Westgate Road, Cooper's Auction House

Deposited building plans dated 12th March 1897 show the planned construction of Cooper's Auction Yard, a depot for horses, carriages, cycles and auto-cars. This was, in effect, an early multi-storey car park with an oval-shaped auction arena with central galleried space, and stabling for horses on ground and first floors and carriage, cycle and car parking on the second floor where there was also a showroom. Access between floors was by ramps and a carriage lift. The building is of three storeys in red-brown brick. Strange shape of the building was dicated by the available space on the site when it was designed. The office façade and public entrance to the building is ornate, with projecting string courses of yellow sandstone and first and second level and sandstone mouldings. "Cooper's Motor Mart" is picked out in white glazed brick or tile at the end of the building which once housed the vehicle lift added in 1925. LISTED GRADE 2