APPENDIX 15

Committee: Planning

Date Of Meeting: 12 th March 2003

Title of Report: Lord Street Conservation Area Character Statement

Report of: R J Gibbons, Planning Director

Contact Officer: Mike Davies Telephone 0151 934 3574

This report contains Yes No

Confidential information √

Exempt information by virtue of paragraph(s) ……… of Part 1 of √ Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972

Is the decision on this report DELEGATED? √

Purpose of Report:

To seek the committee’s endorsement of the contents of the Lord Street Conservation Area Character Statement.

Recommendation(s):

That the Committee (i) Approves the extension to the Lord Street Conservation Area as shown on the attached plan; (ii) Adopts the Lord Street Conservation Area Character Statement as supplementary planning guidance.

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Corporate Objective Monitoring

Corporate Objective Impact Positive Neutral Negative 1 Regenerating the Borough through Partnership √ 2 Raising the standard of Education & Lifelong Learning √ 3 Promoting Safer and More Secure Communities √ 4 Creating a Healthier, Cleaner & Greener Environment √ through policies for Sustainable Development 5 Strengthening Local Democracy through Community √ Participation 6 Promoting Social Inclusion, Equality of Access and √ Opportunity 7 Improving the Quality of Council Services √

Financial Implications

None

Departments consulted in the preparation of this Report

None

List of Background Papers relied upon in the preparation of this report

Sefton UDP

Planning Policy Guidance Note 15 – Planning and the Historic Environment

Background

PPG 15 encourages local authorities to produce Character Appraisals for its Conservation Areas in order to better protect them from unsympathetic change.

The Conservation Area Character Statement is required to support the Townscape Heritage Initiative bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

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APPENDIX 15

Lord Street Conservation Area Statement

Planning guidance for owners, occupiers and developers.

Preface

A Conservation Area is “an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which is it is desirable to preserve or enhance” (Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. This statement provides guidance on how the preservation and enhancement of the character and appearance of the Lord Street Conservation Area can be achieved. The Council as Local Planning Authority is required to “formulate and publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement of the character or appearance of any parts of their area which are conservation areas” (Section 71 of the Act). This statement fulfils this statutory duty.

In making a decision on an application for development within a conservation area, “special attention shall be paid to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of that area” (Section 72 of the Act). While this should ensure that harmful change is not allowed, some changes, normally not requiring planning permission (known as permitted development) could still damage the special qualities of the area. Local Authorities have special powers to issue directions removing certain permitted development rights from properties if it can be shown that it is necessary.

This statement should be read in conjunction with the most recent version of the Sefton Unitary Development Plan and national planning policy guidance, especially Planning Policy Guidance Note 15 (PPG15) – “Planning and the Historic Environment”.

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Introduction

Lord Street is the principal street as well as the civic and commercial focus of the seaside resort of Southport. Lord Street is of fundamental importance in both historic and architectural terms to the character of the town. It has a strong sense of unity and overall design quality and contains extremely fine examples of Victorian architecture (Sefton Borough Council, Urban Design Framework and Strategy, Austin Smith Lord, 2002) The area contains a wide variety of buildings dating from the early 19 th Century to the late 20 th Century and consists of a mixture of shops, offices, leisure facilities, hotels and private dwellings.

Lord Street is noted for its grand layout, impressive architecture, variety of attractive public gardens and spaces and its high quality range of shops and leisure facilities. It is also widely known for the almost continuous row of glazed canopies, projecting over the pavement from the properties on the seaward side of the road. The conservation area has a very high concentration of listed buildings and a considerable number of other buildings of architectural or historic interest. The Lord Street Conservation Area was designated in 1973. It is situated in Southport town centre and directly abuts the boundary of the Promenade Conservation Area, along West Street and Stanley Street. The boundary of the conservation area runs from the junction of Leicester Street and Manchester Road in the north east to the junction with Duke Street in the south west. The conservation area boundary also includes the ends of all the side streets leading off Lord Street between these junctions. The major part of the side streets on the seaward side of Lord Street is included in the Promenade Conservation Area, as the character of the buildings is consistent with this area. Surrounding the conservation area is a mixture of residential, commercial and leisure uses with the Fire Station and Magistrates Courts situated immediately beyond the north eastern boundary.

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History

The name of Southport was adopted around 1798. The settlement was originally known as South Hawes and until it was developed into a major seaside resort in the 19 th Century, it consisted of scattered farmers’ and fishermen’s huts set in marshes and grazing land situated behind a sandy beach and a belt of sand dunes.

Sea bathing became increasingly fashionable during the 18 th Century and was recommended by medical men as a cure for a variety of ailments. Curtailment of continental travel as a result of the French war also helped to make seaside holidays in England more fashionable and the opening of the Leeds and Liverpool canal in 1774 gave Southport an early advantage over potential rivals. The local district acquired a reputation for its sea air and its mild and equitable climate and the first sea bathers stayed at inns in Churchtown, travelling to the beach in carts.

Mr Sutton, the landlord of the Black Bull Inn at Churchtown built a wooden bathing house on the dunes around 1792 to provide shelter, changing and refreshment rooms for bathers. In 1798 he built a hotel at the southern end of Lord Street and the name South Port is believed to have been chosen at the opening celebration. A year earlier Sarah Walmsley, a widow from Wigan built “Belle View” a large cottage to accommodate paying guests, which was followed by the construction of a number of other inns and marine villas including Willow Cottage, West Hill, Belmont Cottage, South Hill, Nile Villa, and Beach Cottage. The two landowners of the area divided up the land and leased building plots at modest rents. Early development was carried out at random within the dunes, where the buildings were often engulfed by drifting sand. As the town became established as a resort, the original cottagers smartened up their homes to cater for the “economy class” visitor. By 1809 Southport was being described as a “fashionable watering place”.

Lord Street was originally known as “the main street”. The name evolved from “Lord’s Street” which referred to the two lords of the manor (Hesketh and Bold) who collaborated in its formation, in order to facilitate the proper development of what had formerly been an unproductive area of their estates. It was laid out early in the 19 th Century and ended at Sutton’s hotel adjacent to the Birkdale boundary The street was laid out with a gentle curve on its south eastern side, along the line of a series of dune slacks or pools which flooded after heavy rain. These pools develop naturally behind the main belt of sand dunes, and are typical features of the Sefton coastline. A very wide gap was left between the built up frontages, probably to avoid the frequently, water logged ground of the former dune slack and to incorporate randomly built early dwellings into the frontage. The original landform is still visible in the gentle rise from Lord Street to the Promenade. Built along the edges of the dune slack the Lord Street frontage provides the same sense of protection and enclosure which can be experienced in the undeveloped dune area at Ainsdale.

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APPENDIX 15

The marshy ground was originally left open, but when the landowner Sir Bold Houghton, installed a drainage ditch, he insisted that the adjacent owners and occupiers on the south east side of the street, fence off the land in front of their houses to create individual, long gardens. Small bridges were built over the drainage ditch to give access to the properties. These garden extensions were subsequently made into a series of public gardens laid out in a Gardenesque style with pools and fountains.

The construction of a sea-wall and Promenade was started in 1835 to protect the outer sandhills from the spring tides, thus allowing property to be built and to provide the resort with an attractive walk way. This was followed by the laying out of the grid of streets between the Promenade and the Lord Street. Those which directly lead to Lord Street were extended across from the south eastern side. and other side and cross streets were also added. The regular layout of the town centre appears to be the result of the way in which the two land owners divided up their land.

Peter Hesketh Fleetwood sold his landholdings in the town centre to his brother Charles Hesketh in 1842, who in turn sold them to Charles Scarisbrick a year later. The Scarisbrick estate policy was to develop Southport as a socially select middle class town, in order to maximise income. Leases were sold on large plots for substantial villas and were regulated by covenants. These dictated the minimum value for a property and imposed strict conditions on the formation and maintenance of the grounds. The estate waited until leases were sold before building the roads. The landowners’ aspirations for Southport were shared by the first residents, who were largely merchants and industrialists from industrial Lancashire. Together they formed a ruling elite, which closely controlled its development. Emphasis was placed on the provision of high quality, family accommodation and related amenities, such as churches, whilst restricting the granting of liquor licenses.

