John H. G. Archer, in his paper
Edgar Wood: A Notable Manchester
Architect says of these shops: "Situated
in the shopping centre of Middleton,
this small block of shops must have made
a very startling appearance in Edwardian
Middleton. First, they are flat-roofed,
and secondly the front of each shop is
defined by a broad panel of white glazed
tiles, each patterned with three
vertical lines of chevrons in green
tiles. In between the panels are narrow
bands of good quality facing bricks."
Images
generously donated by "Pilkington's
Lancastrian
Pottery Society"
"Originally the shop fronts and all
joinery fittings were painted white
and the shop windows were divided into
panes of near-Regency proportion. The
use of glazed tiles is of considerable
interest in an atmosphere as polluted
as that of Middleton, and it appears
to have been intended to provide
permanent colour and a self-cleansing
surface. The shop fronts have all been
altered but the tiled panels remain,
no surface in such conditions is ever
self-cleansing, however, and the
original effect has been dulled.
Washing down, as in modern office
buildings, would probably restore the
effect."
As you can see the original woodwork on
the shops has long since gone and, since
John Archer wrote that description, there
seems to have been some structural damage
to the tiles above number 35.
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