Consort House 12 South Parade

[Steve Jones]

I was waiting for my bus tonight and idly really looked at the building opposite with new eyes.I realised it has 2 really good carvings on it.Here is a flickr link to a picture of it:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/seant_25/4092791009/

The carved head on the bottom window and phoenix at the top arch were what I meant.
I : wondered about it's history

[raveydavey]

I can't help you with the history of Consort House Steve, but it's amazing how much good stuff there is to spot in the city centre if you have the time to just look around.

[Leodian]

Hi Steve .

These 3 photos that I took of the building on July 4 2013 may be of interest. I don't though have a zoomed-in view of the phoenix carving high up. Perhaps I just could not get a reasonable shot into view!

[uncle mick]

I am not really sure about this....................

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex ... f003r.html 1886 Map

[Steve Jones]

Thanks for the replies.I did wonder if it was an Insurance office with the Phoenix.Interesting architecture.

[Leodian]

This is a zoomed-in photo of the phoenix that I took today (December 4 2014).

[BLAKEY]

In the first of the three of Leodian's pictures there is something that turns back the clock 66 years for me !! In the white building on the left, the former Century House 13/14 South Parade, the offices where I started work at sixteen years old in 1952 can be seen on the corner of the ground floor of the the building next to the alleyway.
The enormous and generous salary was £120 less income tax and NI and a daily journey from Ilkley for the pleasure. Not bad you may say - but I meant £120 PER ANNUM !! The ground floor of number 13 (shown) was the office of the Friends Provident Life Office and the Century Insurance Company. Would I like to go back to those days - well yes I would and would relish the chance to do everything again - some things I would gladly do the same again and others I'd definitely proceed totally differently - "C'est la Vie" as they say.