A well-known piece of Airdrie historical past has been saved and is being expertly preserved at Lanarkshire’s museum of business life.
The landmark stone bearing the identify of division retailer Orr’s was specifically rescued forward of the constructing’s demolition final 12 months, and is now safely in storage on the Summerlee attraction in Coatbridge.
It's shortly on account of be added to Tradition NL Museums’ on-line assortment, permitting guests so as to add their very own recollections regarding the enterprise which was an Airdrie establishment; and curators hope that it may ultimately go on bodily show.
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The stone was a well-recognized sight on the entrance to the South Bridge division retailer, an Airdrie landmark which was run by 5 generations of the identical household till closing down 14 years in the past.
After mendacity empty ever since amid a string of difficulties with makes an attempt to repurpose it, the constructing lastly disappeared from the city centre streetscape final 12 months and is being changed with 20 council flats and two retail models.
Contractors finishing up the two-month demolition undertaking final autumn took particular care to avoid wasting the distinguished stone from the outside of the shop’s most important entrance, to permit it to be saved for Summerlee the place it's now being stored.
Industrial historical past curator Justin Parkes informed Lanarkshire Reside: “One of many native councillors had raised this, asking if the stone could possibly be stored, and the contractor was ready to verify it could possibly be preserved and retrieved.
“They had been capable of extract it by breaking the stones spherical about it and did a very nice job; we had been then capable of go all the way down to the demolition web site they usually loaded it for us to remove.
“We’ll get a conservator to have a look at it because the stone wants some care and a spotlight as there’s a little bit of abrasion from through the demolition, nevertheless it’s strong and we’re actually happy to have it.
“It’s actually essential to have objects like this – folks bear in mind congregating outdoors Orr’s and seeing it, and completely different generations all bear in mind the shop so it has actually robust neighborhood curiosity.
“We’d love to have the ability to show it in future and can take into consideration when and the place finest to try this, and presumably take a look at making use of for exterior funding to do one thing with it because it has lots of recollections.
“It’s going into our on-line assortment; our subsequent web site replace is due very quickly and it'll enable folks to see pictures and details about it and in addition to go away feedback if they've data associated to it.”
Airdrie’s family-run division retailer was based by John Orr and his brother James in 1957, initially as a clothiers primarily based at Stirling Avenue within the city centre.
Earlier problems with Airdrie native historical past journal The Raddle inform how the enlargement of Orr’s noticed the store initially transfer to bigger area at Financial institution Avenue after which by 1896, again to South Bridge Avenue the place its proprietor acquired the unique constructing, adjoining bakery, 4 flats above the store and adjoining weavers’ cottages.
The acquainted three-storey block and basement was then constructed on the positioning, subsequently being prolonged up, down and to the rear and that includes the distinguished gable ends bearing the shop’s identify which had been a landmark sight within the city centre till 2021.
Orr’s continued to be run by an extra three generations of the household till lastly shutting its doorways in June 2007, simply wanting its a hundred and fiftieth anniversary.
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