Within the rigid street layout the town centre was built up in a piecemeal manner by a variety of developers. The second hotel, The Union was built in 1805 and Wellington Terrace in 1807 by a consortium of Wigan businessmen. In 1821 the Hesketh Arms, now the Scarisbrick Arms became the third hotel in Southport. By 1820 both sides of the road were lined by houses, those on the landward side having large front gardens.

A variety of amenities quickly followed. Robert Hesketh gave the site for Christ Church in 1821 and both landowners contributed towards the cost of its construction. In 1823 an independent chapel was constructed on the corner of Eastbank Road and Chapel Street on a plot donated by Robert Hesketh. An 1824 map of the town centre shows baths, a makeshift theatre, billiard room, post office, wine vaults and a repository. Assembly Rooms were built in 1829 at the corner of Lord Street and London Road.

Linear development continued north along Lord Street and the Bold Family Hotel, constructed towards the northern end of Lord Street, opened in 1832. The easily SEFTON COUNCIL Page 7

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APPENDIX 15 accessible houses on the seaward side of Lord Street were progressively converted into shops, leaving those set further back on the opposite side of the road as dwellings.

In its early days the resort lacked effective local government, which had remained the responsibility of the North Meols Parish Vestry in Churchtown. The inadequacy of street lighting triggered agitation, which resulted in the establishment of Improvement Commissioners by an Act of Parliament in 1846. A Town Hall was built by the Commissioners and also provided accommodation for the Magistrates, Police and Post Office. Gas lighting was introduced almost immediately, followed by the resurfacing of the pavements in clay paviors and the repaving of the cobbled carriageways in granite sets. The Commissioners also formed a gravel walk or invalid’s carriage drive on the landward side of Lord Street. Electricity was installed to Lord Street and the Promenade in 1895 to supply street lighting. Lighting the trees along Lord Street with coloured lamps or fairy lights was introduced as part of the Coronation festivities of 1902.

Southport’s prospects were transformed by improved communications brought about by railway building. The first section of the Liverpool to Southport line opened in 1848 followed in 1855 by the link with Manchester and inland Lancashire. Railway transport allowed middle class residents to commute to their businesses by early morning First Class express services.

However the most dramatic impact of the railways was their capacity to transport large numbers of day trippers from the manufacturing districts of Lancashire. Enterprising local residents provided boat trips, donkey rides, stalls and side shows, particularly along the route from the station to the seafront. Despite Southport’s increased accessibility, middle class residents were against the development of the town as a popular down-market holiday resort. Sir Charles Hesketh, founder of the Total Abstinence Society and pillar of the Lord’s Day Society opposed Sunday train travel. Samuel Boothroyd one of the Improvement Commissioners led an Association to Promote the Improvement and Prosperity of Southport and urged the town to promote itself as a permanent residence and resort for invalid visitors. In 1854 the Southport Hotel which closed off the southern end of Lord Street was demolished in order to link new development at Birkdale Park with the town centre. The new section of roadway was named Lord Street West.

Although the landowners were reluctant to finance amenities they were willing to provide sites for grand developments to attract middle class residents and visitors. The Commissioners took advantage of the great width of Lord Street to create a boulevard with public gardens on the east side. A Boulevard Committee was set up in 1864 and obtained powers under a second improvement act of 1865 to make public gardens on the east side from Duke Street to London Street. In 1877 the gardens in front of the Municipal Buildings were remodelled to include a terra cotta fountain and an octagonal bandstand. The policy of planting trees on the pavement followed and the series gardens created by the Improvement Commissioners were SEFTON COUNCIL Page 8

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APPENDIX 15 remodelled in the early 20 th Century, including the provision of a consistent boundary treatment, to the designs of the eminent landscape architect Thomas Mawson. This scheme included a neo-classical bandstand which was later demolished. In 2001 Sefton Council refurbished Bandstand and Town Gardens, reinstating many of the original architectural features, which had been lost over the years.

Following the town’s incorporation as a Borough in 1868 the Councillors built the Cambridge Hall along side the Town Hall to provide a first class venue for meetings and entertainment. It was opened by Princess Mary of Cambridge in 1874. The construction of the civic buildings and much of the commercial development involved the demolition of a considerable number of the houses which had originally fronted the landward side of Lord Street.

Entrepreneurs invested in the provision of refined entertainment facilities, including the pier in 1860, the remodelling of the Victoria Baths in 1871 and the construction of Winter Gardens on an eight acre site between Lord Street and the Promenade in 1874. This included a conservatory, concert pavilion, aquarium and later on, an Opera House. A Glacarium was constructed at the north end of Lord Street in 1879 to provide all year skating and curling. This lasted for ten years. A large first class hotel the Prince of Wales replaced the old Union hotel in 1877. Philanthropists living in the town provided other facilities. These included William Atkinson, a retired cotton manufacturer who gave the Cambridge Hall clock and the Free Public Library and Art Gallery.

As a result of the town discouraging visits from day trippers the holiday trade declined. One of the first casualties was the failure of the Winter Gardens. By 1880 Southport was the third largest seaside resort in the country, but declined after this date as its importance as a residential town increased. Multiple shops such as Boots appeared along Lord Street at the beginning of the 20 th Century although the town has retained a number of high quality family businesses.

The War Memorial, consecrated in 1923, comprises a tall, central obelisk, flanked by two colonnades each supported by Doric columns, all of which are constructed of Portland stone. The Monument became the central focus of Lord Street as it is of an unusually grand scale for a provincial town.

In the later decades of the 20 th Century, a number of buildings have been renovated and others have had missing canopies reinstated, with the aid of grants from Sefton Council and English Heritage. In 2001 Town and Bandstand Gardens were completely refurbished with grant aid from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This work included repaving, reinstatement of reconstituted stone balustrades, plinth walls, urns and columns, additional street furniture, new tree planting and the provision of a café, a water feature, new creative lighting and servicing for exhibitions and performance.

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Townscape

Lord Street itself has an unusual, asymmetrical layout the origin of which is described above, with the main carriageway located towards the seaward side, where there is a wide pavement in front of the principal commercial frontage. On the landward side of the carriageway there is a boulevard, which borders the front gardens of residential or formerly residential properties and a series of public gardens and open spaces. For the majority of its length, a narrower secondary road runs between the public gardens and the properties on the landward side of the street. There is a much shorter section of secondary carriageway on the opposite side, at the south west of end of the street, between Corporation Walk and Ribble Buildings.

Lord Street is very open in character, being extremely wide and containing a linear series of gardens and public spaces. Both the public gardens and the footpaths have been planted with trees, many of which have reached maturity. The remainder of the conservation area is very tightly built up to a rigid grid iron street pattern without any green space.

The green spaces of Lord Street therefore play a very important role in softening this densely developed environment as well as providing a setting for the buildings on the eastern side of the street and sitting areas for town centre workers and visitors. Although they were laid out at different times and are of various sizes, shapes and influenced by designs, the public spaces were co-ordinated into a more homogenous style in the early 20 th Century, the designs of Thomas Mawson, the well known landscape architect who was employed in 1906 as a consultant to the former Southport County Borough Council. His proposals are described in his book “Civic Art” published in 1911 his proposals were interpreted and implemented by the Borough Engineer A O Jackson, between 1919 and 1930. Mawson used a neo- classical theme of columns, pavillions, balustrades, urns and fountains as unifying elements throughout the gardens. These were of pre cast concrete with a finish and patina similar to that of Portland Stone.

