Building record 1160/0/622 - 2 Abington Street and 1 Wood Hill

Former Burtons, in the chain's distinctive house style, built 1937. The foundation stone, laid by Arnold James Burton in 1937 survives on Wood Hill.

{1} Pilastered block by Hillier, Parker, May & Rowden, 1935.

{2} Foundation stone survives, laid by Arnold James Burton 1937.

{3} List description for former Burton's store in Hull: 'Montague Burton (the ‘tailor of taste’) was one of the first chain stores and specialised in formal clothes for men. It became the largest men's clothing organisation in the world, offering quality clothes at the cheapest possible prices. The founder Meshe David Osinsky (1885-1952), a Lithuanian Jewish emigre who changed his name to Montague Burton, was a pioneer in the field of industrial welfare in an exploitative industry and was knighted in 1931 for furthering industrial relations and international peace. By the early to mid-1920s the retailer was erecting purpose-built department stores in a distinctive house style to designs by the Leeds architect Harry Wilson. An in-house architects’ department was set up around 1932 and led by Wilson until around 1937. The chain of shops expanded from 36 in 1919 to 595 by 1939. Burton would employ an estate agent to find suitable sites in prominent locations, ideally occupying corner plots ... The sites were inspected by Burton’s Deputy Manager, Archibald W Wansbough (1880-1961) or by Montague Burton himself.'

<1> Bailey, B, Pevsner, N, and Cherry, B, 2013, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p. 446 (Book). SNN111989.

<2> Jeremai Smith, Laid By Monty (Website). SNN117099.

<3> Historic England, Ongoing, The National Heritage List for England, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1219833; Accessed 09/06/2026 (Website). SNN113215.

Record last edited

Jun 9 2026 1:42PM