Chronicle Office, Lord Street, Huddersfield

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Details

  • location: Lords Street, Huddersfield
  • status: still exists
  • architect: William Cocking (1817-1874)

Erected in 1870 (opened October 1870) as offices for the Huddersfield Chronicle newspaper, replacing their former premises on Cross Church Street and Kirkgate. The building is noteworthy for being built on the estate of Thomas Firth of Toothill, one of the few areas of land in the town not owned by the Ramsden family.

The Chronicle reported the following description of the new offices:[1]

The building is erected on the estate of the late Thos. Firth, Esq., of Toothill, and the style adopted is modernised Italian, three storeys high. The elevation, as a whole, is bold and effective, with a moderate display of ornamentation, including several beautifully carved heads, by Mr. [Eli] Morton, of Huddersfield, presenting altogether a good and suitable style of street architecture. In the basement there are six rooms, 20ft. 6in. by 15ft. 6in., which will be used for various purposes incidental to the publishing of the paper. On the ground floor there are also six rooms varying in size from 20ft. 6in. by 15ft. 6in. to 14ft. by 11ft. 6 in. These rooms will be used for editorial, reporting, and general business purposes.

A corridor, 4ft. wide, communicates with each room, having a lavatory at one end. Behind, on the ground-floor, and communicating with these offices, is a machine-room, 54ft. by 30ft., and 20ft. high, with an open yard, 5yds. wide, for workmen's entrance and the delivery of goods. This room is well lighted, and ventilated at the top ; and at the east end, under the floor, is a boiler and engine-house, 30ft. by 14ft., with a chimney 20yds. high. The fitting up of this room with boilers, shafting, &c., has been carried out in the most efficient manner by Mr. A. Bell, engineer, of Huddersfield and Honley ; and Messrs. Dawson and Sons, of Otley, the eminent printing-machine makers, have laid down the whole of the machinery. The first and second floors have each a room, 63ft. by 31ft. 6in., for printing and other purposes, well fitted up with lavatories, &c., and communicating with the offices on the other floors by means of staircases, hoists, speaking-tubes, and separate staircase for workpeople, &c.

The whole of the buildings have been designed by and carried out under the superintendence of Mr. Wm. Cocking, architect, Albert Buildings, New Street, Huddersfield, and the following have been the contractors for the works:— Mr. James Brook, mason's work ; Messrs. Wm. Fawcett and Sons, joiners' work ; Mr. George Garton, plumber's and glazier's work ; Mr. Eli Morton, plasterer's work; Messrs. Knight and Jackson, painters' work ; Mr. Geo. S. Scholefield, ironfounder's work ; Messrs. William Goodwin and Sons, the slaters' work.

Gallery

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Location

Notes and References

  1. "Our New Offices in Lord Street" in Huddersfield Chronicle (15/Oct/1870).