W S Wood's Department Store was built from 1933, designed by local architect Sidney Colwyn Foulkes and built by the Ashworth Brothers for Mr W S Woods, originally from the north of England but a seller of (mostly) ladies clothing in Colwyn Bay since 1921. The shop opened on October 15th 1935.

Built of white ashlar Portland stone, the facade design uses a a number of Romanesque elements in the row of nine latticed windows which run the width of the facade, and set within an arcde decorated with a range of carved geometric pattering to the columns, and alternating carved designs to the round-arched heads. Above is an arcading of 22 smaller arches to the corbel table. These are combined with Neo-Egyptian forms to the end pilasters, and further latticing to the leaded coping to the first floor return from the advanced shop front, also inscribed with the repating letter 'W'.

The original shop front, with two doors set either side of rounded dipay windows, and with a central advanced diaply case, has been replaced by a modern UPVC shop front in recent years (post the 1994 listing by Cadw which includes a description of a front in the style of the original). The listing also includes many surviving internal features. In March 2022 the shop (most recently Peacocks) was closed and for let.

S Fielding March 2022

Cadw Listing Database report: https://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/listedbuilding/FullReport?lang=&id=14720

Colwyn Bay Heritage Online: https://colwynbayheritage.org.uk/woods-department-store-station-road/

Site Record

W S Wood's Department Store, 4-6 Station Road, Colwyn Bay