Cooke's Building

Cooke's Building is a Grade II listed building located at 104 Abbey Road in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England.
Designed by Howard Evans for businessman Henry Whiteside, Cooke's Building was built in 1875. It is a five-storey building, including a basement and attic. It served as a furniture store for the majority of its history up until 1959 when its owners, 'H Cooke and Sons' entered liquidation. During the 1980s and 1990s, the basement of the Cooke's Building served as the Sub Zero nightclub, but lay vacant throughout the 2000s. In 2012, a £2 million renovation was completed on behalf of Barrow Borough Council. Signal Film & Media, an arts-focused charity, became the primary tenants of Cooke's Building, using it as studios and offices. Today it is called ‘Cooke’s Studios’ and houses many of Barrow’s arts, culture and media organisation. The building is bound by two other Grade II listed buildings – The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel and Oxford Chambers, the latter of which was formerly jointly-listed with Cooke's Building.

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Oxford Chambers

Oxford Chambers is a Grade II listed building located on Abbey Road in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. Oxford Chambers was constructed in 1875 with the intention of it functioning as a commercial property, however the new town's first higher grades school opened within the building in 1880. The school relocated to a larger premises on Duke Street in 1889. A notable feature of the building is a sign reading 'Central Cigar Depot', it also housed a shop selling office supplies in the late 20th century. Despite this, it is most known for containing the extension of the adjacent Travellers Rest social club (which was in turn demolished in 2011). Oxford Chambers lies at the very northern perimeter of the Central Barrow conservation area close to The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel and the neighbouring Cooke's Building.

Co-operative Building, Barrow-in-Furness

The Co-operative Building on Abbey Road in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England is a former department store. Constructed by the Barrow Co-operative Society in 1889 and expanded in 1902 it served as the town's largest such shop up until closure in 1996. Pub operator Wetherspoon opened a venue in the ground floor of the former Co-op Building in 1998 named after the Furness Railway and in 2015 converted the vacant upper floors of the building into a 52-bedroom hotel.

The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel

The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel is a 4-star luxury hotel located on Abbey Road in Barrow-in-Furness, England. The building itself was built from 1871, opening in 1873 and was granted grade II status in 1976. The hotel was built during a period of great economic growth in Barrow, the town was home to the largest steelworks in the world and one of the most important shipyards in the country. The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel soon became Barrow's most prestigious and attracted dignitaries and celebrities from across the world; some of the more notable examples being Charlie Chaplin, D. H. Lawrence and Cary Grant. In 2006, The Duke of Edinburgh Hotel was bought by C2 Investment (Lancaster Brewery) who spent in excess of £3.5 million renovating the building inside and out. The hotel now includes 51 en-suite bedrooms, the 'Consort Bar and Grill' as well as a 100 capacity sub terranean function room called the Vault.

Ritz Cinema, Barrow-in-Furness

The Ritz (later known as the ABC, Astra and Apollo) was a cinema located at the junction of Abbey Road and Holker Street in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The building was designed in a typical Art Deco-style by architect firm Drury & Gomersall and constructed in 1936 on a previously undeveloped site. The first film to be screened was It's Love Again. The building also contained a row of four retail shops at ground floor fronting Abbey Road in addition to a restaurant at one point. Between 1961 and 1977 it was known simply as the ABC; after ABC Cinemas who took over ownership of the premises soon after completion. This changed to the Astra when the venue was bought by Hutchinson Leisure. In this period the cinema was completely refitted, adding two extra screens to the existing one. The largest of the screens seated 640 while the smaller two seated 260 each. In the last part of its functioning life the cinema was named the Apollo after again being purchased; by Apollo Leisure. 1999 saw the completion of Hollywood Park in Barrow and a 6-screen multiplex by Apollo Leisure. As a result, the redundant Apollo Cinema on Abbey Road closed down. Numerous proposals to conserve the building were presented, however a fire gutted the structure in the early 2000s scuppering any hope of redevelopment. Ultimately demolished in 2003, the site is now occupied by Emlyn Hughes House, a four-storey office building now serving as the headquarters of Furness Building Society.