall tiling in both decorated and plain green. The ground floor contains offices on each side of the hall. On the first floor to the west of the landing is the boardroom, with a ceiling divided into four compartments by heavy moulded cross-beams, each face bearing a cornucopia frieze; the coving also features cornucopia decoration. Four large moulded panels accommodate light fixtures. A small fireplace to the north has a wooden surround. Executive offices are also located on the first floor. The attic contains two purpose-built flats for use by members of the Summers family when visiting the factory; these flats have 1950s interiors.