70-72 Eldon Street

Plans were submitted for the construction of this building in 1908, initially they were disapproved by the local council, but were later passed in 1911.

The new shop was proposed by J. Lodge and Son, who were newsagents and stationers. They had occupied part of the previous building since 1889. The new building was numbered 70 and 72 and included a café and billiard room on the above floors with various businesses in number 70 over the years. J. Lodge and Sons occupied number 72. In 1955 the premises was altered, with the ground floor shopping areas combined to make one shop, which J. Lodge and Sons occupied until the late 1970s. It then became a branch of Comet until the mid-1980s when significant alterations to the upper floors took place. The building was also split again into two separate shops when it reopened in around 1990. Today, elements of the rebuild can be seen with some of the original decoration from the top of the building having been incorporated into the newer lower roof level. This includes the sphere-shaped finials and diamond-shaped patterns in the stonework.