India Buildings

Last updated

India Buildings
India Buildings, Liverpool.jpg
India Buildings
LocationWater Street, Liverpool, England
Coordinates 53°24′22″N2°59′33″W / 53.4061°N 2.9926°W / 53.4061; -2.9926
OS grid reference SJ 341 904
Built1924–32
Built for Blue Funnel Line
Architect Arnold Thornely and
Herbert J. Rowse
Architectural style(s) Italian Renaissance with American Beaux-Arts features
Governing bodyLegal & General
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameIndia Buildings, including the Water Street entrance to James Street underground station
Designated5 November 2013
Liverpool Centre map.png
Red pog.svg
Location in Liverpool
Internal shopping arcade India Buildings 5.jpg
Internal shopping arcade

India Buildings is a commercial building with its principal entrance in Water Street, Liverpool, England. Mainly an office building, it also contains an internal shopping arcade and the entrance to an underground station. It was built between 1924 and 1932, damaged by a bomb in 1941, and later restored to its original condition under the supervision of one of its original architects. The building, its design influenced by the Italian Renaissance and incorporating features of the American Beaux-Arts style, occupies an entire block in the city.

Contents

History

India Buildings was built between 1924 and 1932. [See construction of Holt Building on Youtube, Pathes Nerves of Steel.] The competition for its design was won in 1923 by Arnold Thornely and Herbert J. Rowse, the assessor being Giles Gilbert Scott. It was built as a speculative venture by the shipping firm of Richard Durning Holt and Alfred Holt and Company (the Blue Funnel Line) partly for its own use, and partly for letting offices to other businesses. It was built by Dove Brothers of Islington, its steelwork being made and erected by Dorman Long of Middlesbrough. The cost of the building was £1.25 million (equivalent to £109,600,000 in 2023). [1] The building replaced an older one on the site known as "India Building", built in the 1830s for George Holt, the father of Alfred. The new building was constructed in two stages, the first stage being alongside the earlier building, and the second stage demolishing and replacing it. [2] The two stages straddled the former Chorley Street. Before the design was approved, Liverpool Corporation stipulated that an arcade of shops should run through the centre of the building on the route of the street, and this was incorporated into the design. [3] The original occupants included Lloyds Bank, a post office, commercial and insurance companies, solicitors, and government offices. Alfred Holt and Company occupied most of the sixth, seventh and eighth floors. Also in the building were a public hall and a constitutional club. [2] India Buildings was badly damaged by bombing in 1941, and was later restored to its original condition under the supervision of Herbert J. Rowse. [4]

The property became involved in one of the UK's largest fraud cases when it was used as collateral for large loans made by a company operated by Achilleas Kallakis and Alexander Williams. They had arranged for loans to be made in excess of the value of the buildings. This money was used to finance an expensive lifestyle including a helicopter and a plane. [5]

India buildings was sold to an Irish company called Green Property in 2009 who still owned it in January 2013 when the former owners, Kallakis and Williams were jailed for fraud. [5]

In August 2017 it was announced that British multinational financial services company, Legal & General had bought India Buildings. HMRC will lease ten floors of the building to house a new Regional Centre. Around 3,500 HMRC staff were expected to start moving into the building when renovation work was completed in 2019. [6] [7] The plans were delayed when 400 tonnes of asbestos were discovered during the works. [8] A new contractor was bought in to carry out the redevelopment work in September 2019 with the new tenants hoping to move in during 2020. The package of work being carried out includes repairing and cleaning the façade, removing more than 50% of office ceilings, re-lining the cast iron drainage system, refurbishing ornate windows and replacing the existing 8 lifts and the addition of 5 new lifts. On December 6, 2020, HMRC announced that they will move in on May 21, 2021, starting from floors 3–6 with floors 1-2 opening in the summer. In March 2021, due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the government advice on home working, the May 2021 opening of floors 3-6 was cancelled. A new move date is provisionally set for "summer 2021" which will likely see staff from Regian House move in first as is tradition. St Johns House in Bootle will continue to operate until 2022.[ citation needed ]

Architecture

Exterior

The building occupies a whole block, and is surrounded by Water Street, Brunswick Street, Fenwick Street, and Drury Lane. It has nine storeys, a mezzanine, a basement and a sub-basement. The building is constructed on a steel frame and is clad in Portland stone. It is roofed in green Lombardic tiles. The main entrance is on Water Street, this front having 13  bays. The entrance itself consists of three tall arches that are flanked by four bronze lamps, made by the Bromsgrove Guild, their design being based on those at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. Over the entrance is an ornamental balcony. At the basement level are four decorative shop fronts, and to the right of these is an entrance to the James Street underground station. The Brunswick Street front is similar, except that its entrance has one arch rather than three. The Fenwick Street front and the Drury Lane front have 15 and 14 bays respectively. [2]

