{"id":25273,"date":"2020-02-04T16:08:14","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T16:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ihbconline.co.uk\/newsachive\/?p=25273"},"modified":"2020-02-09T16:47:30","modified_gmt":"2020-02-09T16:47:30","slug":"ihbcs-heritage-from-the-doorstep-amazing-details-see-somerset-branch-of-whsmith-made-grade-ii-listed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=25273","title":{"rendered":"IHBC\u2019s \u2018Heritage from the doorstep\u2019: Amazing details see Somerset branch of WHSmith made Grade II Listed"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"When shopping for stationery, you don’t normally assume you are standing in a piece of protected history but, as the Somerset County Gazette<\/em> notes, that is the case for shoppers in one Somerset town, Weston super Mare, after a branch of WHSmith was appointed Grade II Listed.<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

Somerset County Gazette<\/em> writes:<\/p>\n

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has listed the High Street shop in Weston super Mare on the advice of Historic England.<\/p>\n

The listing is one of the outcomes of the Great Weston Heritage Action Zone, which is unlocking the economic potential of Weston\u2019s historic town centre.<\/p>\n

Built in 1926 as WH Smith & Son rapidly expanded, the new store, a substantial rebuilding of two earlier shops, has been a successful example of converting established business premises, Historic England said.<\/p>\n

Its lavish fa\u00e7ade and lending library are typical of early 20th century WHSmith shopfittings.<\/p>\n

The fa\u00e7ade\u2019s lead panels feature carvings of flowers and animals, and coats of arms of Somerset, Bath, Bristol and Taunton.<\/p>\n

Weston-super-Mare itself is not represented because the town\u2019s coat of arms was not created until 1928.<\/p>\n

The frieze above the windows includes a quote from Shakespeare\u2019s Titus Andronicus (Act 4, Scene 1) \u2018Come and take choice of all my library \/ And so beguile thy sorrow.\u2019<\/p>\n

It is carved in the official font of WHSmith created in 1903 by Arts and Crafts designer Eric Gill (1882 \u2013 1940).<\/p>\n

The decorative scheme continues in the former lending library which features neo-Tudor plaster work of rustic scenes and a man holding a leather-bound book.<\/p>\n

Rebecca Barrett, regional director for Historic England in the South West, said:\u00a0“It\u2019s great news that the Secretary of State has agreed with our recommendation to list Weston\u2019s historic branch of WHSmith.<\/p>\n

“As a bookshop and library it has played an important role in the lives of the people of Weston for generations.<\/p>\n

“Its beautiful details add character to the town and are clearly helping attract visitors and shoppers into Weston\u2019s historic heart.”<\/p>\n

Cllr Mark Canniford, executive member for business, economy and employment at North Somerset Council, said: “We\u2019re delighted that this impressive building has been recognised for its stunning architecture and its recent restoration.<\/p>\n

“WHSmith\u2019s work is an example of how we can improve the town\u2019s architectural heritage and celebrate some of our truly remarkable buildings.<\/p>\n

WHSmith have demonstrated a real faith in Weston and we applaud their commitment to our High Street.”<\/p>\n

Helen Burgess, group property director at WHSmith, said: “We are really pleased to learn that the building has now been listed.<\/p>\n

“The response from customers and locals following the reconstructive work to the building and fascia has been very positive, and we are glad that the community continues to enjoy the restored appearance and shopping experience.”<\/p>\n

Read more….<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

For more background to W H Smith buildings see CADW’s entry for the Newport branch<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When shopping for stationery, you don’t normally assume you are standing in a piece of protected history but, as the Somerset County Gazette notes, that is the case for shoppers in one Somerset town, Weston super Mare, after a branch … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ihbc-newsblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25273"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25328,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25273\/revisions\/25328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}