John Whinnerah Institute

The preserved Abbey Road frontage of the John Whinnerah Institute in 2016

The John Whinnerah Institute is a Grade II listed Art Deco building and former educational establishment located on Abbey Road in Barrow-in-Furness, England.^[1] Having been constructed between 1937 and 1938 on the site of the demolished Jute Works it is the newest listed structure in the town,^[1] despite this it was drastically altered in 2004 when the entire interior was demolished to accommodate new retail units leaving only the Abbey Road and Hindpool Road facades.^[2]

The building was constructed post the Unemployment Act 1934 specifically to house the Barrow Women's Institute and Junior Instruction Centre which had been using temporary premises since founding in 1925.^[1] The building is a major success story of early 20th-century attempts to improve educational facilities for young people and women from the poorest areas of major industrial towns and cities in the UK.^[1] The John Whinnerah Institute was ultimately described by the President of the National Union of Teachers, as 'the finest Women's Institute in this country'.^[1] The building was named in honour of John Whinnerah, the Mayor of the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness between 1928-1929 and 1929-1930.^[3]

The original footprint of the John Whinnerah Institute is now occupied by a Next and Brantano store, which form part of Hindpool Retail Park.^[2]

References

1. "John Whinnerah Institue Building with gate piers to front and bicycle shed in rear wall". English Heritage. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
2. "40 extra jobs as Next moves to bigger site". North West Evening Mail. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
3. "Barrow-in-Furness Town Hall Collection John Whinnerah". Dock Museum. Retrieved 2 December 2012.