Sculpture

All the sculpture on the exterior of the building is by Edmund C. Thompson. The keystones in the arches over the doorways and above some of the windows are carved with cherubs. Rather than all being identical, their designs are slightly varied. A frieze runs around the building just below the level of the top floor windows. On both the Water Street and the Brunswick Street fronts and incorporated in the frieze are crests, each of which is carved with a figure of Neptune kneeling in a scallop shell, and two reclining Tritons, reflecting the building's maritime connections. [9]

Interior

A shopping arcade runs through the centre of the building, with offices on all floors. The entrances in Water Street and Brunswick Street lead into foyers. Each foyer has three painted and coffered saucer domes in the ceiling, supported by fluted Ionic columns in Travertine marble. There are doors to two lifts on each side. The shopping arcade has Travertine walls and floors, and a coffered barrel-vaulted ceiling with pendant lights. Along the sides of the arcade are shops with decorative bronze fronts. Elsewhere on the ground floor are larger areas originally occupied by the bank, the Post Office and the public hall. The upper floors contain offices, some of which have retained their original layout, while others have been altered. [2] There is a war memorial dedicated to 15 members of staff from Alfred Holt Blue Funnel who died during World War 1. [10] Public access to the arcade was closed as part of the deal to move in 3,500 HMRC staff, with HMRC citing security reasons for the proposed decision. [11]

Appraisal

India Buildings was designated as a Grade II listed building on 14 March 1975. [2] Following a campaign by the Twentieth Century Society, its designation was raised to Grade II* on 5 November 2013. [2] [12] [lower-alpha 1] One of the reasons given for this elevation in status is its transatlantic influence, reflecting Liverpool's historic links with the United States, stating that it "emulates the most impressive early 20th-century commercial buildings of the US", particularly those in New York. [2] Other reasons include its architectural interest, including influences from the Italian Renaissance and the American Beaux-Arts movement, and the eminence of its architects. Also noted are its planning interest, in that it follows the United States grid system of town planning, the high quality of its internal finishes, its degree of survival with its major elements having been retained, and its group value with the nearby listed buildings. [2]

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. Grade II* status is given to buildings that "are particularly important buildings of more than special interest", and Grade II status to buildings that "are nationally important and of special interest". [13]

Citations

  1. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth . Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Historic England, "India Buildings, including the Water Street entrance to James Street underground station (1218481)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 10 November 2013
  3. Pye, Ken (2011), Discover Liverpool, Liverpool: Trinity Mirror Media, p. 76, ISBN   978-1-906802-90-5
  4. Sharples, Joseph; Pollard, Richard (2004), Liverpool, Pevsner Architectural Guides, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, pp. 170–171, ISBN   0-300-10258-5
  5. 1 2 Bartlett, David (19 January 2013). "Liverpool's India Buildings was 'grossly mismanaged' by fraudster Achilleas Kallakis". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  6. Houghton, Alistair (17 August 2017). "Thousands of tax office workers WILL be moving into city centre India Buildings". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  7. Bona, Emilia (11 February 2018). "Liverpool's game changers which will transform the face of the city centre". liverpoolecho. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  8. McDonough, Tony (23 September 2019). "Caddick takes over as main contractor on £11m India Buildings project". Liverpool Business News. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  9. Cavanagh, Terry (1997), Public Sculpture of Liverpool, National Recording Project, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, p. 240, ISBN   978-0-853-23711-2
  10. "Alfred Holt Blue Funnel Line Liverpool". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  11. Houghton, Alistair (18 August 2017). "Arcade through India Buildings will be CLOSED when tax staff move in". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  12. India Buildings Liverpool Upgraded to Grade II*, Twentieth Century Society, archived from the original on 12 January 2017, retrieved 11 November 2013
  13. Listed buildings, Historic England, archived from the original on 2 April 2015, retrieved 27 March 2015

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Buildings, Liverpool</span> Grade II listed building in Liverpool, England

Municipal Buildings is a former council office building that has been converted into a hotel. It is located on Dale Street in the centre of Liverpool, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbert James Rowse</span> English architect (1887–1963)

Herbert James Rowse was an English architect. Born in Liverpool and a student of Charles Reilly at the Liverpool University School of Architecture, Rowse opened an architectural practice in the city. Although he designed major buildings for other cities, Rowse is best known for his work in Liverpool, including India Buildings, the entrances to and ventilation towers of the Mersey Tunnel ("Queensway"), and the Philharmonic Hall. He designed in a range of styles, from neoclassical to Art Deco, generally with a strong American influence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Building, University of Liverpool</span> Grade II listed architectural structure in Liverpool, United kingdom

The Victoria Building of the University of Liverpool, is on the corner of Brownlow Hill and Ashton Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and completed in 1892. It was the first purpose-built building for what was to become the University of Liverpool, with accommodation for administration, teaching, common rooms and a library. The building was the inspiration for the term "red brick university" which was coined by Professor Edgar Allison Peers. In 2008 it was converted into the Victoria Gallery & Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hope Street, Liverpool</span>

