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A taste for toast

Grade Two listed in 1998, this intriguing example of the post-war architecturas boom is one of the most unusual and distinctive examples of modern design to be spotted in the city.

Why "toast rack?" If you are asking questions, then you probably haven't seen it.

The building, blueprinted by city architect L C Howitt in 1958, stands out as a beacon of brave (some might say foolhardy) design, in the very Victorian district of Fallowfield.

Note

L C Howitt was an architect of some note - he was also responsible for re-modelling the interior of the Free Trade Hall after the original was destroyed by World War Two bomb damage, and he designed the Crown Courts in Crown Square, which opened in 1962.

Leading architecture critic Sir Nicholas Pevsner once described this innovative building as a "perfect piece of pop architecture", and it is true that its striking form somehow embodies the new optimistic mood of the country after the dark years of war and rationing.

Its "new Elizabethan" design was bold and uncompromising, also perhaps more than a little tongue-in-cheek, given the fact that the shape of the building was also dictated by the need to provide new premises for the increasing numbers of catering students embarking on diploma courses, in a world where people actually had money to spend on their leisure and eat out occasionally.

The building was a real architectural coup for the college, which had started life very humbly way, back in 1901, in a single room in Hulme. Its modest aim was to teach the very poor the rudiments of cookery on very low incomes.

They offered classes in "cheap" - and also "middle-class" fare, for the more ambitious and affluent. Mothers who couldn't read were taught home nursing and English, in a classroom at Birley Street School.

In the decades that followed, this shining example of community education went through various incarnations - at one stage it was the Domestic and Trades College, then the Women's and Girls' Institute - at various locations in the city centre.

During the Second World War, special lessons were given to GI brides heading off to America - and rumour has it that the girls (only girls studied domestic stuff in those days) were also taught how to make long johns, in times very much known for their thrift.

After the war, the classes continued to grow, and in 1960 the "toast rack" opened, and Hollings College (as by now it was known) had a new and sometimes controversial home.

Back then, the M.E.N. had plenty to say about it - much of it critical - and many readers expressed similar views. Only a couple of years ago, a member of Manchester Civic Society raged on the internet at the fact that it had become a listed building.

Blot

However, the consensus now is that this is no blot on the landscape, but a building held in affectionate regard by most Mancunians.

Over the years, it has had its problems. There were reports of leaks and draughts, and a heating system that caused more than a spot of bother due to the varying sizes of the rooms. When it became part of Manchester Metropolitan University some years ago, an extensive refurbishment programme helped guarantee its future.

Now it is a flagship seat of learning for the food and fashion industry. The Hollings Campus boasts the largest concentration of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in food, clothing, hospitality and related fields in the UK.

Over 2,000 students are now on programmes there, whether a full-time, sandwich, or part-time - programmes which are vocationally relevant and up-to-date, providing opportunities for industrial experience and job placement.

New links with educational institutions in Europe also enable students to undertake foreign exchanges and placements, in preparation for competing in the European job market.

There are regular gourmet nights and food tastings, and Hollings is looked on as a beacon of excellence by the ever-growing leisure industry. A far cry from those gloomy days in Hulme.

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