Cooper's Motor Mart (Cooper's Studios)

Sometimes as you wander around town you spot something which catches your eye. Walking along Westgate Road my eyes were caught by the white brick lettering up high Cooper's Motor Mart. It's the kind of thing that gets me thinking about the history of a place, its story.

Cooper's Motor Mart, now Cooper's Studios is the home of Ryder Architecture Newcastle. The company kindly put on occasional tours including for the Heritage Weekend. This afforded the perfect opportunity to learn more about the building and its history. It did not disappoint.

The story starts with a man called James Cooper. He originally set up as a horse trader in 1878 at Crown and Thistle Inn in Groat Market. James was evidently successful in these early dealings deciding to go ahead with the construction of a purpose-built premises in 1897 which was described as a depot for 'horses, carriages, cycles and auto-cars'. One of the noticeable things about the construction is how the building follows the shape of land, giving it an irregular shape. No space was left unused by the Victorians!

Cooper's Auction Yard (as it then was) opened on 16 October 1897. The building had accommodation on the ground floor for 150 horses and 20 dogs. There were also shops, offices, harness rooms and caretaker's room. Still visible on the first floor is the 'ladies gallery'. This offered up more comfortable seating away from the 'mess' on the ground floor. The upper second floor was intended as a showroom for carriages and bicycles but the original plans did show the foresight of James Cooper as they noted that the floor was also to be used for the storage of motor cars.

Considering at the time there would not have been many cars on the road the building really captures a significant moment in transport history. There is even a suggestion that this may well be the earliest purpose-built motor car showroom in England. Even if it is not it is almost certainly one of the oldest and the fact the building survives with so many original features in tact makes it extremely special.

When you first walk in you are greeted by a big open space which would have been the auction room and 'horse run'. The old stables are now repurposed into office and meeting room space but you can imagine the noise and smells as horses were paraded up and down to prospective buyers.

The other striking sight is how open the middle of the building is, from the ground to the roof is space, daylight entering via the skylights (an original feature). Looking up you can see the curve of the second floor. The second floor is particularly interesting as the wooden floor almost gives the appearance of a velodrome. The tour guide did say that there are stories about the space having been used for this purpose, but there was no evidence it was (we can believe what we want!). What we do know though is that customers would have used the space to try out bicycles which were stored on the floor.

Everywhere you went there was history in plain sight from old tethering rings, the ladies' gallery, the old windows and offices but the piece de resistance is undoubtedly the original wooden horse ramp. A really visual reminder of a bygone age.

Historic England record that the building was modified firstly in the 1920s when a more powerful lift was installed for the transportation of motor cars (the previous horse lift needed to be capable of lifting heavier cars!), a new shop front, a garage on the second floor and petrol tanks on the ground floor. A ground floor turntable for cars was also added in the 1950s.

The building moved with the times. The building was sold by the Cooper family in 1977 with the Hertz car rental company using it for storage until around the year 2000. At this point the building was left abandoned and was actually scheduled for demolition in 2005. Fortunately, this never went ahead as the uniqueness of the building was recognised and it was given a Grade II listed status.

Ryder Architecture together with Hanro Group and English Heritage worked to restore the building and managed to retain many of its original features in the process. What was of significant interest was that during these works excavations revealed that under the building's foundations are the foundations of another North Eastern landmark, Hadrian's Wall. The discovery proved the course of Hadrian's Wall in the city centre. The course of the wall is also marked outside the nearby Lit and Phil building which is marked by a small plaque.

Another point of interest in the building is a bit more modern as it includes a 'Hyperloop'. This was part of the Great Exhibition of the North in 2018. It was meant to represent futuristic technology which would allow for fast travel between major cities including, it was said, from Newcastle to Leeds in 13 minutes. Judging by the current rail service, it seems we've still a way to go with this! The modern art piece allowed visit to design their own 'carriage' and have it go through the Hyperloop which is reminiscent of postal chutes (like the one in the classic Christmas film Elf!). The tubes run around the main part of the building with twists and turns. It seems fitting that a building immersed in the past of our transport heritage would play host to a look at its prospective future.

The tour guide told the story of how a man traveled the world looking for a building like this just so that he could ride his antique bicycle around it and he did! For me though I didn't need to travel the world to see this special and unique place, it was just two minutes away from my workplace highlighting that you really don't always know what's just around the corner!