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Barton
Arcade
The Barton Building sits on the south side of Deansgate between St Mary's Gate and St. Ann' Street. The Grade II listed building was designed by Corbett Raby and Sawyer in 1871.     The facade on Deansgate
isn't that interesting but step inside
 and you will find
yourself in something quite different, the glass and
iron Barton Arcade.
 With iron work
from the Saracen Foundry in Glasgow and two glass
domes, the result is described in Pevsner as
"gorgeous". There are three tiers of balconies in
this U-shaped arcade with mahogony handrails.
    The southern
doorway, which opens out onto Barton Square
and a lane beside a building called
Acresfield, takes you out into St. Ann's
Square.
 In 1650 Deans
Gate and Market Street Lane had been laid out
but this really was a field called Acres Field
and it was the site of an annual fair.
 Here is a view of the Deansgate entrance in an earlier time.  Close Window |