Signs on the old workhouse

"Welcome to edge hill Faculty of Health" says the sign on the left of the doorway of the former workhouse building once part of St Thomas' Hospital. "Press buzzer and wait for response" it says underneath but the building has been empty and derelict for some time - see earlier post Union Offices of Shaw Heath Workhouse for more details.

The sign on the door itself informs "Stockport Community Drugs Team is located around the corner of Flint Street".

A contribution to signs, signs.

Entry to Stockport Parish Church

Entry to the Parish Church of "St Mary's in the Market Place" is through the Great West Doors which stand underneath the tower. The main body of the church dates from 1817, although parts date back to the 14th century. Through the left hand side of the modern glass door can be seen the East window.

The Packhorse Inn can be seen reflected in the right hand side.

This photograph was taken on Christmas Eve 2011.

Since then the Packhorse Inn has changed to become the Cocked Hat and on January 4th I posted a photo of one the church windows reflected in the pub window.

A contribution to the Entry theme at City Daily Photo and to Weekend Reflections and also to Inspired Sundays. Also a contribution to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.

The Old Bank at 35 Shaw Heath

The half-timbered building next to the Armoury public house in our post last Wednesday was built in 1912 as the premises of the Manchester and Liverpool District Banking Co. Ltd. to designs by Manchester architects Barker Ellis and Jones. It became known as The District Bank from 1924 when the company became District Bank Ltd, before becoming the Edgeley branch of the National Westminster Bank in 1970, after a merger. The building's banking role ceased in 1996 and it was subsequently in office use. Currently it is occupied by a firm that makes wedding videos.

It was designated as Grade II listed for the following principal reasons:

1. As a good representative example of a small, early C2O bank designed in a neo-Tudor, half timbered style giving a reassuring appearance of longevity and respectability;
2. The eye-catching exterior design differentiates the bank from the neighbouring properties whilst enlivening the streetscape;
3. The unassuming yet careful attention to detail and design which unifies the building's external appearance with the internal use of timber panelling and Tudor-arched stone fireplace in the banking Hall;
4. The building retains its design integrity as a bank despite a number of alterations.

For a slightly wider and more colourful view see Geograph.

A contribution to The Weekend in Black and White.

Pathology at Stepping Hill

The Pathology Department at Stepping Hill is housed in the one of the hospital's older buildings.

A contribution to Blue Monday and Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.

Doorway Details: St Peter's Chambers

In July I posted about St Peter's Chambers.

Today I'm showing the round-headed doorway to #39, the first-floor chambers. It has an elaborate carved stone surround of curved inner arch encased in cable-moulding, with segmental indents to the arch voussiors and console keystone surmounted by a bust of St Peter in an outer arch. Crossed keys below bust and incised gothic lettering to each side stating St Peter's Chambers.

A contribution to the City Daily Photo Blogs October 1st theme - details and also to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors!.

St Peter's Chambers

Occupying 35-45 St Petersgate, St Peter's Chambers are grade II listed.

The architect Thomas Allen had offices here in the 1880s and may have been responsible for the design. The plan is rectangular with five shop units on the ground floor, divided into groups of two and a single unit at the south-west end by two doorways with entrance lobbies and staircases to upper-floor chambers. Two chambers with suites of rooms on the first floor.

The south-west end shown here is a slightly projecting range with three first-floor bays and a central gablet in the form of a broken triangular pediment. To the left of the ground floor is a round arched doorway to the first-floor chambers with moulded stone imposts and head with giant keystone rising to a first-floor stone band. Above is a large, central oriel window with a gadrooned stone pedestal base, a semi-circular window with five curved two-pane sash windows separated by slender iron colonettes, surmounted by a decorative ironwork balustrade with sunflower motifs. Above the balustrade, within the gablet, is a round-headed two-pane sash window with moulded stone head and keystone.

A contribution to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.

The (Old) Star Inn, Cheadle

The pub sign on the old inn in the centre of Cheadle that serves "Hydes Queens Brewery Ales" says simply "The Star Inn".

Curiously though the design on one of its etched windows declares "Old Star Inn".

A contribution to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.

