Tag: Isaacs Building

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Buildings

A ghost sign that shows a building’s past

Former Midland Bank building at the corner of Pinstone Street and Charles Street. Now refurbished as part of the Isaacs Building. Image: DJP

It’s not often that developers leave ghost signs behind, but that is the case with the Isaacs Building at the corner of Pinstone Street and Charles Street. The old Midland Bank signs can be seen, a nod to its past, while much behind the facade is brand new. Midland Bank became part of HSBC in 1992 and this branch closed afterwards. 

Pevsner seems to ignore this part of Sheffield city centre, so a bit of detective work was needed to find out about the building’s past. I can trace its construction back to 1888-89 when New Pinstone Street was created. I cannot find the name of the architect, but it was built by William Bissett and Sons, responsible for many important city buildings. Alas, the contract didn’t prove to be very numerative and whilst the company was halfway through work on Carmel House at Fargate, the company failed in dubious circumstances.

Typical of Victorian entrepreneurship, the building was designed as shops at ground level with offices above. The speculative owners of the property were Charles Henry Maleham, a gunsmith of West Bar and Regent Street, London, and Joseph Hardy, stockbroker.

Midland Bank, Pinstone Street, seen here in 1952. Image: Picture Sheffield

The first shop here was the Public Benefit Furnishing Company that lasted until 1908 when it was taken over by the  T & T Tate Furnishing Company which operated until 1925 when Midland Bank moved in and converted it.

I suspect that this was the building that Charles Maleham left to the Town Trustees on his death in 1934. The condition being that income from the property be used to purchase paintings which were to be put on public exhibition. At least twenty-six paintings were purchased including two by J M W Turner and one each by Thomas Gainsborough, Sir Peter Lely and Augustus John.

The building survives as part of the Heart of the City redevelopment and, by coincidence, a nearby building, Grosvenor House on Cambridge Street, part of the same scheme, is now offices for HSBC.

ADDITION – I have added information provided by Robin Hughes who very kindly filled in the blanks.

“The building dates from 1884 – there’s a datestone, and it’s also in the planning register for the time – the same year as the Pepperpot on the downhill side, Pinstone Street having been cut through to Moorhead c1880. This was indeed the building that Maleham left his share of (Nos. 90-92). Although the plans are missing from the archives, the planning register mentions a Mr. Lockwood, who could be the architect H. W. Lockwood, who was also responsible for the spectacular Carmel House (former YMCA) on the corner of Fargate and Norfolk Row.”

Former Midland Bank building at the corner of Pinstone Street and Charles Street. Now refurbished as part of the Isaacs Building. Image: DJP

© 2024 David Poole. All Rights Reserved.

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Buildings Streets

Cambridge Street – while you were sleeping last night

Image: David Poole

Cambridge Street at 3am. The changing face of our city centre.

Grosvenor House, home to HSBC, with the reflection of the almost-complete Isaacs Building opposite. Both buildings form part of Sheffield’s Heart of the City development.

Once upon a time, this was the site of Barrasford’s Hippodrome presenting music hall acts and films projected from the Barrascope. It was soon renamed the Hippodrome Theatre of Varieties and was Sheffield’s largest theatre. 

It eventually became the Hippodrome Cinema, demolished in 1963, and the Grosvenor House Hotel and retail outlets built in its place. History likes reinventing itself, and the hotel was itself demolished in 2016-2017.

Hippodrome Theatre opened 23 December 1907 as a Music Hall. Became a permanent cinema on 20 July 1931. In 1948, came under the management of The Tivoli (Sheffield) Ltd. Closed 2 March 1963 and demolished. Image: Maurice Parkin/Picture Sheffield 

©2022 David Poole. All Rights Reserved.

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Buildings

Charles Street Station

Charles Street Station. Image: Picture Sheffield/P. David Turton

A photograph that will confuse younger generations. Doing an excellent job at imitating the London Underground, this was Charles Street Station, pictured in 1983. This was a theme bar, but such was the authenticity, that Omnia, the online cultural site, includes the image on its London Underground pages. It was incorporated within the Isaacs Building, built by David Isaacs, a wallpaper merchant, in 1905.

Isaacs Building was an example of Edwardian entrepreneurship, the ground floor containing seven shop units with an assembly hall above, its entrance being from Charles Street. The top floor of the building contained offices and several workshops, mostly rented by enterprising tailoring businesses.

The assembly hall was once the Sheffield Trades Club and in the 1970s was converted into a nightclub, its various incarnations being Faces, Raffles, Charlie Parker’s and Freedom. For a time, the old basement was used as Charles Street Station.

Stephen Shephard busking outside Charles Street Station in 1983. Image: Picture Sheffield/Sheffield Newspapers Ltd

The bar was short-lived, and the entire building was demolished in 2020 as part of the Heart of the City redevelopment. Its replacement, modern office-space, with ground-floor retail units, is nearing completion, and is also called Isaacs Building.

©2022 David Poole. All Rights Reserved. Supporting Picture Sheffield