Burtons Building

Ground floor retail space (now subdivided), with independent access to office accommodation on the upper floors; these include a narrow attic storey, completely hidden behind the high parapets of the facades.

The building presents a long elevation to Terrace Road, an angled corner, and a shorter return elevation to North Parade. 3 storeys (with a fourth attic storey concealed behind the parapet). Long elevation to Terrace Road (3-7-3 bays) with 3 bay return. White faience facades. Shop-front curves around corner, and has entrance central in each elevation. Polished black granite, with stall risers (with cast vents inscribed' Montague Burton The Tailor of Taste') and deep fascia; large display windows with slender moulded iron rails; the doorways are recessed, with curved panes then angled-back windows. Continuous overlights to shop windows have margin lights punctuated by chevrons - a characteristic Art Deco motif. Main entrance on Terrace Road has terrazzo threshold and glazed door with elongated octagonal panel. At the left of this elevation is the separate entrance to the upper floors (which typically of Burton's stores, were given independent access for use as leased-out offices). This has paired wooden doors, with similar solid panels, flanked by windows behind decorative iron-work grills. Foundation stones flank this entrance, inscribed with the date, and the names of Raymond Montague Burton and Arnold James Burton. There is another foundation stone at the end of the North Parade elevation, with the name of Austin Stephen Burton. The upper storeys have a strong rhythmic design, which unifies both elevations via an angled corner. On the Terrace Road elevation, they are articulated as 3-7-3 bays, the central section advanced and stepped up. The bays are defined by continuous pilasters, whose clustered form is reminiscent of the 'fins' of other Art Deco designs. Recessed between these, the storeys are separated by fluted iron-work panels. Original 'Crittal' type windows: in the outer bays a wide central window is flanked by narrow side lights; wide windows throughout in the 7 central bays. These have tripartite glazing, with transoms and margin lights to top and bottom, as well as the sides of the outer lights. The narrower side lights also have transoms and margin lights to top and bottom. Central section is also emphasised by a faience frieze of interlocking curves (another characteristic Art Deco motif) above each window. The North Parade elevation repeats the 3-bay treatment.