Manchester Royal Exchange (Architectural Competition)

MANCHESTER ROYAL EXCHANGE. - The board of directors of the Manchester Royal Exchange, at their last meeting (Sir Arthur Haworth, chairman, presiding), adopted the recommendation of their assessor. Mr J. S. Gibson, FRIBA, on the designs sent in by thirty‑seven competitors for the rebuilding of the Exchange as follows: 1^st Messrs. Bradshaw, Gass, and Hope. 19, Silverwell‑street, Bolton: 2nd Mr T. Edwin Cooper, 4. Verulam‑buildings, Gray's Inn, London. WC; 3rd Messrs Thomas Halliday and Claude Paterson, 14, John Dalton  Street, Manchester. The winners of the second and third places will each receive a premium of 100 guineas.

THE THIRD DESIGN.  The design placed third, by Messrs  Halliday and Paterson, was, so far as the  Exchange was concerned, a compromise  between the types shown in the first and  second designs. There was a similar hall on either side; but of the intervening  space, the centre portion only was taken  up the full height, the end portions being  kept low, with roof‑lights over. As in the  first design, entrances to the Exchange  were provided in the centre of the Cross street  and Exchange‑street fronts. This  design was the only one of the premiatcd  ones in which the passage was placed in  the position suggested on the site plan.  This obviated the necessity of disturbing  the shops at present in Bank‑street, but  did not tend to improve the remainder of  the ground floor. In fact, this design  might easily have been improved, both in  plan and elevation (especially the latter), had the authors shown a little more courage in "scrapping" the old work,  instead of making sacrifices to retain it. [Building News 23 January 1914  Page 110-111].

Reference    Building News 2 January 1914 Page 42
Reference    Building News 23 January 1914  Page 110-111
Reference    Building News 23 January 1914  Page 118