| Nan Tait Centre | |
|---|---|
 The Nan Tait Centre in July 2007 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Barrow-in-Furness,England,United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 54°06′55″N3°13′47″W / 54.115408°N 3.229696°W /54.115408; -3.229696 |
| Current tenants | Various |
| Construction started | 1900 |
| Completed | 1903 |
| Owner | Westmorland and Furness Council |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Woodhouse and Willoughby |
| Main contractor | W Gradwell and Co. |
TheNan Tait Centre is aGrade II listed building located atAbbey Road in theHindpool area ofBarrow-in-Furness,Cumbria, England.[1]
Designed by architects Woodhouse and Willoughby it was built for the Barrow Corporation as the town's new Technical School. The foundation stone was laid on 26 May 1900 and the school was officially opened three years later on 25 August 1903.[1] The Technical School narrowly escapedLuftwaffe bombing duringWorld War II, although its close neighbour Christ Church was almost completely destroyed in April 1941.[2]
In 1970 the technical school was replaced byThorncliffe School inHawcoat. The result was neglected maintenance and the building fell into a near dilapidated state. Despite the situation, the building was ultimately redeveloped in the early 2000s at a cost of £4 million[3] and was named in honour of Agnes "Nan" Tait (Mayor of theBorough of Barrow-in-Furness from 1959 to 1960).[4] The Nan Tait centre is now multifunctional serving as a cultural, exhibition andarts centre as well as a general office building. The Barracudas carnival band,[5] Dare Dance,[6]Capita Symonds,[7] Barrow Borough Sports Council[8] and BarrowRegister Office[9] are all tenants of the centre.
The majority of the Nan Tait Centre is two storey, with the exception of the centrally locateddomed four storey tower.[1] The building is red brick and terracotta with a slate roof and is noted for its two large east-facing engravings; one panel depicts six robed females underneath the moto 'Ars Longa Vita Brevis', whilst the other bears the moto 'Labor omnia vincit' as well as numerous technology-related scenes.[1] Two large gable ends also face onto Bath Street and the centre's car park.[1]
54°06′55″N3°13′47″W / 54.115408°N 3.229696°W /54.115408; -3.229696