Hope Street in Liverpool, England, stretches from the city's Roman Catholic cathedral, past the Anglican cathedral to Upper Parliament Street and it is the local high street of the Canning Georgian Quarter. It contains various restaurants, hotels and bars and is one of Liverpool's official 'Great Streets' and was also awarded 'The Great Street Award' in the 2012 Urbanism Awards, judging it to be the best street in the country. The road runs parallel to Rodney Street. Together with Gambier Terrace and Rodney Street it forms the Rodney Street conservation area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburne House</span> Historic site in Merseyside, England

Blackburne House is an 18th-century Grade II listed building located on the east side of Hope Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It was built in 1788 and remodelled in from 1874 to 1876. Originally a private house, it became a girls' school and, after a period of dereliction, it is now used as a training and resource centre for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McWhirters</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

McWhirters is a heritage-listed former department store at Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is also known as McWhirters Marketplace, McWhirters & Son Ltd, and Myer. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barton Arcade</span> Victorian shopping arcade in Manchester, England

Barton Arcade is a Victorian shopping arcade in Manchester, England, located between Deansgate and St Ann's Square. It was constructed by Corbett, Raby, and Sawyer in 1871.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Liverpool</span> Overview of architecture of Liverpool, England

The architecture of Liverpool is rooted in the city's development into a major port of the British Empire. It encompasses a variety of architectural styles of the past 300 years, while next to nothing remains of its medieval structures which would have dated back as far as the 13th century. Erected 1716–18, Bluecoat Chambers is supposed to be the oldest surviving building in central Liverpool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prudential Assurance Building, Liverpool</span> Building in Liverpool, England

The Prudential Assurance Building is a Grade II listed, Victorian Gothic revival style office building located on Dale Street in the centre of Liverpool, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayfarers Arcade</span> Shopping mall in Merseyside, England

Wayfarers Arcade is a Grade II listed structure located in the seaside town of Southport, Merseyside on the famous boulevard of Lord Street in the town centre. The arcade is a near untouched building with the glass dome and Victorian shop fronts below it, creating a shopping arcade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Insurance Building, Liverpool</span> Historic site in Merseyside, England

The State Insurance Building is at 14 Dale Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Half of the building was destroyed by bombing in the Second World War. Both its external architecture and its internal decoration are elaborate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Holt (cotton-broker)</span> British cotton merchant

George Holt was a cotton-broker, merchant, and philanthropist from Liverpool, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Oswald's Church, Old Swan, Liverpool</span> Church in Merseyside, England

St Oswald's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in St Oswald's Street, Old Swan, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is an active parish church in the Archdiocese of Liverpool and in St Joseph's Pastoral Area. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southport Arts Centre</span> Historic site in Merseyside, England

Southport Arts Centre, formerly known as Cambridge Hall, is on the east side of Lord Street, Southport, Sefton, Merseyside, England, and stands between Southport Town Hall and the Atkinson Art Gallery and Library. It was built in 1873–74 and originally contained an assembly hall. The centre contains mixed architectural styles and has a tall clock tower at the right end. During the 20th century the assembly hall was converted into a theatre, and it forms part of the arts complex known as The Atkinson. The arts centre is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atkinson Art Gallery and Library</span> Historic site in Merseyside, England

The Atkinson is a building on the east side of Lord Street extending round the corner into Eastbank Street, Southport, Sefton, Merseyside, England. The building is a combination of two former buildings, the original Atkinson Art Gallery and Library that opened in 1878, and the adjacent Manchester and Liverpool District Bank that was built in 1879. These were combined in 1923–24 and the interiors have been integrated. The original building is in Neoclassical style, and the former bank is in Renaissance style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockhampton Post Office</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Rockhampton Post Office is a heritage-listed former post office at 80 East Street, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by George St Paul Connolly and built from 1892 to 1896 by Dennis Kelleher. It is also known as Rockhampton Post and Telegraph Offices. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 24 January 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George's Dock Building</span> Group of buildings in Liverpool, England

George's Dock Building is a Grade II listed building in Liverpool, England. It is located at the Pier Head on the city's waterfront. It is part of Liverpool's former UNESCO designated World Heritage Maritime Mercantile City. It was built in the 1930s in the Art Deco style, to the designs of architect Herbert Rowse. Occupants of the office space include, Merseytravel, The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Mersey Tunnels staff and The Mersey Tunnels Police. It also houses ventilation machinery for the Queensway Tunnel and the Mersey Tunnels Tour Offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Arcade, Walsall</span> Shopping arcade in West Midlands, United Kingdom

Victorian Arcade, in Walsall, West Midlands, is a shopping arcade in the town centre, built in the 1890s. It is a Grade II listed building;

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miller Arcade</span> Shopping centre in Lancashire, England

Miller Arcade is a Grade II listed shopping centre in Preston, Lancashire, England. The building was opened in 1899 and is located in Preston's city centre and is Preston's first indoor shopping centre. The building is modelled on a much larger shopping centre, Burlington Arcade, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Arcade, Wrexham</span> Shopping arcade in Wrexham, Wales

The Central Arcade, historically known as the Hope Street Arcade or Wrexham Arcade, is a shopping arcade in Wrexham city centre, Wales. Connecting Wrexham's Hope Street to the Butcher's Market, it was built in 1891.