Station Buildings (2), Knott Mill Station, Deansgate, Manchester

KNOTT MILL STATION - In 1884 Manchester Corporation approached the MSJAR about the station as it was an "eyesore and nuisance." Improvement plans were drawn up, but it was not until 1891 that an Act was obtained to reconstruct the station and acquire the necessary land. The rebuilding was completed in 1896 and this date appears on a shield motif over the entrance. The station became Knott Mill and Deansgate around 1900 and Deansgate on 3 May 1971. The line was electrified in 1931. 

PROPOSED NEW RAILWAY STATION AT KNOTT MILL. At a recent meeting of the Parliamentary Sub-committee of the General Purposes Committee of the Manchester City Council a report was adopted which stated that the City Surveyor in accordance with the resolution of the Parliamentary Committee, reported that the engineer to the Manchester, South Junction, and Altrincham Railway Company had submitted plans for the alterations proposed at the Knott Mill Station. The scheme proposed will necessitate the demolition of the whole of the block of property situate between Deansgate and Gilbert-street and a portion of the land abutting upon Deansgate to the extent of about 35ft. in depth for building purposes is reserved. The cab approach would commence in Gaythorn-street, adjoining Gilbert-street, and rise from that point at a gradient of 1:20 to the booking hall, at which point the floor level of the booking hall would be 10ft. 10in. above the street level of Deansgate, near to the corner of the Boat House Hotel. Allowing a fall of 6ft. 6in. from the Boat House Hotel to the present entrance to the Knott Mill Station, the floor of the booking hall will stand 17ft. 4in. higher than the first step leading to the present staircase; this height obtained before any steps for the new approach are introduced. The booking hall measures an average length of 58ft.. and varies from 9ft. 6in. to 12ft. width; and this, in the opinion of the City Surveyor, is a narrow and confined place for the purpose. In order to ascend the platform for trains leaving Oxford-road for Bowdon, the approach made by means of subway under the line to the southerly side of the present railway, which subway is only 8ft. wide and 8ft. high. The ascent is by means of a flight of 16 steps, the staircase being only 6ft. wide. On alighting from Bowdon, passengers corning down descend by means of a flight of 24 steps, with a landing in the centre. This staircase is only 8 ft. wide, and for the crowd of people who alight every morning the City Surveyor thinks this staircase should be almost double the width, with a handrail down the centre. At the present time there aro 51 stops, instead of 24 as proposed. The company propose to narrow Hewitt-street to extent averaging from 24ft. to 26ft. in width. The old bye-laws of the Corporation allowed streets of 10 yards in width, but the now bye-laws provide for 12-yard streets, and although Hewitt-street can never be an important thoroughfare, still it forms the principal means of access to a considerable number of streets and houses in that district. When this matter was before the Parliamentary Committee in 1889 the committee practically gave their consent to Hewitt-street being narrowed to the extent shown by the strong broken black line, which shows an average width of 34 feet, and the City submitted for the reasons above stated that such line should be adhered to, and the plans revised accordingly. The company also propose to widen their bridge across Deansgate to the extent of 7 ft. on the northerly side and 11 ft., on the southerly side, which was practically consented to by the committee in 1889. The sub-committee resolved that the Mayor, Deputy-Mayor, Aldermen J. Thompson and Hopkinson, and Councillor Clay be requested to have interview with representatives of the Manchester, South Junction, and Altrincham Railway, with a view to further explanations. [Manchester Courier - Saturday 2 January 1892 page 7]

TO BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS – The Directors of the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway Company invite Tenders for the erection of new Station Buildings and the widening of the bridge carrying the railway over Deansgate at Knot Mill Manchester. Drawings may be inspected at the Company’s Offices, Oxford Road Station, Manchester, on or after Wednesday 23 January. [Manchester Guardian 22 January 1895 page 1]

KNOTT MILL STATION - The contract for the alterations and improvements at the above station was let on Saturday last to Messrs Robert Neill and Sons, of Manchester. The total sum is just under £20,000 and operations will be commenced as early as possible. [Manchester Evening News - Monday 25 February 1895  page 2] 

KNOT MILL STATION IMPROVEMENT, LANCASHIRE - Considerable progress has been made during the past few months with the new station buildings at Knot Mill, near Manchester. The main entrance will front Deansgate. The design is Gothic in style, and the material used is red brick, with carved stone facings. The building will be surmounted by a clock-tower. From this entrance—which is faced internally with dark-brown brick and a gold and brown dado—there is a slight incline, leading by an easy flight of steps, 15 feet wide, into the booking hall. To accommodate vehicular traffic, the approach will be from Gaythorn-street to the booking offices by an incline of about 1 in 20. In front of these offices there will be a large awning, with wide footpaths on each side of the roadway. There will also be a shelter for cabmen. After leaving the booking-hall, a slight ascent and a wide staircase bring the passenger to a subway, from which the platform is reached by an easy flight of some nineteen steps. The platforms will be considerably widened and raised so as to be almost level with the step; of the carriages On the Bowdon side there will be a general waiting-room, as also waiting rooms for the various classes of passengers. with ante-rooms and other conveniences. On the Deansgate side are the station master’s offices, ticket-collectors‘ rooms, and ladies‘ and general waiting rooms. The platforms will be covered, the roofing being of steel work. The street running parallel with the Rochdale Canal is to be widened 75 feet. The new buildings are from drawings provided by the joint engineers of the London and North-Western and Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway Companies (Messrs. Francis Stevenson and Alexander Ross), and the contractors are Messrs. R. Neill & Sons, of Manchester. [Builder 30 November 1895 page 403]

