John Whinnerah Institute
The John Whinnerah Institute is a Grade II listed Art Deco building and former educational establishment located on Abbey Road in Barrow-in-Furness, England.[1] Having been constructed between 1937 and 1938 on the site of the demolished Jute Works it is the newest listed structure in the town,[1] despite this it was drastically altered in 2004 when the entire interior was demolished to accommodate new retail units leaving only the Abbey Road and Hindpool Road facades.[2]
The building was constructed post the Unemployment Act 1934 specifically to house the Barrow Women's Institute and Junior Instruction Centre which had been using temporary premises since founding in 1925.[1] The building is a major success story of early 20th-century attempts to improve educational facilities for young people and women from the poorest areas of major industrial towns and cities in the UK.[1] The John Whinnerah Institute was ultimately described by the President of the National Union of Teachers, as 'the finest Women's Institute in this country'.[1] The building was named in honour of John Whinnerah, the Mayor of the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness between 1928-1929 and 1929-1930.[3]
The original footprint of the John Whinnerah Institute is now occupied by a Next and Cancer Research store, which form part of Hindpool Retail Park.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Historic England. "John Whinnerah Institute Building with gate piers to front and bicycle shed in rear wall (1389529)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ a b "40 extra jobs as Next moves to bigger site". North West Evening Mail. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ^ "Barrow-in-Furness Town Hall Collection John Whinnerah". Dock Museum. Archived from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2012.