Burtons Building

Burtons Building is a three-storey building with a fourth, hidden attic storey, constructed in the 1930s. It occupies a corner position with long elevations facing Terrace Road and North Parade, and a shorter return elevation. The building is faced in white faience, a glazed ceramic tile. The shop front curves around the corner, with a central entrance on each elevation. The ground floor features polished black granite stall risers inscribed with "Montague Burton, The Tailor of Taste," a deep fascia, large display windows with slender moulded iron rails, and recessed doorways with curved panes and angled-back windows. Continuous overlights to the shop windows incorporate margin lights punctuated by chevrons, a key Art Deco design element. The main entrance on Terrace Road has a terrazzo threshold and a glazed door with an elongated octagonal panel. To the left of this entrance is a separate entry for the upper floors, characteristic of Burton’s stores and intended for leased-out offices. This entrance is defined by paired wooden doors with solid panels, flanked by windows behind decorative ironwork grills. Foundation stones are located at this entrance, bearing the names Raymond Montague Burton and Arnold James Burton, and another stone marks the North Parade elevation with the name Austin Stephen Burton.

The upper storeys exhibit a strong rhythmic design that unifies both elevations. The Terrace Road elevation is organised as a 3-7-3 bay arrangement, with the central section advanced and stepped. The bays are defined by continuous pilasters that resemble the "fins" of other Art Deco buildings. Recessed between the pilasters are fluted ironwork panels that separate the storeys. Original "Crittal" type windows are present; in the outer bays, a wide central window is flanked by narrow side lights, while the central seven bays feature wide windows with tripartite glazing, including transoms and margin lights to the top, bottom, and sides. The narrower side lights also have transoms and margin lights to the top and bottom. The central section is further emphasized by a faience frieze of interlocking curves above each window, another Art Deco motif. The North Parade elevation mirrors the 3-bay treatment. The ground floor is now subdivided into retail space, and independent access is maintained to the upper office accommodation, which includes the concealed attic storey.