NEW RAILWAY: WORKS IN MANCHESTER. KNOTT RAILWAY STATION - Although the new railway station for Knott Mill and Deansgate will not be actually completed before the end of September, the builders are striving to push the works sufficiently forward for partial use to be made of the premises on the August Bank Holiday. All the walls are constructed, the roof timbers are in position, and, although much remains to be accomplished externally and internally before the contractors’ workmen can be withdrawn, the building has reached a stage when its future utility and its architectural value to the neighbourhood can alike be fairly well gauged by inspection. It was, of course, impossible to imagine that any successor to the old Knott Mill Station could equal that structure for ugliness, inconvenience, and inadequacy to the present day needs of railway travellers. But the designers of the new station, Messrs. Stimpson and Ross, engineers of the companies jointly forming the Manchester South Junction, and Altrincham Railway Company, have not been content with a mere improvement upon the former antique and dilapidated depot. They have succeeded in placing upon its somewhat awkward site a building of most presentable appearance on all sides, and one which promises to be exceedingly commodious and conveniently arranged for passengers and also for the employees of the company. The main entrance frontage is at the corner of Deansgate and Gaythorn-street. The lines are at a considerable height from the street level, and the platforms are upon the second floor from the entrance. On the first floor is the booking hall, approached from Deansgate by an incline and stairs. From the booking hall another incline and a staircase lead to the platform level, and a subway communicates with a staircase going up to the opposite platform. These slopes and staircases have walls lined with glazed brick of various colours. The outer walls of the building are of red brick in Deansgate and Gaythorn-street, and in Hewitt-street, which is the southern boundary of the railway at that point, the bricks are buff. Yorkshire stone dressings are employed, and the Hewitt-street elevation, just referred to, embraces a somewhat novel use of steel stanchions and girders as for the super-structure. Besides finding room for offices connected with the station proper, the design includes a couple of shops in Deansgate, near to the main entrance. Close to this part the railway crosses Deansgate by a girder bridge of 77 feet span, which, along with the shapely and strong abutments on which the girders rest, has been erected as a part of the scheme. This bridge is utilised on its upper part for platform purposes, on either side of the line 80ft. of platform beyond the covered portion. On each side, too, are waiting rooms for all classes of passengers. As about 210 feet length of covering is employed, there is a total walk on either side of nearly 500 feet long. Luggage hoists will be fixed on either Platform, with a connecting subway for the passage of the trucks. Gaythorn-street, which is on the side of the railway nearest the city, is being considerably widened in connection with the Corporation undertaking which seeks to open out a great continuous thoroughfare from London-road to the Ship Canal Docks at Pomona. Over the main entrance at the corner of this street is a clock turret, and from the street itself the company is constructing a cab approach with easy gradient up to the station. [Manchester Courier - Thursday 9 July 1896 page 8]

The new railway station at Knot Mill, Manchester, being now well advanced towards completion, was brought into partial use on Monday. The platforms have been partially roofed with steel and glazed, and raised, widened, and lengthened on the Deansgate side, where the bridge has also been widened by steel girders to the extent of 80ft. The buildings have been erected from designs by the joint engineers of the London and North-Western and Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway Companies (Messrs. Francis Stevenson and Alexander Ross), and the contractors for the work are Messrs. R. Neill and Sons. [Building News 18 September 1896 page 436]

At Knot Mill the new Station is well advanced towards completion. The main entrance is faced with dark-brown glazed bricks and a gold and brown dado. and there is a slight incline to an easy flight of steps, 15 ft. wide, which leads into the Booking Hall. A subway leads to the down platform. The platforms have been raised, widened and lengthened on the Deansgate side, where the Bridge has also been widened by steel girders to the extent Of 80 ft. Lifts will be used to raise passengers' luggage from the Booking Hall to the different platforms. The platforms are partially roofed with steel and glazed. The buildings have been erected from designs by the joint engineers Of the London and North Western and Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Companies (Messrs. Francis Stevenson and Alexander Ross), and the contractors for the work are Messrs. R, Neill and Sons. [Builders Journal 23 September 1896 page 111]  

KNOTT MILL STATION - The new entrance to Knott Mill Station from Deansgate was thrown open yesterday and the entrance in Gaythorn Street which has been. in temporary use, was closed. The convenience of the new entrance when the heavy morning trains arrived was very evident, and on occasions when cricket matches at Old Trafford swell the traffic enormously the advantage will be still more apparent. The making of the new entrance, which has been fully described, was commenced in March 1895, and has therefore occupied about a year and a half. [Manchester Courier - Tuesday 15 September 1896 page 6]