manchester mancunians expats
Saturday, 13th March 2004
All fired up
Susan Press LONDON Road Fire Station, at the eastern gateway to Manchester city centre, looks more than a little sad at present. So let's hope there is a viable future for the place which used to be the focal point of the city's emergency services. The building has lain derelict and unused for around 20 years - but the portents are good, as a concerted campaign has now been launched to preserve this fine example of Edwardian architecture, which stands opposite Piccadilly Station. Backers include the Civic Society and local councillors who hope the owners can get their act together and revive it for the 21st century. London Road closed as a fire HQ in the mid-1980s, and, a couple of decades on, the rot has set in a bit and it is now on the national English Heritage "Building At Risk" register, which means that it may not survive unless a feasible use for it is found in the next few years or so. Designed and built by Woodhouse, Willoughby & Langham from 1904-1906, this Grade II* listed building also housed a police station and a coroner's court, as well as about 40 spacious on-site apartments, where the firemen lived with their families, in the days when premium accommodation was hard to come by and most ordinary people rented their homes.
Training A training tower kept the firemen fit, and, in its heyday, the station also boasted its own library, stables, bank and gymnasium. All this opulence was in pretty stark contrast to the neighbourhood around. Chorlton-on-Medlock, or "Little Ireland" as it was also known, due to its huge Irish Catholic population at the turn of the 20th century, was very poor and awash with pubs, pawnshops, mills and factories. Which gave the firemen plenty to do when things went wrong. During the Second World War, fire crews faced their most desperate tasks of all, as they left the building night after night to put out hundreds of ravaging fires caused by German bombing raids on key commercial and manufacturing centres. One stray bomb destroyed St Augustine's Church, in nearby York Street, and claimed the life of the parish priest. At the height of the Blitz, the firemen rescued thousands of people trapped in their homes and were just as heroic as the lads on the front line. The area immediately around the fire station also suffered severe damage - a direct hit, with part of the roof blasted off and several chimneys wrecked. The bravery of the firemen was recognised when King George VI and the Queen (later the Queen Mother) visited it. In those days, it would have been inconceivable that the fire station would one day become redundant. But times change, as did the needs of the fire and emergency services, and, after 80 years of sterling work, the fire crews left. Over the years, there have been lots of plans for the building. There was much talk, at one time, of turning it into luxury flats, and, given the renaissance of many other old buildings into loft apartments, it is a little strange that it has not been snapped up.
Campaigners
Owners Britannia Hotels have pledged that the exterior of the building will be cleaned, while they ponder its future. Concerned members of Manchester Civic Society are also hoping to draw attention to its plight - in much the same way as campaigners helped the multi-million project to restore Victoria Baths, a couple of miles down the road. The state of the building is a bit ironic, given the £65m which was ploughed into the restoration of Piccadilly railway station, opposite, for the Commonwealth Games. But, as things stand, its long-term future is still unknown. Chances are that, sooner or later, it will be restored to its former glory. At least, that's what the campaigners fervently hope.
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