Lancaster House


Like Asia House, on Princess Street, and India House next door, Lancaster House was designed by H. S. Fairhurst.


Fairhurst had married into the Lloyd family and Lancaster House was built for the Lloyd's Packing Company. It was built in 1910 with a steel frame clad with a granite at the base and Accrington bricks and terracotta above. The back is plain brick.


The CUBE web site says this of it " Lancaster House is notable for its decoration and compositional inventiveness. Supported by a steel frame, this huge building fully exploits the modelling possibilities offered by brown terracotta and brick.  Above a stone basement plinth, the Edwardian Baroque façade successfully hides the bulk of the construction behind.


Terracotta is used to provide vertical emphasis to the entrances and stairs and a variety of window shapes and frame details. The corner tower to Princess Street is remarkable, rising through 12 levels of increasing elaboration to a terminating belvedere.





Lancaster House shares a common plinth and eaves with its contemporary neighbour, India House, this connection being reinforced by an ornate two storey high circular Art Nouveau wrought iron gate with pendant lamp, which you can see in the photograph below.