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Description: Nos. 28-32 Post Office Chambers & Arcade Royale west entrance

Address: The Duke Of Wellington 30 Commercial Street Halifax Calderdale HX1 1TA

Grade: II

Group detail: Commercial Street (east side)

Full description:
Includes: Arcade Royale, Nos. 24 and 26 King Edward Street. Shops and offices incorporating west entrance of Arcade Royale. c1900 with arcade entrance inserted c1912, probably by Clement Williams. Ashlar with roof of grey-green slates and lead-covered angle turrett. Free Baroque style. EXTERIOR: 3 storeys, 1:2:2:2:1 x 2:1:2:1 bays plus canted corner. Commercial Street front has renewed plate glass shop windows flanking central arcade entrance; full-width entablature, with curved projections flanking windows, over recessed panelled door to Post Office Chambers at left and arched entrance at centre; fascia has glass panel over painted panel with letters ARCADE ROYALE in similar style to those of the Arcade building entrance in King Edward Street (qv). Upper floors have full-height pilasters defining bays, with rustication to those flanking left office entrance bay and two bays over arcade entrance. Most windows mullion and transom, the first bay with rounded oriel on second floor under arch springing from pilasters and supporting ramped roof balustrade of small tower. Central bays have canted bay windows on first floor and rising behind their ramped parapets are recessed, segmental headed second floor windows with multiple keys, the central keys rising to top cornice. Flanking intermediatae bays are recessed with linking second floor entablature, and richly carved panels over top windows. Eaves dentils between pilasters which support the cornice on long curved brackets rising from the pilasters. At centre an attic storey has short Tuscan columns framing 3 narrow lights, flanked by oeils do boeuf, all between rusticated pilasters with rich carving in the central segmental pediment. Right canted bay has corbelled octagonal buttresses flanking full height oriel above shops, and carved panel below ramped eaves parapet; octagonal roof turret with rusticated pilasters and round-headed windows. Right return to King Edward Street has similar fenestration with 2 storey bowed, 3 light windows to central bay. Steeply pitched mansard roof, with high pyramidal towers over left and central bays, and high relief swags to high domed turret. Set back former windows between turrets have high pediments. All towers have tall spike and ball finials. Tall block chimney stacks with side pilasters rise from upper slope of roof. INTERIOR: Not inspected. Part of a very significant group of buildings in the middle of the town in the vicinity of the Town Hall (qv), Borough Market (qv), and Lloyds Bank (qv). (Gee S: Old Halifax: Leeds: 1987 -:17).