One building across three eras, Newcastle, 1958-2024

Black-and-white photo of a quiet city street with tall, old stone and brick buildings. Signs above the doors advertise legal and insurance offices. Windows are large with decorative arches. No people or vehicles are visible. The street appears empty and clean.
Black-and-white photo of a modern mid-20th-century office building, five stories tall, with large windows and a simple facade. It stands between two older, ornate stone buildings. A sign reads “Scottish Permanent Building Society” above the entrance.
A four-story gray building with large windows and shops at street level. Signs for “World HQ Café” and “The Toon Express” (pizza and wraps) are visible. Parked and passing cars line the street in front. The weather appears overcast.

The first picture (source) shows the original building at 29 Mosley Street in Newcastle in 1958 – a cute little thing sandwiched between much grander, likely Victorian buildings either side. I particularly enjoy the rounded bay window protruding above street level.

The next picture (source), which Newcastle Libraries helpfully describes as having been taken “later than 1958”, shows an entirely new building, much more in check with this blog’s theme. A new modernist building neatly fits in the two remaining grand buildings and houses the Leicester Permanent Building Society.

Now, in September 2024, the same building still stands, although interestingly it seems to have lost its top storey which can be seen in the second picture. The panelling between the windows seems to have been replaced with something plainer, too, and the Leicester Permanent Building Society has been replaced by “Wake ‘n’ Cake” – I dare not ask what service they provide.

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#modernism #newcastle