Building Name

New Premises, Palmer Street, Frome, Somerset

Date
1906
Street
Palmer Street
District/Town
Frome
County/Country
Somerset, England
Work
New build
Contractor
Charles Barnes

FROME CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY. OPENING OF NEW PREMISES. To meet the growing business of the Frome Co-operative and Industrial Society, it was recently decided to purchase the old shops occupied in Palmer-street and the house adjoining, to pull these down, and erect on the site a new and up-to-date central store more in keeping with the increased trade. Mr. R. Worcester, of Manchester, assistant architect to the Co-operative Wholesale Society, was engaged as the architect, and the work of carrying out the plans was placed in the capable hands of Mr. Charles Barnes, builder, of Frome, who has erected on the site a handsome and commodious structure. The opening ceremony was performed on Saturday afternoon, but before giving an account of this and other gatherings of a social character held in connection with the event, a few particulars of the new store may be of interest to our readers. The building has a frontage to Palmer Street of 82 feet, and extends back to a distance of 54 feet. On the ground floor are the grocery and provision shop, 25 feet by 26 feet; and a boot shop, 18 feet 6 inches by 26 feet, while there is also a side entrance and covered yard leading to a large store at the rear of the shops, the manager's office, salt store, etc. Situate on the first floor are a showroom, 35 feet by 20 feet; a store over that on the ground floor of the same size as the one beneath, committee-room, secretary's office, etc. The rooms are admirably fitted, and the ventilation, heating, and lighting, are all that can be desired. The front of the building is composed of steel stanchions and girders, encased with Corsham hard ridge stone dressing with brickwork internally, and with local dressed stone, the whole of which is set in cement instead of mortar. The windows in the front, which are some of the largest in the town, are all glazed with polished plate glass of British make. The proceedings on Saturday commenced at four o'clock with a public tea in the Market Hall, to which about 300 sat down. At the close of the meal a vote of thanks was accorded the architect and builder, on the proposition of Mr. F. Waters (secretary), seconded by Mr. F. Ackland, both of whom referred in terms of high praise to the admirable manner in which those gentlemen had carried out the work entrusted to them. Mr. Worcester and Mr. Albert Barnes responded. [Somerset Standard - Friday 27 July 1906 page 7]

Reference           Somerset Standard - Friday 27 July 1906 page 7