The Industrial architecture of Manchester and the North-West

David Turner
Apr 15
3 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

A black and white photograph of the lock on the Rochdale Canal in Ancoats, Manchester, taken with a slow shutter speed. — *Rochdale Canal, Ancoats*

Pretext: the Industrial architecture of Manchester

One thing about travelling round the world for work, is that you see things with fresh eyes when you get home. Objects you never noticed before start to jump out, as they jar with the patterns and shapes from elsewhere that your visual cortex has become accustomed to.

Wander around the North-West after time away and what jumps out is the architecture of the cotton and silk towns that initiated the Industrial Revolution. Terracotta that was visually resistant to the polluted air, Ruskinian Gothic straight out of the Stones of Venice, Corinthian columns supporting huge sandstone pediments, and above all many tonnes of red bricks.

Photograph of a sandstone decorative Ancone double-scroll bracket on the exterior of St. Ann's church in Manchester UK — *Ancone console bracket: detail that doesn't have to be there, but is*

Why did Industrialists build in this architectural style?

Behind the façade however is something arguably more interesting and ripe for abstracting into the modern era. Concepts derived from antiquity, religion, moral objectives, commerce, inequality, ego and a sense of mortality. The ultra-wealthy of the day funded these buildings - and remember this was the richest area of the British Empire, and by extension the world, at the time - and they wanted to impose their legacy and image on the area in a pre-digital world. Which meant constructing buildings with architecture, materials, and craftsmanship second to none.

Iron decorative works above Victorian shopping arcade, Quay Street, Manchester — *Iron decorative works above Victorian shopping arcade, Quay St.*

This results in noticeable juxtapositions to the equivalent vanity projects of today. Look up from street-level at the buildings of these post-industrial towns, and you'll see an attention to detail that verges on the absurd. Hundreds of feet in the air, intricate stonework and architectural flourishes are placed too high to be seen by the man on the street. The accountants never got a look in - nothing was rushed or half-finished, the materials are selected for quality, nothing is left without decoration. Even the utilitarian warehouses were built to last, with deep-set brick walls capable of holding huge weights of goods and machinery, illuminated by orderly arrays of vast windows allowing the floors to be flooded with natural light. In fact they still look good enough today to be converted into luxury apartments - a fate the sheet-metal warehouses of business parks across 21st century Britain won't succumb to.

A colour-photograph of classic Manchester industrial-era red brick warehouses — *Classic Manchester brick warehousing*

Why was this done in such a way? The local industrialists were genuinely local is one reason. They spent more time in the vicinity of their business and would have been known by most townspeople. They needed to maintain a reputation of solidity and trust, which meant constructing buildings of quality and architectural value. And if they wanted to borrow money, or pay a supplier or worker later down the line, they needed a solid-looking building to create the required bond that they weren't going to disappear prior to settling the bill. You see this concept at work in the old 'Royal London Friendly Society' insurance building on the corner of Deansgate and Atkinson St. where heavy, rusticated stonework projects an image of permanence.

Photograph of the Royal London Friendly Society and Sunlight House buildings near to Deansgate, Manchester — *Royal London Friendly Society (foreground) with the Art Deco Sunlight House behind*

Architecture as an anti-revolutionary tool

Then there were the political aims and self-preservation behind many of the seemingly noble ideas of 'civilising the working classes' through exposure to classical architectural styles. Prima facie, the funding of municipal buildings that referenced ancient Greece and Rome were a way of instilling culture into the workforce. The more cynical explanation being a fear of revolution as had happened in France; the idea being that if you gave exquisite municipal buildings to the local population, they might not overthrow you and thus you'd avoid an afternoon out with the guillotine.

Photograph of Manchester Central Library architecture and new glass entrance — *Manchester Central Library, influenced by the Pantheon in Rome and built in Portland stone*

The post-industrial portfolios

And all this was the catalyst for my recent portfolio projects covering the Industrial architecture of Manchester, Salford, Stockport and Macclesfield. What used to be subconsciously dismissed as dilapidated, vermin-infested satanic mills, wonky rows of grimy-looking terraces and murky canals strewn with traffic cones and shopping trolleys, suddenly looks interesting when your mind has gotten used to the styles of other continents.

Part of the project is about noticing those details, uncovering the influences and psychology behind them, and understanding the context of the times.

Albums related to this study are in the portfolio section of the site.

David Turner is the founder of Kói, an independent strategic consultancy advising senior leaders and investors on high-value decisions across technology and adjacent creative fields.