The side streets leading off Lord Street vary in character, from spacious commercial thoroughfares such as Nevill Street and Coronation Walk, to very narrow and enclosed streets such as Post Office Avenue and Waverley Street, pedestrian walkways including Scarisbrick Avenue, very confined alleyways such as Bank Passage and totally enclosed shopping arcades including the Cambridge and Wayfarers.

Lord Street and the principal commercial side streets leading from it, including Coronation Walk, Nevill, Eastbank and London Streets, carry a heavy amount of vehicular traffic. They are well frequented by pedestrians all year round but particularly in the summer season and at weekends. The predominantly residential

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APPENDIX 15 side streets including Seabank Road and Bold Street are much less busy, particularly out of the holiday season. In spite of the inappropriate design of some later 20 th Century development, the installation of a number of insensitive shop fronts and signs, the general clutter of traffic signs and street furniture and sections of inappropriate paving materials, Lord Street has very much retained the character of a prosperous 19 th and early 20th Century civic and commercial centre.

Views and Enclosures

The landward side of Lord Street has a gentle inward curve, the frontages are tightly built up and there are a large number of mature trees, so there are no clear views out to the north-west or south-east. However, passing along the street in either direction, there is a succession of interesting views of the various spaces and groups of buildings, which make up this complex townscape.

There are distant views along the streets leading from the seaward side of Lord Street to the landscaped areas and leisure uses along the Promenade however the Promenade is higher than Lord Street thus preventing views of the seafront. The view along Nevill Street to the entrance to the pier is particularly important as it forms the principal link between the Railway Station, the commercial centre and the Promenade. It is also the only clear indication to visitors on Lord Street of the existence of leisure facilities along the former shoreline. Glimpses of the impressive frontages to Lord Street can be seen from the opposite direction along the side streets.

The skyline is dominated by the clock towers of the Cambridge Hall and Asda (the former Southport, Crosby and Liverpool Railway Station) the spire of St Georges Church and the turrets, gables, finials, dormers and chimney stacks of a variety of commercial properties. The two clock towers, St Georges spire and the War Memorial Obelisk (“The Monument”) are major landmarks.

Squares and Public Spaces

Lord Street contains a number of public spaces which are important in townscape terms of these the most significant areas are the square formed by Town Gardens and the fine group of civic buildings, which overlook it on the landward side, and London Square with the War Memorial and its adjacent gardens.

The layout of the street with principal buildings set back from the main carriageway behind individual public gardens, has resulted in the creation of a series of small interconnecting squares on the landward side. These begin with St Georges Place where St Georges Gardens which contain a drinking fountain are overlooked by St Georges Church and a number of commercial buildings including the Head Post Office.

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London Square is formed by the junctions of Nevill and London Streets with Lord Street. The War Memorial Obelisk is situated on an island in the centre of the junction, flanked by Colonnades, which provide an important means of enclosure. The War Memorial and Pavilions were erected in 1923 to a design by Grayson and Banish. These Colonnades together with the two banks on the corner of London Street and the commercial buildings on the corner of Nevill Street, define the parameters of the square. London Square is flanked by War Memorial Gardens which contain rectangular ponds surrounded by lawns.

To the south east of London Square, Christ Church overlooks a public garden divided in two by a central path and forming a small, subsidiary square. Beyond this, Town Gardens form the principal public space on Lord Street, overlooked by the Town Hall, Cambridge Hall and The Museum, Library and Art Gallery. This paved space was remodelled in 1998 with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Town Gardens are flanked by identical, single storey pavilions, which house a café and tourist information office and it contains a modern water feature opposite the Cambridge Hall.

Eastbank Street Square is the last in this sequence and contains Bandstand Gardens, a second paved area with a fountain and a bandstand built in 1986, overlooked by the ABC Cinema and the smaller commercial properties flanking it on either side.

The public spaces and gardens in the centre of Lord Street vary considerably in size and character but are unified by their linear shape, formal structure and the common style of boundary treatment to the principal elements. These consist of low reconstituted stone walls and urn planters fronting the main carriageway and balustrading with globe lanterns on iron columns, fronting the secondary carriageway. Town Gardens and Bandstand Gardens have ornamental entrance features with artificial stone columns, the former being topped with elaborate sections of cornice, the latter with ball finials.

Town Gardens and the adjacent Bandstand Gardens are paved with sandstone flags with ornamental detailing in Portland stone and Westmoreland stone. The remaining gardens have lawns, some of which are divided by concrete flag or tarmacadam paths. There are a variety of features contained within the gardens, which are important to their structure, as they provide focal points to the layout of the paths and the areas of paving or lawn. They include pavilions, ponds, fountains, a sundial and a traditional bandstand. Water features include a small circular pond with a central stone rockery in the tiny Coronation Garden, a sculpted stone figure holding a fish in a circular pond in St Georges Gardens, two rectangular ponds with plain jet fountains in War Memorial Gardens and a modern water feature with tall jets, rising directly from the stone paving in Town Gardens.

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All the gardens contain shrubs and trees, which range from mature horse chestnuts to more recently planted specimens. They are well provided with wooden bench seating.

Boundary Treatments

The front gardens to the original residential properties on the landward side of Lord Street are either bounded by low stone or brick walls with stone copings and gate piers or by shrubs, trees or hedges. All the original boundary railings and gates have been removed apart from a single rail supported by ornate columns, fixed to the wall in front of the properties next to Wellington Terrace. Several front boundary walls to properties along Wellington Terrace have been removed to provide access for vehicle parking. In most instances where former gardens have been surfaced to provide parking, trees and shrubs help to soften and screen these areas. A small number of properties have modern brick boundary walls and steel gates and railings. Traditional style railings have been reinstated in the stone plinth boundary to the front of the Bold Hotel.

Street Frontages

The seaward side of Lord Street and the roads leading off it on both sides are very tightly developed with the majority of properties directly fronting the back of the footway however, in many cases the areas of pavement under the canopies remain in private ownership some with paviours as opposed to plain flags. A notable exception is the Bold Hotel, which has a front area encroaching onto the pavement line.

On the landward side of the street, the majority of the properties front onto a secondary carriageway. The older residential or former residential properties have front gardens, many of which have been surfaced to provide hard standings for parking vehicles whereas later commercial and civic buildings directly front onto the footway.

Streets leading off the landward side of Lord Street are also tightly developed with properties directly fronting the back of the footway. London Street, Corporation Street and Chapel Street provide important links between Lord Street and the railway station. The Merseyside Local Transport Plan for 2001/2 to 2005/6 proposes the upgrading of the railway station and the provision of a new bus interchange adjacent to it. Associated new buildings and street enhancement works, particularly along Chapel Street will affect the conservation area and its setting. It is important that new buildings respect the character of the area, particularly in respect to their massing, proportions, scale, materials and detailing. It is also important that street works reflect the traditional materials used in the construction of adjacent buildings, as well as the existing relationship between the carriageway and footways.

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Neville Street, Cambridge Arcade and Eastbank Street form important links between Chapel Street and Lord Street. These links have been identified as important routes in the town centre leading to the Seafront.

Plot size and width

The character of the frontages varies considerably along the length of Lord Street in terms of building type, plot width, scale and style. Residential buildings range from the narrow plot widths, small scale and simple style of Wellington terrace at the south-eastern end of the street, to more substantial semi detached villas at the north- eastern end and large scale blocks of apartments. The apartment blocks have wide plot widths and are relatively plain in style. The majority of these respect the scale of adjacent buildings but Regent Court a modern addition at the south-eastern end of the street is much taller than its neighbours.

Over half of the commercial buildings have narrow plot widths, with the remainder occupying more substantial plots, including the former Railway Station, Head Post Office, Debenhams, ABC Cinema, Mecca Bingo and the Bold and Scarisbrick Hotels. Commercial properties vary in height from two storey, former houses, to purpose built three and four storey structures with attics. A minority are relatively modest in design but most are exuberant in style, with elaborate architectural detailing. The most ornate designs are focussed in the central portion of the street, adjacent to London Square and Town Gardens, particularly on corner plots at major junctions.

