Scaffolding comes down on Hull's historic Burton building as its '1930s grandeur' is restored

A milestone moment has been reached in the restoration of the historic Burton building in Hull city centre.

For almost two years, scaffolding has been in place on the sides of the iconic structure at the corner of Whitefriargate and Carr Lane. However, it has now been mostly removed revealing an impressive, eye-catching restoration of the granite-clad building. The Grade II-listed structure, which was previously home to the retailer Burton, has been a mainstay in the city centre since 1936.

There were initial fears about the future of the famed building after Burton closed its doors for the last time in 2020 when the retailer's former parent company Arcadia went into administration. The brand was later sold to Boohoo.com and became online only, with all its stores closing permanently.

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Hull developer Wykeland Group bought the building, and later announced a huge £2.4m restoration plan to restore it to its former glory.

Wykeland secured major investments to move forward with the project, including through Hull City Council’s Levelling Up Fund grant scheme, which has given £750,000, and Historic England, which has granted £450,000 through the High Street Heritage Action Zone. Wykeland is investing a further £1.2m.

Posting on Linkedin this week, Wykeland Group said: "The scaffolding is nearly fully down at our Burton House on Whitefriargate and our regeneration works to restore to its 1930s grandeur has been revealed! With as much as 80 per cent of the original granite cladding being damaged, replacement granite has been procured from the same quarry in Norway, ensuring it matches the geographical origin of the original stone.

"The art deco windows, which suffered significantly from corrosion and distortion, have now been replaced with new windows that honour the original style of the building. The shopfronts have also been revitalised with a new design that reflects historical photos and drawings from the 1930s, and the original entrance to the store has been restored. Additionally, three replica art deco-style Burton signs will be installed in their original positions on the exterior of the building, including parapet signage along the roofline."

The 2,400 sq ft Ground Floor is being offered as available for restaurant or retail use, while the upper floors are available for flexible use - with each floor covering 2,500 sq ft.