St Paul’s New Schools, Mulberry Street, Hulme, Manchester

The main building (of St Paul’s New Schools, Hulme), occupies the entire site 58 feet 8 inches by 39 feet. The site being small and expensive and the accommodation required being too great to allow for a playground, the difficulty has been met by having unusually lofty, spacious and well-ventilated rooms. The building is of two storeys. The ground floor has a large infants’ schoolroom, 52 feet 6 inches by 25 feet, which occupies two-thirds of the space; the other third being devoted to a good stone staircase, offices and committee room. Under the committee room is a cellar-kitchen, communicating with both school rooms by means of a hoist. The upper room is large and well-proportioned and measures 52 feet 6 inches by 37 feet 6 inches and is effectively divided into four bays, the tie beams being supported by ornamental brackets. The roof is not entirely open to the ridge, the upper part being ceiled, thus leaving a space which is used for ventilation. The height of the wall-plate from the floor is 14 feet and the height to the centre of the ceiling is 23 feet. The roof timbers are stained brown oak. The general character of the architecture is Gothic. The Mulberry-street front is the only one exposed to view, and possesses few ornamental features, except those attainable from a mixture of red and white bricks and Yorkshire stone dressings. The whole is surmounted with a small bell gable and gilt vane. The contractor is Mr S Bramall, of Hulme; and the architect is Mr R Moffat Smith, of Manchester. [Manchester Guardian 19 January 1861 page 4]

Reference    Builder 26 January 1861 Page 61
Reference    Manchester Guardian 19 January 1861 page 4