The group of Civic buildings overlooking Town Gardens also occupy substantial plots and although the Town Hall is relatively modest in style, the Library and Museum and the Cambridge Hall are more imposing.

This great variety in the built form over a distance of about a mile, results in a very varied rhythm and appearance to the street scene along the length of Lord Street. A number of cafes put tables and chairs on the footway, outside their premises, during fine weather, including the café in Town Gardens. This practice, which is strictly controlled by the Council in terms of the siting and quality of the furniture, creates a continental, holiday atmosphere.

Street Furniture

There is a variety of lighting columns and lanterns throughout the conservation area. Along Lord Street there are tall, traditional style street lights with decorative detailing which reflects the design of the glazed canopies on the seaward side of the road. These street lights were designed by the Council’s Technical Services Department. There is individually designed lighting to the War Memorial consisting of cast iron columns with clusters of globe lanterns. The boundary walls to the public gardens SEFTON COUNCIL Page 14

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APPENDIX 15 on the landward side of the street have globe lanterns on cast iron posts, which act as street lights for the secondary carriageway. The verge, which separates the two carriageways outside Ribble Buildings and the Mecca building (formerly the Garrick Theartre) has a series of art deco globe lights on iron columns designed as part of the Garrick Theartre which are fixed to a low brick wall.

The side streets have a variety of lighting, ranging from iron columns and globe lanterns on Market Street and Scarisbrick Avenue, to “Heritage” style lights on Bold Street and Seabank Road and concrete columns with cylindrical metal lamps on Union Street and Manchester Road.

On Lord Street itself the street tree light feeder columns, situated at the kerb and tree canopy edges, are of a very plain design, painted black in order to reduce their impact on the street scene. These supply power to illuminate strings of small light bulbs fixed to the tree branches. Uplighters set flush with the footpath surface are used to light the trees on the seaward side of the street. In the restored Town and Bandstand Gardens, new trees are also lit by uplighters set in the paving and shrub beds.

There are two Victorian sewer vent pipes on Lord Street, which are very unobtrusive due to their traditional appearance and their colour scheme, which matches the street lighting columns. Square based CCTV columns are in a less convincing, “Heritage” style. Carefully designed, traditional style, safety railings to the same design as the light columns have been installed along the kerb edge, adjacent to a number of pedestrian crossings on Lord Street. Most traditional street furniture is painted in turquoise, blue and cream, some of which requires repainting, particularly the safety railings.

Along Lord Street, there are a number of modern, steel bus shelters with curved, glazed roofs, several groups of both traditional K6 and modern telephone boxes and a number of traditional post boxes. Lord Street and its public gardens are extremely well supplied with wooden bench seats. The footway also has a number of concrete planters, which are used for Spring and Summer bedding.

There are several different styles of litter bin within the area, most of which are located on Lord Street. These include round concrete bins in the square in front of the cinema, square black metal bins fixed to short posts set in the footway and freestanding round black plastic bins.

There is a proliferation of traffic signs, particularly in relation to parking restrictions and the pay and display machines. The variety and profusion of street furniture is fortunately absorbed by the scale of the boulevard and the layout of trees and gardens. However, much could be done to reduce areas of street clutter in the conservation area.

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Street Surfaces

Carriageways are surfaced in black, hot rolled asphalt and stone chippings. The principal carriageway to Lord Street and the Duke Street roundabout are surfaced in red chippings. The original wide stone kerbs remain along many Lord Street pavements, although the central reservation and the majority of the side streets have concrete kerbs. Footways within the conservation area have a variety of surfaces, including a number of areas of the original Southport paving. These square, clay paviors are blue in colour, wearing to brown and buff tones. They survive in limited areas of Lord Street and on the narrow alleyways leading off the western side of the road. There are also two small areas of stone flag paving on the seaward side of Lord Street, with the majority of the footways being surfaced in buff or pink, concrete flags. In many areas, replacement flags of a different colour to the originals create an unattractive patchwork effect. Recent repaving has replaced this with standard grey concrete flags, which are less obtrusive.

Some sections of pavement have recently been re-laid in buff coloured, concrete flags, including an area outside the Cambridge Hall, where a border of oblong red and blue paviors has been introduced next to the kerb line. Tactile paving materials in red, grey and buff have been used at the approaches to pedestrian crossings. The red tactile paving is very obtrusive; particularly where it is has been laid within areas of Southport paving or buff concrete flags. Grey tactile paving was especially chosen for crossings in the vicinity of the War Memorial.

Architectural Character

The conservation area contains a very wide variety of building types that include the following: -

• Early 19 th Century detached or semi detached villas and a short terrace of houses, all with front gardens. Some of these have remained in residential use and some are now used as offices. • Later 20 th Century blocks of flats, including Viceroy, Percival, Regent and Sandringham Courts. • Nineteenth Century hotels, including the New Bold, Scarisbrick and Prince of Wales. • Civic Buildings dating from the mid 19 th Century onwards including the Town Hall, Atkinson Library and Art Gallery, Cambridge Hall (Southport Arts Centre) and the War Memorial in London Square. • Banks and former bank buildings dating from the late 19 th and early 20 th Century, including the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Midland and the National Westminster. • Other late 19 th Century and early 20 th Century commercial buildings including the Central Post Office and Westminster Mansions.

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• Late 19 th and early 20th Century shops most of which incorporate glazed canopies and include the Wayfarers Arcade, Debenhams, Albany Buildings and Lakeland. Many shops along Lord Street have offices, flats or restaurants on the upper floors. • Early 20th Century, recreational buildings including the former Garrick Theatre (Mecca Bingo) and the ABC Cinema. • Nineteenth and Twentieth Century restaurants and cafes including the pavilion in the Town Gardens and a variety of establishments above shops. • Places of Worship including St George’s United Reformed Church and Lord Street West United Reformed Church.

Traditional buildings range from two to four storeys, many with attic dormers, whilst 20th Century apartment blocks range from four to eleven storeys in height. A very varied range of traditional materials has been used in the construction of the older buildings, with brick and stone predominating as a walling material and grey, natural slate for roofing.

Dressed stone has mainly been used to construct particularly prestigious buildings including the Banks and former bank buildings, the Atkinson Library and Art Gallery, the Cambridge Hall and the War Memorial. Varieties of building stone include sandstone ashlar, polished red granite and white, Portland limestone. The latter material was popular in the early decades of the 20 th Century.

Traditional brickwork is usually red, combined with sandstone detailing including window lintels and sills, quoins, door surrounds and eaves cornices. Other facing materials include terracotta, faience (glazed terracotta) stucco, render, concrete, moulded tiles and applied timber framing. Later Twentieth Century properties are constructed of brown, yellow and grey brick.

Other roofing materials include green slate, red tiles, glazed metal frames and asphalt. The latter material is used on flat roofs, which are usually concealed behind parapets.

Window openings have strong vertical proportions and many properties have retained traditional sliding sash and casement windows, including the leaded and coloured glazing to the top lights. Splayed bay windows are characteristic features of residential and former residential properties and many commercial buildings have oriel windows to the upper floors. Most commercial buildings are very ornate. Characteristic features include prominent chimneystacks, gables, turrets, dormers and doorways. The banks and former bank buildings are particularly striking. The Conservation Area contains examples of a great many different styles of 19 th and early 20 th Century architecture. They are mainly revivals or reinterpretations of historic English styles including Gothic, Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean. A variety of styles have also been imported from abroad including Greek, Flemish, Italian and

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APPENDIX 15

Turkish. Classical styles have generally been used for the most imposing properties, including public buildings and banks.

The result of the use of such a range of building styles and materials in close proximity creates a very lively and varied street scene, particularly along Lord Street itself.

Listed Buildings

There are a considerable number of buildings and structures listed as being of Special Architectural or Historic Interest along Lord Street. These are set out in the Appendix to this document.

