The Jackson Buildings

Glossop

Designed in the Edwardian Baroque style, The Jackson Buildings were constructed in 1896 at the direction of local saddler Isaac Jackson, who had invented a new quick-fastening system for mill belt drives, and was later made a Freeman of the Borough of Glossop.

With grant funding from the Glossopdale Townscape Heritage Initiative, two of the shop units within the Jackson Buildings were completely restored. Using a combination of archive research and building analysis, proposals were developed to reinstate the original design and details of the shopfronts, which had in some areas been very heavily altered.

Bench Architects were appointed on a full service basis, from initial archive research through to completion of the works, including acting as Contract Administrator for two separate but concurrent works contracts, one for each shop.

Alongside full re-roofing, the works included stonework repairs and re-pointing, joinery repairs, replacement of decayed leadwork, and reinstatement of traditional cast iron rainwater goods. During the works, severe decay to the historic structural steel frame was discovered, necessitating a comprehensive package of steelwork repairs to ensure the continuing stability of the building.

The use of consistent design details, carefully considered colours and discreet, high quality signage across the two shopfronts has unified the street elevation of the building. Since the completion of our works, two of the adjacent shopfronts have now been restored using the same design principles, resulting in a considerable improvement to the streetscape.