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Danum House is a commercial building in
The Doncaster Co-operative Society merged into
Danum House is a commercial building in Doncaster
Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...
, in England.
History
The Doncaster Co-operative Society operated a department store on St Sepulchre Gate in Doncaster. In the 1930s, it decided to open a replacement shop on the opposite site of the road. It was constructed from 1938 to 1940, to a design by local architect Henry Arthur Johnson. It was originally named the "Co-operative Emporium". The building contained aballroom
A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...
on the third floor, at which performers included The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
, Johnny Dankworth
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varian ...
and Cleo Laine
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (born Clementine Dinah Hitching; 28 October 1927) is an English singer and actress known for her scat singing. She is the widow of jazz composer and musician Sir John Dankworth and the mother of bassist Alec D ...
. It later became a nightclub, known variously as Karisma, Romeo and Juliets, and Seventh Heaven, which closed in 2004. After attending the World Budgerigar Championships, James Hunt
James Simon Wallis Hunt (29 August 1947 – 15 June 1993) was a British racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Shunt", Hunt won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with McLaren, and wo ...
was barred from entering the club due to being drunk, and assaulted a doorman, leading to his arrest.
The Doncaster Co-operative Society merged into Co-operative Retail Services
Co-operative Retail Services (CRS, originally CWS Retail) was the second-largest consumer co-operative society in the United Kingdom. In 2000, it was dissolved by its members, merging with the larger Co-operative Wholesale Society, to form the C ...
in 1969. In the 1970s, the building was renamed "Danum House". It was Grade II listed
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 ...
in 1997. Around this time, the Co-operative store closed, and in 2000, T. J. Hughes
TJ Hughes, a trading name of LHR Holding Limited, is a British discount department store brand which first emerged in Liverpool in 1912.
Thomas John Hughes started the business on Liverpool's London Road after an apprenticeship with Owen Owen, ...
moved into the building. After T. J. Hughes closed in 2011, it was divided into smaller shops, with occupants including Peacocks
Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred to ...
and the British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a cardiovascular research charity in the United Kingdom. It funds medical research related to heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors, and runs influencing work aimed at shaping public policy ...
, but it fell into poor repair. In 2019, the upper floors were converted into 78 flats, with a rooftop cinema.
Architecture
Elain Harwood describes the building as "the most strikingly moderne Co-operative department store".Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...
says that it is "a surprisingly progressive design... which shows its European credentials... it would not have been out of place in contemporary Germany". The central block is five storeys high, clad with brick, and the wings are of three storeys, clad in Vitrolite
Pigmented structural glass, also known generically as structural glass and as vitreous marble, and marketed under the names Carrara glass, Sani Onyx, and Vitrolite, among others, is a high-strength, colored glass. Developed in the United States i ...
tiles. In the centre is a glazed staircase tower, while the ground floor has continuous plate glass shopfronts, with bronzed window frames and black Vitrolite tiles below. The north and south facades have four storey blocks, that to Duke Street including a large goods entrance for lorries. Inside, the key features are the central and rear staircases, the central one surrounding a glass brick lift shaft.
See also
*Listed buildings in Doncaster (Town Ward)
Town ward is a Ward (electoral subdivision), ward in the metropolitan borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The ward contains 105 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for ...
References