Manchester City Police Headquarters

Manchester City Police Headquarters
Photograph of the entrance door
Entrance on Southmill Street
Map
General information
TypePolice station
AddressSouthmill Street, Manchester M2 5GB, England
Town or cityManchester
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates53°28′42.85″N 2°14′47.94″W / 53.4785694°N 2.2466500°W / 53.4785694; -2.2466500
Year(s) built1933–1937
Groundbreaking6 September 1934 (foundation stone)
Construction startedJuly 1933
Completed1937
Opened16 July 1937
Relocated2011
Renovated2022
Closed2014
Cost£100,500
ClientCity of Manchester
OwnerManchester City Police, Manchester City Council
Technical details
MaterialPortland stone, brick
Floor count6
Design and construction
Architect(s)G. Noel Hill
Architecture firmManchester City Architect's Department
Main contractorJ. Gerrard and Sons, Swinton

The Manchester City Police Headquarters historic building is located in Manchester, England.[1] It was built during 1933–37 as the headquarters of the Manchester City Police.[2]

Description

The building is flanked on three sides by Bootle Street (south), Southmill Street (east), and Jackson's Row (north). The main vehicular entrance was in Bootle Street, with the formal entrance door in Southmill Street. Opposite to the east is the Friend's Meeting House, used as a conference centre.[3]

The building was designed by G. Noel Hill,[2] the Manchester City Architect, and erected during 1933–37 by the contractor J. Gerrard and Sons of Swinton.[4] The main facade on Southmill Street is faced with Portland stone and the other walls are of golden honey brick. There was a partially covered 150×50 feet courtyard in the centre of the building.[2] There were six floors in total, a basement, lower ground floor (including cells and a garage), ground floor (including a museum), first floor, second floor to the front and sides, and to the front only a third floor.

The foundation stone for the building was laid by Councillor Reginald Ashley Larmuth, the chairman of the Watch Committee, on 6 September 1934.[5] The building was opened by The Rt Hon. Alderman Joseph Toole JP, then the Lord Mayor of Manchester, on 16 July 1937.

Later developments

Manchester City Police merged with the Salford City Police to create the Manchester and Salford Police in 1968, which itself was amalgamated into the Greater Manchester Police in 1974. In 2011, Greater Manchester Police moved to a new headquarters in north Manchester.[6] The building closed as a police station in 2014.[5]

The site was redeveloped from 2022 including a new 41-storey high-rise building.[7][8][9] The building was largely demolished but the side with the Portland stone facade has been retained.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "A view of the Manchester City Police Headquarters, which was built in the early 1930s and designed by G. Noel Hill". historicengland.org.uk. UK: Historic England. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Manchester City Police Headquarters – City Architect: G. Noel Hill [F.]" (PDF). RIBA Journal. 45 (7): 342–346. 7 February 1938. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Friends' Meeting House Manchester". meetinghousemanchester.co.uk. UK. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  4. ^ Darlington, Neil (2024). "Central Police Headquarters Bootle Street Manchester". A Biographical Dictionary of the Architects of Greater Manchester, 1800–1940. The Victorian Society. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Manchester City Police Headquarters, Bootle Street, M.2". The New Wipers Times. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  6. ^ "Greater Manchester Police given key to new HQ building". BBC News. UK: BBC. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  7. ^ "£400m St Michael's scheme launched in Manchester". businessconnectmagazine.co.uk. UK: Business Connect Magazine. 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  8. ^ "St Michael's Offices and Masterplan Launched in Manchester". salboy.com. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  9. ^ Hyde, John (7 July 2023). "Firms sign up for Gary Neville's Manchester development". lawgazette.co.uk. UK: The Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  10. ^ St Michael's Manchester (2024). "Bowmer and Kirkland Ltd commenced construction of No. 1 St Michael's in January 2022, with this first distinctive phase completing in 2024". LinkedIn. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
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