Conservation Area Extension

Policy ENV24 of the current Sefton UDP proposes that the boundary of the Lord Street Conservation Area be extended to take in 8 Eastbank Street, 1 King Street, 16-30 Market Street, the Market Hall and the area to the rear including the electricity sub-station and public conveniences.

8 Eastbank Street is an imposing corner property, which acts as an important entrance feature in townscape terms to the Lord Street Conservation Area when entering the town centre from Eastbank Street. The building is a four-storey art deco style building, which is faced in stone.

The Market Hall is a red brick building with stone quoins. The front entrance to the hall on King Street consists of 3 arches with stone quoin detailing. There is a stone plinth all the way around the building and it has a barrel vaulted roof. On the Market Street elevation there is a single entrance which is again faced with stone quoins. The rest of this elevation is constructed of red brick with a stone plinth. To the rear is located a service area and public conveniences which have sandstone stone walls. 16 – 30 Market Street is a terrace of 2 storey red brick built shops with upper floor accommodation. The terrace is usual in that the original shopfront designs remain very much intact. The upper floors still contain many of the original vertical sliding sash windows. In the centre of the block is a pedimented gable with some stone detailing. This terrace of shops is considered important in townscape terms and together with 1 King Street the corner property it is considered that they would contribute positively to the conservation area.

Negative Factors

The upper floors of a number of commercial buildings (above the level of the glazed canopies) are in need of structural repairs and some properties have lost important SEFTON COUNCIL Page 18

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APPENDIX 15 original features such as chimney stacks, sliding sash windows, leaded lights and timber shop fronts. A considerable number of commercial buildings have vacant upper floors, which give a run down appearance to certain sections of the street frontage.

Many commercial buildings have inappropriately designed shop fronts and signs, which are not in keeping with the good, traditional detailing of the upper floors. A number of sites have been redeveloped in the latter half of the 20 th Century for commercial and residential purposes. Some of the residential blocks including Regent Court, Percival and Viceroy Courts, within the conservation area as well as Sandown Court, just beyond the northern boundary, detract from the character of Lord Street. These buildings particularly Regent and Sandown Courts are completely out of scale with their surroundings. Their form, massing, materials and details are also inappropriate in the traditional context of Lord Street. Other modern buildings are more appropriate in scale, form and materials but are disappointing in design terms, given the high quality of the buildings around them.

Much of the traditional Southport paviors which once characterised the footway surfacing in the conservation area have been removed over the years. They have been replaced with a variety of inappropriate materials that detract from the character of the conservation area.

Some elements of street furniture need repainting. The present colour scheme of blue, turquoise and cream is not particularly appropriate and stronger tones of blue could be used when comprehensive redecoration is next carried out. The clutter created by traffic signs and various items of street furniture also detracts from the appearance of the area.

The heavy amount of through traffic and large numbers of parked vehicles detract from the appearance of the conservation area, particularly along Lord Street, where it can be difficult for pedestrians to cross the road.

Enhancement

This section highlights a range of proposals, which would enhance the character of the conservation area.

The early 20 th Century Market Hall, the adjacent Art Deco, McDonalds building and the well detailed, row of Victorian shops on the opposite side of Market Street are important elements of the predominantly commercial character of the town centre and it is proposed to include these within an extended conservation area boundary. Should funding become available then the Council will need to draw up an enhancement scheme for the conservation area. It should be stressed that the following proposals for enhancement are only suggestions, that may be considered should such funding become available and obviously they will be subject to full public

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APPENDIX 15 consultation before any final decisions are made on the contents of any enhancement scheme.

The character and appearance of a number of buildings would benefit from structural repairs and the reinstatement of traditional features including sliding sash windows, leaded lights and glazed canopies. The conversion of vacant upper floors to new uses would also improve the appearance of individual buildings and boost the economy of the area.

Many commercial buildings would benefit from the installation of shop fronts and signs, which reflect the materials, style and decorative detail of the upper floors. Detailed guidance is needed with regard to the repair and the reinstatement of missing features of traditional buildings, as well as the design of shop fronts, signs and security measures, pavement cafes and new buildings.

The appearance of a number of streets would be improved by resurfacing the footways with appropriate natural or “heritage” materials. The manufacture of new Southport Paviours by an appropriate firm should also be investigated. The general appearance of the area would benefit from the rationalisation of traffic signs and street furniture.

There is also a need for various Council departments to work together to develop a code of practice in relation to street surfacing and street furniture, within the conservation area and to ensure that any future work is properly co-ordinated and fully respects its special character.

In order to reduce the impact of traffic and parked vehicles on Lord Street, consideration should be given to the production of a green traffic plan for the town centre and for tourism in general. This should discourage the use of private vehicles in favour of walking, cycling and public transport as well as greatly improving public transport provision.

Summary

The Lord Street Conservation Area with its central boulevard is of national importance, being one of the two major examples of this type of street layout in the Britain (the other example is Prince’s Street in Edinburgh). Lord Street is a vital component of Southport’s local distinctiveness, has a strong sense of place and is extremely memorable. It also has a strong sense of activity and vibrancy (Sefton Borough Council, Urban Design Framework and Strategy, Austin Smith Lord 2000).

The conservation area is currently economically viable although the upper floors to a number of commercial properties are vacant. A great deal has been achieved in terms of landscape improvements and the renovation of individual buildings. However much work remains to be done in terms of enhancing the public realm, encouraging the reuse of vacant commercial floorspace, the repair of historic SEFTON COUNCIL Page 20

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APPENDIX 15 buildings and the reinstatement of missing architectural features and securing higher design standards for new buildings and alterations to existing properties.

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Appendix - Listed Buildings within the conservation area

War Memorial Obelisk and North and South Pavilions, London Square

Southport’s War Memorial comprises a central obelisk on an island site, flanked by two pavilions and was constructed of Portland stone in 1923 to the designs of Grayson and Barnish. The tall obelisk is carved with a wreath and lettering, a roundel with an inscription for 1939-45 and a roundel with the Southport Arms. The single storey pavilions are in a classical style with front and rear colonnades of fluted Doric columns linking square sanctuaries.

6-20 Wellington Terrace

This two, storey terrace of eight houses is dated 1818 on the rainwater head of number six and is faced in painted, scored stucco with a slate roof. The narrow, round headed doorways have fanlights with radiating glazing bars or metal tracery and are arranged in pairs.

102-108 and 106A, Westminster Mansions with attached veranda and 2, 2A and 4 Westminster Buildings, Eastbank Street

Dating from 1900, this block of shops with chambers above and an attached veranda was designed by G Bolshaw in a Free Queen Anne style. It is three storeys high with attics and is constructed of red brick with buff terracotta dressings, wrought iron balconies and a slated mansard roof. The building has a corner turret to the left; two storey canted oriel windows and steeply pitched Dutch gables with terracotta copings. There is a very prominent veranda with large, elaborate open work brackets to the columns, a glazed pediment in front of the chamber entrance lettered “Westminster Mansions” and a single pitched glazed roof.

127-133, Royal Buildings with attached veranda

This three storey commercial building with an attached veranda is dated 1883 in the pediment. It is constructed in a classical style, of sandstone ashlar with a slate roof. A stone band beneath the top floor windows is lettered “Royal Buildings”.

130, National Westminster Bank

Originally built in 1892 to the designs of William Owen for Parr’s Bank, this Free Renaissance style building is constructed of sandstone ashlar with a green slate roof. It is two storeys high with attics and has a symmetrical frontage with a slightly recessed central portion flanked by bays with Dutch gables.

130C, Head Post Office

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This was designed by H Jansen of HM Office of Works and built in 1901 of red brick with sandstone dressings. It is four storeys high with attics and is symmetrical in composition. At the ground floor the central portion is of stone and has large semi- elliptical arched windows treated as an arcade. The upper floors have tall transomed and cross-windows and there are a number of small dormers with steep hipped roofs.

