Description

1833/0/10245 WESTGATE ROAD
15-DEC-05 FORMER HERTZ RENT-A-CAR BUILDING

II
Auction house and multi-storey horse, carriage, cycle and motor car repository 1897 by J Dawson of Gateshead for James Cooper of Cooper's Auction House. Steel framed with red brick set in English bond with dressings of yellow sandstone and rendered concrete. Welsh slate covering a hipped roof to the south east and a gabled roof to the north west; decorated tiles to ridge and hip. Three chimney stacks. Large skylights and ventilators pierce the roofs.
PLAN: irregular in shape, determined by the shape of the site. There is an oval shaped horse run placed centrally on ground floor with open, part-galleried floors above giving views to roof with public and service rooms ranged peripherally around the central ground floor space.
EXTERIOR
Westgate Road elevation: three storeys 15 bays defined by piers alternating with recessed panels and denticulated cornice above. Dressings and mouldings of yellow sandstone, ground floor mostly rendered. Façade contains 3 distinct sections; 3 bays at north west end containing offices, shops and showroom. Central bay containing main entrance with shop fronts to either side. 5 blocked windows, 2 to outer bays and one in slimmer central bay, above. All with cambered arches, keystones and mouldings. 2 sets of 4 second floor 4 arched window openings with keystones and hood moulds in outer bays with hung sashes, upper divided by glazing bars into a 3 on 3 pattern; central bay has 2 cambered openings with keystones and sash windows. Piers extend above second storey to form pedestals, within which are 2 gables and linking parapet; single moulded oculus to each gable. Projecting string courses at first and second floor level. 4 bays at south east end form service section with dressings faced in render. Paired window openings with cambered arches and sill bands to 3 bays at ground and first floor and 3 pairs of cambered window openings to second floor all with hung sashes divided vertically to form 2 panes per sash. Plain end bay. Housing for original carriage lift and later vehicle lift rise above, later example bears 'Cooper's 'Motor Mart' in white glazed brick or tile. Central section of 8 bays with shop fronts to ground floor and original carriage entrance to right. Recessed panels extend over upper floors with large paired ventilation openings and decorative clay grilles at first floor level.
North East elevation: Plain, partially rendered and partially covered with C20 red brick; small gabled 2 storeyed annexe with attic over and brick cornice above; rear of building faced in glazed buff brick, rows of evenly spaced windows pierce ground and first floor with ventilation openings to latter. Single windows on each of 3 floors on rear of main building. Large cambered opening to right.
INTERIOR
Small basement. Internal walls mostly of brick painted white, floors of late 19th century scored asphalt, that to ground floor with concrete covering. Upper floors supported on framework of cast iron stanchions and rolled steel joists. Ceilings of painted tongued and grooved timber.
Ground floor: carriage and entrance passage with shop and general office either side, opens into central well containing auction room with horse run. Former stables, converted into additional shops and original horse run wall pierced with numerous new openings. Horse ramp with wrought iron gate to upper floors, asphalt with timber tracks laid in channels and batons laid across at interval. Projecting annexe to rear originally filled with stall and loose boxes now removed but numerous tethering rings remain in place. Some cast-iron columns in place supporting steel beams with timber ceiling over; gas light fittings.
First floor: central well with gallery to left. Position of former stalls indicated by channelled drainage grooves, larger grooves confirming former location of individual stalls and loose boxes, numerous tethering rings and ventilation openings covered by cast iron sliding grills. Some loosebox fittings such as hay and straw storage also visible. 2 stables along south west wall, with similar detail; stepped door opens onto gallery with wooden benches and cast iron railings. Windows pierce the wall either side of door with cornice of dentils above which continue around central well at second floor level. Showroom and private office at north east end of first floor with higher quality fittings including doors with moulded architraves, plaster cornices and oriel window, now cupboard. Ramp to second floor, same as that described above.
Second floor: display area for carriages, bicycles and early motor cars, viewing area around central well to auction room below. Barrier around central well of painted wooden boards with a rolled banister triangulated middle and bottom stanchions and similarly bevelled piers.
Vehicle lift situated at south east end with plant room above accessed by steel staircase and ladder. 2 original skylights, of louvered timber with glass lights. Roof structure: curved ridge supported by asymmetrical braced and riveted steel trusses carried on limestone blocks set into walls.
HISTORY:James Cooper originally set up as a horse trader in 1878 at the Crown and Thistle Inn in Groat Market, Newcastle upon Tyne. The business had grown by 1896 requiring the construction of large purpose-built premises to hold the weekly auctions. The Westgate Road site was chosen and the architect was J Dawson of Gateshead; his initial plans dated March 1897 describe the new proposed building as a depot for 'horses, carriages, cycles and auto-cars'. After these were modified to provide extra stabling on the first floor, the new building was constructed and officially opened on the 16th October 1897. At this time there was accommodation on the ground floor for 150 horses and 20 dogs in addition to shops, offices, harness rooms and a caretaker's room with a lift to the top floor for carriages. The first floor contained a 'ladies gallery' furnished with more comfortable seats and the second floor was used mainly as a repository for carriages and a sales point for bicycles. The original plans indicate that this floor was also to be used for the storage of motor cars.
In 1925 the layout of the south east end of the building was modified by the architects Percey L Browne & Son of Newcastle who later became renowned for large art deco projects across the north. Original plans of 1925 suggest quite substantial modifications were planned to both the interior and exterior of the building but many of these were abandoned. Instead, a larger and more powerful lift was installed in the south east section, presumably for the transportation of motor cars, and new shop fronts were inserted to the middle section of the exterior. Also the south east entrance was remodelled to provide a grand main entrance for the sale of motor cars. The increasing importance of motor cars to the business at this time is also indicated by the installation of a garage on the second floor and petrol tanks on the ground floor.
Cooper's moved out of the building in 1977 after which it was used by Hertz for vehicle storage. Some minor alterations to the building have occurred since 1928 including the removal of the stalls in 1954, the insertion of a ground floor turntable for cars in the 1950's and the replacement of shop fittings with Hertz fittings, now removed, in the 1980's.
SOURCES:
Former Hertz Building, Westgate Road Newcastle upon Tyne: Archaeological Assessment and Buildings Survey 2005 Tyne & Wear Museums, Archaeology Department.
Cooper's Auction Yard, Westgate Road Newcastle upon Tyne, 2005 English Heritage (unpublished draft).

Of special architectural interest as a fine and virtually complete example of a purpose built multi-storey repository for horses, carriages, cycles and early motor cars of 1897. A rare survival and apparently unparalleled nationally, it is of particular interest as a building which anticipates the coming age of motor transport. The recent excavation of archaeological evaluation trenches within the building revealed the presence of the remains of Hadrian's Wall designated as a World Heritage Site.
NZ2490763915

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26670814

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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