Burton, Abergavenny

Burton, Abergavenny
Location 16-18 High Street Abergavenny, NP7 5RY, Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°49′20″N 3°01′05″W / 51.8221°N 3.0180°W / 51.8221; -3.0180Coordinates: 51°49′20″N 3°01′05″W / 51.8221°N 3.0180°W / 51.8221; -3.0180
Built 1937
Built for Sir Montague Maurice Burton
Architect Nathaniel Martin
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated 13 October 1994
Reference no. 14875
Location of Burton, Abergavenny in Monmouthshire

Burton, 16-18 High Street, Abergavenny is a shop constructed for the Burton's tailoring company in 1937. The design, by Burton's in-house architect, Nathaniel Martin, is Art Deco in style. The building is listed Grade II* for its "exceptional interest and rarity as a well preserved Burton's store which retains almost all of its 1930s external detailing."[1]

History and architecture

The Burton clothing company was founded by Sir Montague Maurice Burton in 1903.[2] Originally named the Cross-Tailoring Company, the business grew to become the world's largest tailoring company by Burton's death in 1952.[2] During rapid expansion in the 1920s and 1930s, fuelled in part by contracts to supply uniforms to the British Army throughout World War I, Burton established a distinctive architectural template for his stores nationwide. Using an in-house architectural team, led firstly by Harry Wilson and then by Nathaniel Martin,[3] the stores were constructed in an Art Deco style, "the uncompromising moderne of the Burton house style (being) used in every store in the land."[1]

The building on High Street, Abergavenny is of two storeys with wide glass elevations to both the Market Street and High Street frontages.[4] The building materials include Portland stone, polished black marble, brass and glass.[5] A foundation stone records; "This stone laid by Raymond Montague Burton 1937."[5]

The store has an exterior that is almost unchanged since its construction in 1937 and, as such, it represents a rare survival of a commercial style that was once common through the United Kingdom. The building has a Grade II* listing in acknowledgement of this rarity.[5]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Good Stuff (1994-10-13). "Burton - Abergavenny - Monmouthshire - Wales". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
  2. 1 2 "Company Info". Burton. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
  3. ↑ "HIGH STREET, NO 16-18 (BURTONS PLC)". Coflein. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
  4. ↑ "HIGH STREET, NO 16-18 (BURTONS PLC)". Coflein. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
  5. 1 2 3 Good Stuff (1994-10-13). "Burton - Abergavenny - Monmouthshire - Wales". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.