137,139 and 141 with attached veranda

Dating from the later 19 th Century this commercial building, with shops on the ground floor is constructed of painted brick with a hipped slate roof and has prominent bracketed eaves. The veranda has a single pitched glazed roof projected on long ornamental brackets from the tops of slender cast iron columns.

143-161 with attached veranda

Designed by T Hodge this commercial property was built in 1883-4, had a veranda added in 1902 by FW Finchett and was altered in 1913 and 1961. It has prominent bracketed eaves and the veranda has slender cast iron columns, shallow brackets and plain frieze and cresting.

156

Originally built as a private dwelling around 1827, this property was at one time used as offices but has now been restored to living accommodation. It is built in a “Regency” Tudor style, finished in white painted render with a hipped slate roof. The central doorway has a panelled pilaster architrave including a frieze with an Adam style swag and a panelled and glazed door. This is framed by canted bay windows with tall Tudor arched lights.

163-177 with attached veranda

This later 19 th Century commercial building is three storeys high constructed of red brick (177 is painted white) with sandstone dressings and red tile roofs to the first floor oriel windows, which are alternately hipped and single pitched on brackets. The veranda has slender cast iron columns and a single pitched glazed roof.

179-219

Dated 1895 on the rainwater heads, this commercial property is built in an Eclectic style with some Queen Anne features. It has Dutch gables, oriel windows to the upper floors, with wooden mullions and transoms, those on the first floor having semicircular arched glazing in the upper lights. The veranda has cast iron columns with vase baluster bases, foliated capitals, pierced ornamental brackets and frieze and a single pitched glazed roof.

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182, Grand Casino

Formerly the Grand cinema this two storey building is a 1938 reconstruction of Richard Woodhead’s car showroom of 1923. George E Tonge FRIBA was the architect for the 1938 reconstruction, which is in a subdued classical style. The front elevation is faced in faience while the remaining walls are of stock brick. There are central doors under a canopy and the upper floor is continuously glazed and incorporates two bow windows with stained glass in the upper lights. The parapet rises in the centre of the building and carries the original lettering “Grand”. Inside the building there is a large and relatively unaltered auditorium and a foyer which has retained many features of interest.

207-213 with attached veranda

This late Nineteenth Century, brick and stone building is constructed in an Edwardian Baroque style. It houses shops with offices above and is four storeys high. The two bays that comprise the frontage have stepped gables with a triangular shaft in the centre. At first floor level the centre of each bay has a large round headed arch containing a canted oriel window. The veranda has cast iron, fluted Corinthian columns.

215, 217 and 219 with attached veranda

These shops and café, designed by James E Sanders were built in 1903 in a Neo- Tudor style. They are three storeys high with attics and are clad in timber framing, probably on a steel frame. Two unequal sized gables front the street, with sill bands of wood and plaster arcading at the first and second floors and oversailing attic gables with carved bressumers, bargeboards and tall finials. The attached three bay veranda has cast iron columns with foliated bases, brackets and frieze, elaborate cresting to the centre bay and a curved, glazed roof.

221-233 with attached veranda

These four shops date from the second half of the 19 th Century and were built in several different phases. Part of the property is constructed of coursed sandstone rubble with quoins and the remainder is of red brick with stone or red terracotta dressings. The style is eclectic, with some Italianate features. At ground floor level numbers 229and 231 have a canted wooden framed shop window flanked by recessed entrances with panelling.

235-241, Scarisbrick Hotel with attached veranda

This hotel has shops and a veranda on the ground floor and was constructed in 1890-91 to the designs of JE Sanders, in small red bricks with stone dressings. It is SEFTON COUNCIL Page 24

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APPENDIX 15 built in an eclectic style and is five storeys high with an octagonal turret. The attached veranda contains a gabled entrance with openwork decoration including the lettering “Scarisbrick Hotel” 245, 249 and 251 with attached veranda

Constructed in 1892 to the designs of EW Johnson, in a Renaissance Style, this property comprises a shop with flats above. It is built of brick with white painted stone dressings and a slate roof. The upper floors have three pilasters terminating in pinnacles and each bay has a tall, painted stone gable in the centre with strapwork decoration. On the first floor there are two canted stone oriel windows. The attached veranda has slender cast iron columns with crocket caps.

253, National Westminster Bank

Designed by Francis Jones, this bank was built in 1922 of Portland stone. The street frontage is in the form of a temple portico, with giant fluted Ionic columns mounted on a plinth. Steps between the columns lead to a large, richly ornamented square headed doorway.

269, Royal Bank of Scotland

This bank was built in 1893 to the designs of WW Gwyther in a French Renaissance style. It is constructed of Sandstone ashlar with a low plinth of red granite and is three and a half storeys high. The entrance has a Tuscan porch with the word “Bank” in raised lettering and a round headed doorway with foliated metal tracery in the fanlight which is lettered in the same way.

273-277 and 281

Dated 1895 on the parapet, this red brick property with stone dressings is built in a Renaissance style. The ground floor has 20 th Century shops flanking a foot passage and the upper floors are pilastered, with four canted wooden oriel windows with arched centre lights, some containing the original geometrical leaded lights.

287, 289 and 291 with attached veranda

Built at the end of the 19 th Century in a Neo Tudor style, this two-storey property consists of a shop (originally two shops) with a café above. It is finished in white painted render and applied timber framing and has a red tiled roof. The frontage has two gables with ornamental timber framing and the verandah has cast iron columns with Ionic capitals and shallow brackets with roses in the spandrels.

293-307, Boothroyds, with attached veranda

Originally constructed as two rows around 1840 and 1870, these shops are now all integrated into one range. The earlier, left portion is in a simple Classical style, SEFTON COUNCIL Page 25

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APPENDIX 15 faced in stucco with pilasters, a plain frieze, a moulded cornice and with an added parapet bearing the letters “Founded/1823”. The brick built, right hand portion is symmetrical, with terminal pilasters and an open pedimented three bay centre. The attached veranda has cast iron columns with acanthus decoration to the pedestals and shallow curved brackets with roses in the spandrels.

309, 311 and 313, Wayfarers Arcade with attached veranda

This property consisting of two shops and a Shopping Arcade was designed by G Smith of Glasgow and built in 1886. It has a sandstone ashlar façade, with side walls of glazed brick and a slate roof with a glazed section above the arcade. The building has a Jacobean style exterior and is three storeys high with attics. Above the 20 th Century shops the upper floors have giant pilasters, fluted friezes, moulded cornices with small pediments and steep Dutch gables with Jacobean finials. The interior of the arcade has a straight passage leading to an octagonal concourse with an aisled nave running westwards, both of which are lined with small shops. Above the shops to the south and east sides of the concourse and the north side of the nave, there are galleries with wrought iron railings.

315-325 with attached veranda

Dating from 1898 to the designs of T Hodge this three-storey building is constructed of red brick with sandstone and red terracotta dressings. It is Eclectic in style with Moorish features at second floor level including horseshoe arched windows with patterned terracotta tiling above them.

331, Midland Bank

Originally built for the Preston Banking Company in 1888-9 to the designs of EW Johnson, this property has one tall storey and is constructed of sandstone ashlar with some pink and grey granite. It has a symmetrical windowless front elevation with a shallow pedimented portico to the centre. The pediment contains a crest of arms topped with a figure of Britannia. The frieze to the portico is lettered “Preston Bank”. The interior contains a large rectangular banking hall surrounded by Corinthian columns and pilasters of polished granite and a large domed skylight.

335 and 337 with attached veranda

This shop with offices above was constructed in 1884 of Flemish bond brickwork and stone dressings in a Free Jacobean style. The ground floor shop front has a large original entablature, which includes a dentilled cornice and massive terminal consoles with swags of flowers and swan neck pediments. The upper floors have a frieze of swagged terracotta panels, a dentilled terracotta cornice, terracotta balustrades, two panels of guilded foliation and a dentilled terracotta pediment with a swag. There is a large canted bay window at first floor level with pilasters, moulded

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APPENDIX 15 cornice, frieze with foliated panels, scrolled supports to a central pediment with an urn and sashed glazing with Art Deco stained glass in the top lights.