8 Market Place and 1a Mealhouse Brow

A listed building consisting of a late 18th or early 19th century house incorporating a 19th century shop front and reusing timbers of medieval or 17th century origin. The building is approached by a flight of stone steps. A low frontage wall with a cast-iron lamp standard is the parapet of 1a Mealhouse Brow, which is on a lower level owing to the slope of the land. Three storeys to the Market Place, of brick in Flemish bond, with a bracketed eaves cornice and restored sash windows. The windows have repaired stone lintels and original stone sills. A facsimile rainwater head has the date 1743, the original perhaps salvaged from another building or from an earlier building on the site. The shop front is bowed and has terracotta foliated brackets supporting a cornice on each side. The rear wall of the building incorporates timbers with mortices and peg holes.

1a Mealhouse Brow consists of a single-storey range towards the Market Place and the adjacent basement and lower basement of No. 8 Market Place. The upper rooms of this part were used for meetings of the town's manorial court leet, and incorporates two small chambers possibly used as lock-ups, The lower basement incorporates two separate chambers used for confinement until 1790 when a new prison was built.

The second-storey wall has ghost advertising (partially obscured) which relates to its past use as Ladies and Gents Tailors. Currently empty, recently it was occupied by the "Vintage Style Agency" but in 2010 it was a coffee shop.

A contribution to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.

Laura Ashley Facade

The Bridge Street side of the Laura Ashley store in Stockport.

Their store occupies the site of the former Warren Bulkeley Arms on the corner of Warren Street and Bridge Street. The inn was demolished in 1986 but the facade, by James Hunt of Stockport, 1890, was reconstructed on Bridge Street.

Pevsner described it as "Proud terracotta parapet balustrade and cartouches with arms".

A contribution to the July CDPB theme Facade.

The Buck & Dog

This is the top of the doorway to the Buck & Dog.

The Buck and Dog was an old coaching inn next to Lancashire Bridge over the River Mersey. In 1770 it was the house of call for the press gangs. In the mid 1980s it was demolished along with the bridge when the river Mersey was culverted under the Merseyway Shopping Centre. The ornamental doorway was incorporated into Barclay's Bank on Percy Street.

For a wider view of the doorway see Geograph.

A contribution to The Weekend in Black and White.

Monday Murals: Cleaner Greener

Artwork on abandoned shops on Wellington Road South next to the former Unity Inn.

An attached notice informs "This artwork has been commissioned by Stockport Council to enhance the shop fronts that were covered in fly posters and graffiti. The concepts and ideas have been generated by artists working with the children from St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and young people from the Avondale School group based at Adswood Youth Centre. Artists Jo Foley and Fiona Smith have used these concepts to create the final art pieces on display."

I contacted Jo Foley to find out a bit more and she replied

"I'm afraid they are looking a little worse for wear aren't they? They were done around 2005/2006 that's as far as I can remember!".

On Fiona Smith's website I read

"Fi Smith and Jo Foley were commissioned to create the A6 Corridor Artwork and devise an environmental education programme for Stockport environmental services in 2004. We produced 24 beautiful, bold, painted boards from children's designs to be installed on derelict shop fronts along Wellington Road and in Stockport centre."

I shall have to see if any more of their creations have survived.

A contribution to Monday Murals.

The Chestergate Tavern

A pub known as the Mersey Tavern and the Mersey Inn was recorded on the site in 1838.

The building was demolished and rebuilt in eclectic Elizabethan style, 1896-7. It is built of red brick with painted stone dressings incorporating finely carved panels and cartouches. There are three storeys to the Chestergate frontage, with an attached two-storey range in matching style to Mersey Square.

The left doorway has an ornate painted surround which has flattened Ionic pilasters and is surmounted by carved lions.

The central gable has within it a painted stone cartouche with the initials BSC, and a finial in the form of a lion, while other gables have armorial badges and ball finials.

It is Grade II listed.

These photographs were taken Saturday, 27 October, 2012.

A contribution to Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.

Borough Chambers

Borough Chambers, at the corner of St Petersgate and High Street, was formerly the Stockport Advertiser offices. Next to the ornate doorway and red door is the sandwich bar, "Wonderland Cakes".

For Ruby Tuesday and Our World Tuesday.