What's happening with the old fire station?

[aidanorourke]

How long have I been complaining about the Old Fire Station standing empty and unused, and still it stands empty and unused.

What I love about it are its period details, the Art Nouveau designs and 'busts' of maidens on the exterior.



The sheer exuberance and, by today's standards, political incorrectness and eccentricity of the building are a breath of fresh air. When I first photographed it its age was still in two figures. Now it's over a century old.

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For how much longer will the Old Fire Station be standing in 'limbo'?

[MobBoss]

Originally Posted by aidanorourke

How long have I been complaining about the Old Fire Station standing empty and unused, and still it stands empty and unused.

What I love about it are its period details, the Art Nouveau designs and 'busts' of maidens on the exterior.



The sheer exuberance and, by today's standards, political incorrectness and eccentricity of the building are a breath of fresh air. When I first photographed it its age was still in two figures. Now it's over a century old.

.

For how much longer will the Old Fire Station be standing in 'limbo'?

Britannia hotel group have submitted plans to MCC for a new hotel. I understand that the new plans are in the process of being rubber stamped

[aidanorourke]

Thanks for this information. Another hotel in a refurbished building - the Macdonald Manchester hotel is in the former BT building just a stone's throw away, and the Malmaison in the Joshua Hoyle building, just a couple of minutes the other way. I will be following the redevelopment of the Old Fire Station one very closely!

[Phil Blinkhorn]

It's an interesting barometer of just how far Manchester has advanced in tourism and business since I started the GMC Conference Office in July 1978.

I had just 5 city centre hotels to offer:

The Midland - in the minds of most the "premier" hotel but rather basking in faded glory.



The Piccadilly - very 1960s but trading on 5 stars at the time.

The Grand - tatty and out of date.

The Portland - very modern but, due to being a poorly converted warehouse, offering some very small and oddly laid out rooms.

The Mitre - at the Cathedral Gates, just 23 bedrooms in what was little more than a pub.

[aidanorourke]

And today we have... lots of hotels in Manchester city centre. But from the point of view of restoration of an older building, there are some great examples of how older buildings can be converted into hotels, retaining features of the original building:

The Radisson Edwardian Free Trade Hall hotel - Controversial, especially Manchester city council's original proposal for a cooling tower shaped building above the older facade. This was rejected in favour of the design by Roger Stephenson architects, which was completed a few years ago. I think it works very well, making sensitive use of the 1854 listed facade, but some still think the facade shouldn't have been used in this way.



The Malmaison - Converted from the Joshua Hoyle building - the exterior is very impressive, the interior very stylish. A contemporary extension works well in contrast to the original building from the 'grand warehouses' era.

What other hotels in Manchester have successfully re-used an older building and what are the assets of the Old Fire Station from the point of view of conversion into a hotel?

[Phil Blinkhorn]

The Portland was the first followed by the Britannia. The conversion of Watts warehouse to the Britannia was extremely controversial at the time and planning permission was a long time in coming due to its listed status.

One of the partners in the project, Alex Langsam, took me up to the top of what was just a shell at one stage of the development when all work had ceased due to planning problems.

He jokingly said that I was to be the first council official he was going to throw off the top of the building, others would follow at intervals until full permissions were granted. When I pointed out that I was employed by the County and it was the City that dealt with planning he said he didn't care!!



Eventually the Britannia was completed but the construction inside the shell was complex due to the dozens of iron pillars which supported the floors and which had to be kept rather than replaced by more modern supports

Whilst the foyer and magnificent staircase were complemented by the stunning chandelier, many of the rooms were restricted due to the pillars and some have no external walls or ceiling, being entirely enclosed - though they are popular with long haul air crew.

[aidanorourke]

That's very interesting about the long haul aircrews who like the windowless rooms at the Britannia Hotel. Below is a photo I took in 1997 when all the lights were working on the exterior.

[Phil Blinkhorn]

Manchester is awash with hotels in buildings originally designed for other purposes. Apart from the many hotels in the southern suburbs which occupy one or more converted large houses, knocked together, extended and modified in various ways, outside the city the Cresta Court at Altrincham is an hotel conversion as it occupies a building designed to be an office block.

Back in the city centre, the Gardens Hotel occupies 55 Piccadilly, the former home of Manchester Corporation Transport Department's Head Office. I wonder if the ghosts of Messrs Mattinson, Pilcher and Neal look down from the windows and shake their heads at the lack of red and white or cream buses and the often chaotic scenes of buses jostling for road space below, which is a direct result of deregulation, and contemplate their many battles with the City of Manchester Police regarding the numbers of buses permitted on Market St and Piccadilly in less liberal times.

The Britannia Sachas is in the old C&A building on Oldham St. The Hollywood International on London Rd and the Dominion on Princess St both occupy buildings which, in a former life, housed offices and warehousing.

The Place on Ducie St is a grade 2 listed building which was once the London Warehouse of the Great Central Railway.

The Palace Hotel on Oxford Rd was once the Refuge Building, headquarters of the Refuge Assurance whilst the North Tower (formerly Highland House) now houses a Premier Travel Inn and apartments instead of the Inland Revenue for which it was built.

There are a few more which I'll leave for other members to find.

[Ashtonian]

[MobBoss]

Finally, i have the vidoes of my recent 'visit' to the olf fire station.

Video 1

YouTube - London road


Walked down from the second floor, past the old laundry and past my old flat. The door I go through is the back door to the police station. Down the stairs is the old custody area (still in tact) the cells are still fully furnished and the keys were in one of the cell doors.

the main door is opens up onto the main road opposite the new car park and Monroes pub.

Video 2

Opposite side of the building on the top floor. These stairs were the main set for the fire station. They lead to all the offices and down to the engine house.

YouTube - london road

Vidoe 3

Same side as the first clip. this is the top floor laundry and is still in fuill working order. The dryer you see me pull out is where I cracked my head open when I was two. Rushed to St marys and kept in for 2 weeks. The was usd by all the residents on the station

YouTube - london road


Video 4.

YouTube - London road 3

Main view of the yard from the drill tower. As you can see, full of containers and stuff for the brittania hotel group.


Video 5.

YouTube - London road 2

Station commanders office. His office has a pole directly into the engine house. of all the 10 poles, this is the only one that i could get to. I lefted the cover off and you can see the engine house floor.


Video 6.

YouTube - London road fire Station

This is the old station bar, pub, ballroom and gym. The bar is still fully in tact and the gym floor still has all the marks of the equipment on it.

When in use, it had 2 snooker tables and a resident band at the weekend.


there is tons I can tell you about this place and many more pics and vidoes.

The one I really want is the main engine house, but this sevtion is alarmed and contains all the furniture that go in the hotel rooms. I could have got in via a side door, but didn't risk it.

Hope you all enjoy them as much as I did taking them. brough back so mnay memorys for me and my parents.

They moved out in 1972 but remember like yesterday