339-353, Albany Buildings and veranda attached to 339-343

Designed by EW Johnson in 1882, this property consists of a block of shops with offices above. It is three storeys high constructed in red brick with sandstone dressings and has applied red tiles and timber framing. At first floor level the two left-hand bays have canted oriel windows under tiled pentice roofs and the inner bays have gables at attic level with panels lettered “Albany Buildings”.

355 and 357, Lakeland with attached veranda

This shop was built at the turn of the 20 th Century to the designs of Packer and has a veranda added in 1925 by Fred Sage and Co of London. It is built in a Renaissance style of sandstone ashlar with polished granite dressings. Above the shopfront the first and second floors have been treated as one composition with a wide oriel window contained within a full width semicircular arch. The first floor oriel had curved corners, slender colonettes of polished granite with sandstone crocket caps and a parapet of pierced roundels. The third floor, arched window has an elaborate moulded surround with richly carved spandrels including figures and cartouches.

365, The Old Bank

Designed by Robert Todd and originally constructed as a bank in 1898 this building is now used as a shop. It is three stories high in a classical style with a polished red granite ground floor and red stone ashlar above. The taller ground floor has a three bay colonnade of engaged Tuscan columns, an entablature with triglyphs and modillions and a panelled parapet with “The Old Bank” in attached gilded lettering. The interior has been altered but has retained its original ornate coffered ceiling.

367

Dated 1925-7 this former bank designed by Palmer and Holden (in association with Finchett, Lancaster and Archer of London) is also now a shop. It has a symmetrical façade to Nevill Street with a tall ground floor with rusticated masonry and a dentilled cornice. The upper floors are treated architecturally as one with a tetrastyle, giant order of fluted Roman Doric columns and a full entablature.

387 with attached veranda

This shop (formerly a pair of shops) dates from the later part of the 19 th Century and is built in an Italian palazzo style of brick with a stucco finish. There are plain pilasters to the upper floors, a heavy bracketed cornice and a parapet with pierced SEFTON COUNCIL Page 27

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APPENDIX 15 roundels. The attached veranda has cast iron columns with vase pedestals, crocket caps and foliated brackets.

Veranda to 393-421

Dated 1883 this veranda has foliated columns with Greek key decoration to the bases, crocket caps, pierced brackets, plain fascia beams with cresting, an elaborate scrolled crest and a curved glass roof.

423-431, former Bank with attached veranda and former banking hall

This commercial building incorporating shops was constructed in1890 to the designs of EW Johnson and converted into a bank in 1897 by Sydney Ingham for the Manchester County Bank Limited. Now used as three shops with offices above, it is built in a Jacobean style of red sandstone with a mansard roof of green slate. It is two and a half storeys high with tall Dutch gabled dormers and a short tower with semi octagonal tourelles framing a tall canted oriel at second floor level. The building has raised lettering reading “Manchester County Bank Ltd”. The internal banking hall is situated at the rear and retains most of its original opulent decoration.

433-453 with attached veranda

Constructed around 1880-90, this block of six shops with flats and offices over is in a free Neo-Tudor style. It is four storeys high constructed of red brick with sandstone dressings and tile hanging. There are three jettied gables to the roof and numbers 451 and 453 have an Art Deco shop front of bronze and plate glass.

Veranda to 459-467

Attached to a row of shops this early 20 th Century veranda has slender cast iron columns with enriched bases, plain shafts, foliated octagonal caps, a small entablature with a stylised rose motif, a narrow cast iron beam pierced with stars carrying a moulded gutter and a partly curved and partly angled, glazed roof.

469, 471 and 473 with attached veranda

This pair of shops dating from the end of the 19 th Century are constructed of brick with a facing of applied half-timbering and some red tile hanging. The attic gables have decorative half-timbering and oversailing verges. The attached veranda has cast iron columns with reeded pedestals and beams with a frieze of raised stars.

479 and 481

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Designed by MacGibbon and Ross this shop dating from1877 is constructed of red brick with dressings of pale blue, glazed brick and sandstone. It is in a Victorian eclectic style with some Italian Renaissance features. The upper floors are elaborately decorated with chunky pilasters, bands of nail head brick and a blind arcaded parapet with a central roundel containing a sculpted female head.

Veranda to 487-495

Dating from the early 20 th Century this veranda has slender cast iron columns with decorated bases and a mono pitched glazed roof. Attached to the inner side of each of the end columns is a pedestal carrying a gilded figure of a child with a torch, the one on the right hand side having an oval 20 th Century lamp.

Veranda to 497-507

This early 20 th Century veranda has slender cast iron columns with vase shaped pedestals, crocketed caps, large decorative open work brackets to plain beams and a single pitch glazed roof.

509-515 with attached glazed canopy

These shops were constructed in the early 20 th Century in a classical style of sandstone ashlar and a slated mansard roof. The upper floors have giant pilasters with Greek key caps and a full entablature with a dentilled cornice. Numbers 513 and 515 have two first floor windows with Art Nouveau glazing. The canopy is not supported by cast iron columns but suspended on wrought iron tie rods attached to lion mask fixings at first floor level.

Veranda to 517-523

Also darting from the early 20 th Century, this veranda has a return to Bold Street. It has cast iron columns with flared pedestals and plain shafts, open work brackets with sunflower motifs, plain beams carrying moulded gutters with cresting and a curved glass roof.

Veranda to 525-533

This early 20 th Century veranda has short cast iron columns, crocket caps, open work brackets with sunflower motifs, plain beams and a single pitched glazed roof.

535-563 Debenhams with attached veranda

This department store dates from the turn of the 20 th Century and has since been enlarged and altered. It is built of red brick with sandstone and red terracotta dressings, with a slate roof and red tile roofs to the oriels. It is three storeys high SEFTON COUNCIL Page 29

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APPENDIX 15 with attics and the ground floor has an almost continuous shop front leading to a parallel internal passage. The attached veranda has cast iron columns with acanthus decoration to the pedestals, a moulded gutter cornice with cresting and a curved glass roof.

Veranda to 565-571

Dating from the early 20 th Century, this veranda has cast iron columns with flared pedestals, scrolled open work brackets with wheel motifs and a curved glass roof.

587, The New Bold Hotel

Designed by Thomas Mawdsley as a hotel in 1832 this late Georgian style building is now used as a public house. It is three storeys high with attics and is rendered in stucco with a central Doric porch. The elevation to Seabank Road has a round- headed doorway above which, moulded lettering reads “Licensed dealer in spirituous liquors”. Over the first floor a long panel with a moulded surround reads “The Bold Family Hotel”. This is probably the oldest surviving hotel in Southport.

Pairs of K6 Telephone Kiosks outside 599, North Post Office and adjacent to south west corner of 130C

These three pairs of telephone kiosks, date from 1935 and are of the K6 type designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. They are square in shape and are made of cast iron with domed roofs.

Veranda to 601-617

This veranda is attached to shop fronts and was built in 1893 by Mellor and Sutton. The cast iron columns have splayed feet and open work brackets support a predominantly curved glass roof.

Veranda to 657-671

Dating from 1901 this veranda, also attached to shop fronts, has cast iron columns with splayed pedestals, plain shafts and scrolled foliated brackets. The continuous open work frieze incorporates the words “Tower Buildings”.

Atkinson Library and art Gallery

Constructed in 1878 to the designs of the Burnley architectural practice of Waddington and Sons and was given to the town by William Atkinson, a Preston Industrialist. It is three storeys high built in a Victorian Classical style of sandstone SEFTON COUNCIL Page 30

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APPENDIX 15 ashlar with a slate roof. The frontage is symmetrical with a pedimented centre, inscribed “Atkinson Free Library”.

