Cooke's Building

Cooke's Building is a Grade II listed building located at 104 Abbey Road in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England.^[1]

Cooke's Building (centre) in 2015

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.^[2]

During the 1980s and 1990s, the basement of the Cooke's Building served as the Sub Zero nightclub, but lay vacant throughout the 2000s.^[3] 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.^[3] Today it is called ‘Cooke’s Studios’ and houses many of Barrow’s arts, culture and media organisation.^[4]

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.^[1]