Burton's, 16–18 High Street,

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

, Wales, is a shop constructed for the Burton's tailoring company in 1937. The design, by Burton's in-house architect, Nathaniel Martin, is

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

in style. The building is listed

Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

for its "exceptional interest and rarity as a well preserved Burton's store which retains almost all of its 1930s external detailing."

History and architecture

The Burton clothing company was founded by

Montague Burton Sir Montague Maurice Burton (15 August 1885 – 21 September 1952) was the founder of Burton Menswear, one of Britain's largest chains of clothes shops. Early life Born Meshe David Osinsky and a Lithuanian Jew in Kurkliai, Kaunas provi ...

in 1903. Originally named the Cross-Tailoring Company, the business grew to become the world's largest tailoring company by Burton's death in 1952. During rapid expansion in the 1920s and 1930s, fuelled in part by contracts to supply uniforms to the British Army throughout

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Burton established a distinctive architectural template for his stores nationwide. Using an in-house architectural team, led firstly by Harry Wilson and then by Nathaniel Martin, the stores were constructed in an

style, "the uncompromising moderne of the Burton house style (being) used in every store in the land." The building on High Street, Abergavenny is of two storeys with wide glass elevations to both the Market Street and High Street frontages. The building materials include

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone geological formation (formally named the Portland Stone Formation) dating to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic that is quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. The quarries are cut in beds of whi ...

, polished black marble, brass and glass. A foundation stone records; "This stone laid by Raymond Montague Burton 1937". The store has an exterior that is almost unchanged since its construction in 1937 and, as such, it represents a rare survival of a commercial style that was once common through the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The building has a Grade II* listing in acknowledgement of this rarity. Its

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage ...

listing describes it as "a classic Burton store with all the characteristic design features which used to be displayed in every British town and have now gone almost completely". Burton closed the store in the early 21st century. In 2018, redevelopment work on the building was halted by

Monmouthshire County Council Monmouthshire County Council (or simply Monmouthshire Council) () is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The current unitary authority was created in 1996 and covers the eastern ...

over concerns that historic architectural features were being damaged. In 2019, the retailer

Mountain Warehouse Mountain Warehouse Limited is a British Outdoor recreation, outdoor retailer selling equipment for hiking, camping, skiing, cycling, running and fitness. Founded in 1997 by Mark Neale, Mountain Warehouse has grown from a single outlet store to o ...

took a ten-year lease on the site.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire Retail buildings in Wales Commercial buildings completed in 1937 Art Deco architecture in Wales