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Reading landmark gets new lease of life
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One of Reading's most impressive buildings is to be reopened after spending a decade empty.
The old McIlroy department store on Oxford Street has been converted into 58 apartments while keeping the impressive Edwardian façade.
The building, owned by Braemar Investment Management and converted by Kenmore Homes, was originally built in 1903 and was a successful department store, run by the McIlroy family, until it closed in the 1950s.
The ground floor then became a parade of shops, while the upper level were turned into offices, although before the most recent conversion they had been empty for a decade.
Tony Knott, spokesman Braemar Investment, told Reading Evening Post a little about the history of the grand shop.
He said: "It's probably one of the best examples of Edwardian architecture in the town.
"The store's heyday was probably between the wars when department stores were very big. Reading had about five then.
"Most of it closed down in the early 1950s when they succumbed to market forces, but the building was seen as very elaborate because of all the ornaments. It was called Reading’s Crystal Palace."
He also described how inside the store there were rooms where the staff would have lived and even a chapel, which had a stained glass window that still remains.
As well as 58 private flats eight flats converted by Kenmore on behalf of Thames Valley Housing Association, which will make them available to buy under a shared-ownership scheme.
© Adfero 2005
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