224-230 High Street

DESCRIPTION / STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
This is a 3 storey commercial premises originally built as one shop for Montague Burton Ltd. (Burtons) by their in-house architect, Harry Wilson, although it is now divided into 3 at ground floor level. He designed many in the ‘house style’ around the north of England, and therefore it is clearly representative of commercial architecture of its time. Pale faience clads the first and second floor elevations, and decorative, embossed panels create vertical separation between large metal casements. Composite pilasters, with stylised palmate foliage and fluting, at alternately wide and narrow spacings add to the strong vertical emphasis, which counteracts the length of the façade and effects a pleasing rhythm to the frontage. A chamfered corner housed the original doorway, although this is now the entrance to one of 3 shops whose shopfronts are unfortunately of poor quality. The roof is disguised behind a parapet to the top of the elevation. This and no. 241 opposite display many similar features characteristic of the period, where the decorative detailing is concentrated on the grand and imposing front façades. Together they offer a valuable contribution to the local built environment. MATERIALS Faience, metal ARCHITECT Harry Wilson, Leeds DATES 1928 (plans) LOCAL LIST