Looking at Buildings

, printed from the Looking at Buildings website on Thursday 18th April 2024

Showrooms after 1918

post-warGlossary Term [1] showrooms are rarer than Edwardian ones. But this survey can end with two sales buildings of the twenties, both on the south-west of the city centre, but further out than John Bright Street, beyond the later Inner Ring Road.

Bristol Street [2] looks with its huge concave gableGlossary Term [3] almost like radical Arts and CraftsGlossary Term [4] work of around 1900, but was built in 1926 to a design by T.D. Griffiths of Coventry for Cecil Kay, a dealer in Rover and Fiat. Griffiths' first design had lots of fake half-timberingGlossary Term [5].

Hurst Street and Kent Street [6] was built in 1929-30 as showrooms for Wells and Mayner, who were general dealers in second hand cars. The architect was Alfred J. Dunn, quite a radical Free StyleGlossary Term [7] architect in Birmingham and Gloucester during the Edwardian period. This is rather a comedown: small scale and domestic, with bayGlossary Term [8] windows on the upper floor.

Last updated: Monday, 26th January 2009