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Built in 1912, The Beswick Co-operative Society building on Northbrook Road in south Manchester is a riot of terracotta decorative work. The common combination of red brick and buff terracotta is joined by an unusual pale green, with dark green glazed blocks at ground level. There is a lot of small scale detail to look for such as the eagles on the tower and the gargoyle rain spouts in the form of frogs or newts on the bay windows above the main entrance.

The Beswick Co-operative Society was based in the Ancoats district but was unusually aggressive in developing stores in areas which would have been considered the territory of other Societies.

Typically, as well as retail units at ground level, the building included a Assembly Room on the first floor, and office accommodation. Today the ground floor retains various retail outlets as well as the Northmoor Community Centre. The upper floors have been converted into apartments, all of which should secure the future of this distinctive building, which is Listed Grade II.

Listed buildings and structures are officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. There are over half a million listed structures in the United Kingdom, covered by around 375,000 listings.
Listed status is more commonly associated with buildings or groups of buildings, however it can cover many other structures, including bridges, headstones, steps, ponds, monuments, walls, phone boxes, wrecks, parks, and heritage sites, and in more recent times a road crossing (Abbey Road) and graffiti art (Banksy 'Spy-booth') have been included.

In England and Wales there are three main listing designations;
Grade I (2.5%) - exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important.
Grade II* (5.5%) - particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
Grade II (92%) - nationally important and of special interest.

There are also locally listed structures (at the discretion of local authorities) using A, B and C designations.

In Scotland three classifications are also used but the criteria are different. There are around 47,500 Listed buildings.
Category A (8%)- generally equivalent to Grade I and II* in England and Wales
Category B (51%)- this appears generally to cover the ground of Grade II, recognising national importance.
Category C (41%)- buildings of local importance, probably with some overlap with English Grade II.

In Northern Ireland the criteria are similar to Scotland, but the classifications are:
Grade A (2.3%)
Grade B+ (4.7%)
Grade B (93%)

Read more at Wikipedia Link