Grade II Listed Office building. 1889. By Alfred Waterhouse. Brick with terracotta dressings, and red plain tiled roof. 3 stories raised over basement with attic. 3-window range with recessed polygonal towers over entrances to each side. Polished granite plinth and piers to round-arched entrance in shallow projecting gabled porch. 3 wide round-arched windows to ground floor, each of 3 lights with small upper panes. Raised lettering "Prudential Assurance Buildings" over ground floor windows.
Well... If you like a bit of architectural ceramics this is a must see. The tile work in this place is one of the best examples I have ever seen in a building in use or derelict. I made the journey solely to see this, so I was very pleased to find it was still open.
It's the blue tiles that are just amazing in here... 4 times the size of an average tile and decorated in that beautiful sky blue, which was the most expensive colour of tile.
Every component of the fireplace other than the grate was ceramic. I find it difficult to comprehend how much something like this would have cost... an average blokes yearly salary if not more.
It's common to see tiles in Edwardian fireplaces, but what blew me away here was the hood of the fireplace was one huge tile. Again a pricey embellishment, the larger the tile the more it cost. Don't forget bigger tiles take up more room in the sagger!
Blue tiles again for the pillars. If you've ever done any tiling, you'll know it's tough to keep a good straight line. Imagine tiling a radius in triangular tiles!!
Cupboard... yeah let's tile that too
Very unusual glass here, cut with triangular angles to act as a kind of prism. Decorated with a flower design of course...
A touch of the 70's here, along with a touch of barbarianism!
Too many rolls of paper... what to do? Paper the ceiling
Loft finds, including a pair of Codd marble stoppered bottles. They must have been in the loft for the better part of a hundred years...
Still gleaming after a century
Straight on shot of the office, showing the tilework from skirting to cornice. Note the one tile which has been replaced, I suspect when gas lighting gave way to electricity
One can only imagine what was once housed in those alcoves...