Building Name

Warehouse and “Mosley Arms”: 43-45 York Street / 30 Portland Street

Date
1877
Street
Portland Street
District/Town
Manchester
County/Country
GMCA, England
Work
New build

A speculative warehouse development between Back Faulkner Street and Portland Street. In 1883 the warehouse was occupied by John Horrocks & Co, accountants, and Thomas Ainsworth, Manufacturer. A public house at the junction of Portland Street and York Street was again provided in the form of the Portland Bar when the site was eventually redeveloped as the Piccadilly Plaza following destruction in the Second World War.

STREET ARCHITECTURE, MANCHESTER - The building of which we give an illustration this week is situated at the corner of Portland Street and York Street in this city on a valuable site occupied until very recently by a smaller class of property, of which the old "Mosley Arms" occupied the corner. This house has been retained within the new building and occupies its original site. It has been very handsomely and conveniently re-fitted throughout and arranged quite independently of the warehouse portion, with which it has no communication whatever. The building has been designed for the accommodation of one or more tenants, even twenty tenants occupying the building would each have his separate loading doors direct from the lurries and his entrance direct from the principal staircase, approached from Portland-street, or from the smaller entrance on York-street. The water closets (two in number on each floor in connection with which there are lavatories and urinals) are arranged outside the main walls of the building, but are approached directly from the corridors and are well lighted and ventilated. Like the vestibules, staircases and corridors throughout the building, the walls of the water closets are entirely covered with glazed tiling. A loading way for the entrance of lurries is provided out of Back Faulkner-street. This is made to answer the double purpose of getting goods and also light into the centre of the building. This area is lined with white glazed bricks, and has leading from it a back stone staircase communicating with every portion of the building, so that upon the arrival of goods, the fact can be made known to the tenants. The gates to the entrance in Portland-street and the balusters to the principal staircase are of wrought iron of an ornamental character, whilst the handrail is of brass. Mr Carlyle of Canal-street is the contractor for the whole of the work. The carving has been executed by Messrs Williams and Milsom of City-road. The tiling to the walls of the staircases corridors etc and the marble concrete for the floors have been done by Mr Oppenheimer of Cooper-street, and the ornamental ironwork in the gates and staircases have been supplied by Messrs Brown and Downing of Birmingham. The building has been erected by Mr Joseph Deakin of Eller How, near Grange, at a cost of about £18,000. The architects are Messrs Oldham & Wilson of 23 John Dalton Street, Manchester. [The British Architect 19 January 1877 Page 42]

Reference           The British Architect 19 January 1877 Page 42 and illustration