ABC Cinema

Originally known as the Classic Cinema, this building dates from 1911. It was designed by George Tonge in an Edwardian Baroque style and is two storeys high, faced in white faience with some painted stucco to the ground floor. The symmetrical frontage has a full width canopy on the ground floor, with a Diocletian and two oriel windows with ornate decoration. It is one of the earliest surviving purpose built cinemas in the country and has retained its original first floor foyer with staircases at each end although the auditorium is divided by an inserted floor at balcony level.

Pavilion in Municipal Gardens

This mid 19 th Century, Classical style garden pavilion is now used in conjunction with the adjacent café. It is constructed of painted ashlar and the north side has a round headed doorway incorporating a fanlight with radiating glazing bars and is flanked by a pair of Roman Doric columns.

Prince of Wales Hotel, including area railings

Originally dating from 1876-7 and designed by E Kendrick, this building was probably enlarged soon afterwards. It is three storeys high with basements and attics and is a large L shaped property in a Domestic Gothic style. The basement area is protected by bowed, Art Nouveau style, wrought iron railings and the central portion of the building has a cast iron and glass porte cochere protecting a Gothic entrance. Principal features of the interior include two adjacent ballrooms, on different levels, interconnected by a curved double staircase.

Boundary wall, gate piers and garden wall to Prince of Wales Hotel

The hotel boundary consists of three pairs of gate piers and semicircular garden wall in the forecourt linking two pairs of gate piers to the front and probably dates from 1877. The red brick walls have pitched sandstone copings and large, Gothic style stone piers.

Cambridge Hall (Southport Arts Centre) with entrance to Cambridge Arcade

Dating from 1871-4, this public assembly hall and theatre with an attached arcade entrance was designed by Maxwell and Tuke in a French Renaissance style. It is two storeys high with attics and is constructed of sandstone ashlar with slate roofs. There is a turreted Baroque roof to the north corner and a clock tower with a tall belfry, surmounted by an elaborate, lead clad spire with clock faces to the south west corner. The interior has an imposing entrance hall with stone staircases.

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Southport Library (including 1-9 Eastbank Street )

Originally constructed in 1879 for the Manchester and Liverpool District Bank, this Renaissance building has been integrated with the adjacent library. It is constructed of sandstone ashlar and is three storeys high with an attic. Inside the property the former banking hall has an elaborate coffered ceiling.

St George’s United Reformed Church

This Church was built in 1873-4 for the Presbyterians and altered in 1931 by Irving and Mosscrip. It is constructed of sandstone rubble and has a three-stage tower with corner pinnacles and a tall broached spire. The arched west doorway has an ornately decorated, steeply gabled porch, set between buttresses. There is a simple single space inside the church with a canted ceiling with exposed beams and a wooden and glazed arcaded screen at the west end.

Mecca Bingo Club

Originally built in 1932 as the Garrick Theatre and designed by George Tonge in an Art Deco style, this property is now used as a bingo club. It is four storeys high, constructed in brown brick with dressings of Portland stone and concrete. The ground floor has shop fronts protected by a flat, cantilevered canopy, with tall windows above and an open colonnade of Portland stone with carved panels to the parapet, two of which display the masks of Comedy and Tragedy. All the windows have retained their original Art Deco metal frames and coloured glass. Inside the building the stage and raked seating have been removed but the original proscenium arch with art Deco detailing, remains.

Town Hall

This was designed by Thomas Withnell and built in 1852-3 in a Palladian style. It is two storeys high, raised on a plinth and is faced in white painted stucco. The central portion has a pediment with sculptured figures of Justice, Mercy and Truth. A double stone staircase with a balustraded parapet leads to a raised rectangular porch.

Lord Street West United Reformed Church

Originally known as the Duke Street Congregational Church this property was designed by Walker of Manchester and constructed in 1861-2, in a Decorated Gothic Revival style. It is constructed of course sandstone rubble and has a slate roof with fishscale bands of green slate. The nave has buttresses, a parapet, two centred three light windows with a tracery and hoodmoulds and a north west tower, from which the spire has been removed. It was gutted by fire in 1964 and subsequently restored.

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Glossary of terms

Ashlar: Cut stone with an even surface and right angled edges to the blocks

Art Deco: A style fashionable in the 1920s and 1930s, strongly influenced by Ancient Egyptian design. It is associated with angular shapes, such as the chevron, bright colours and rich materials.

Balustrade: A series of small, usually ornate posts, supporting a handrail or coping.

Baroque: An elaborate form of Classical architecture popular during the 17 th and 18 th centuries, revived at the turn of the 20 th century.

Casement: A glazed window frame with hinges to open and shut it.

Classical: A style of architecture or ornament based on the styles of ancient Greece and Italy.

Cill: A horizontal piece of timber, stone or metal forming the bottom of a window or door opening, designed to throw off water.

Column: An upright element of a building, usually supporting a lintel.

Dune Slack: A hollow area behind sand dunes, which fills with water in wet weather.

Edwardian: Architecture and art of the reign of King Edward the VII (1901-10).

Elizabethan: A style of the reign of Queen Elizabeth the I (1558-1603) imported from the Low Countries, which was revived in the 19 th century.

Faience: Glazed earthenware or terracotta.

Gothic: A style of architecture with a strong vertical emphasis and pointed arches, used from the 12 th until the 16 th century, revived during the 19 th century.

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Jacobean: Architecture and decoration of the reign of King James I and VI (1603- 25), revived in the 19 th century and the 1920s and 1930s.

Lintel: A horizontal beam over a door or window opening to support the wall above it.

Pavilion: A small building or wing of a larger structure.

Plinth: The solid base to a building or statue designed to look like a platform.

Portland stone: A white limestone from Portland off the south coast of England, popular for building in the 1920s and 1930s. Sliding sash: A frame for holding the glass in a window, capable of being raised or lowered in vertical grooves, by means of ropes fixed to lead or iron weights.

Stucco: An external plastered finish, marked out with lines to resemble blocks of dressed stone.

Terra cotta: Unglazed baked clay used for ornamental work on the exterior of buildings.

Tudor: A style of Gothic architecture associated with the Tudor monarchs, especially the period 1485-1547, revived in the first half of the 19 th century and the early 20 th century (Neo-Tudor).

Urn: Originally a vase for cremated remains, often used as a decorative feature on top of walls or as garden ornaments.

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APPENDIX 15

Proposed plans and illustrations

Maps – will need to be folded if scale to be large enough to show sufficient detail Boundary of Conservation Area Townscape – listed buildings, buildings of note, landmarks, views Opportunities for enhancement ? (difficult to show general aspects) Old Street Plans – suggest three – 1) prior to development as a resort, 2) early stage of development (c1850) and 3) later stage of development (early 20 th Century)

Illustrations Black and white photographs of street scenes and principal groups of buildings Drawings of individual buildings and architectural details Suggested range of illustrations:- View up Lord Street Curved frontage to left side of Lord Street View of central gardens Good section of commercial frontage (seaward side) View down side street to Promenade View down side street on Town Hall side Town gardens and Civic Buildings Pavilion Café and outdoor seating Semi – detached villas NW end of Lord Street War Memorial Cenotaph and Pavilions Market Hall and row of shops opposite Wellington Terrace Christ Church Bold Hotel Bandstand Town Gardens Asda (former railway station) Head Post Office Debenhams Mecca Bingo Wayfarers Arcade Westminster Mansions 156, 179-219 and 423-431 (former bank) Lord Street Royal Bank of Scotland 513 and 515 – detail of first floor Art Nouveau glazing Glazed canopies Lord Street Detail of clock tower Cambridge Hall or former station Architectural detailing to Lord Street gardens eg columns, ballustrading, globe lights. Lord Street building detail eg turret, gable, finial, dormer, oriel window Traditional street light Lord Street Figure with fish in pool in St Georges gardens

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