The Albion
Hotel
It seems like they brought the roof-top sign with them from the hotel in Piccadilly.
John J Parkinson-Bailey,
in "Manchester - An
Architectural History", says that "In
1770 there was only one stagecoach to London and one
to Liverpool, and these ran twice a week, but by 1816
there were seventy district coaches; fifty-four set
out every day and sixteen others three times a
week. Trade between London and the provinces
were increasingly rapidly, and hotels sprang up on
Market Street and at the top of Mosley Street to cater
for travellers."
One of these hotels was The Albion Hotel (indicated by the red arrow above) on the corner of Oldham Street and Piccadilly. In the image above the hotel occupies the first building from the left and the upper floors of the building next door.
The Albion Hotel, on the corner of Oldham Street, was
demolished to make way for the new Woolworth's store in
1928."
One of these hotels was The Albion Hotel (indicated by the red arrow above) on the corner of Oldham Street and Piccadilly. In the image above the hotel occupies the first building from the left and the upper floors of the building next door.
Among the references
I have found to the Albion Hotel were two related to
the founding of organizations. In November
1893 at a meeting of founder members of the
Institution of Electrical Engineers at the
Albion Hotel, Piccadilly, a draft constitution for
the new Society was approved and this date marks the
inauguration of the Northern Society of Electrical
Engineers. The founder President was Dr John
Hopkinson FRS, a distinguished Mancunian and a past
President of the IEE in London. On 17 November
1906, an historic meeting was held in the Albion
Hotel, Piccadilly, Manchester, when 70 journalists
agreed to start a national campaign for a
journalists' union, which became the NUJ. The
Manchester Branch of the Rotary Club had their
innaugral meeting there too and used the hotel as a
regular meeting venue. In one account of the
hotel the writer referred to the Albion as "the
white hotel. In the image below you can see it
in that white condition.
The hotel can be seen again second from the left below.
The hotel can be seen again second from the left below.
The images below,
shown with the permission of English Heritage, offer you a
glimpse inside of the Albion Hotel.
In the image below,
probably taken in the 1920s or 1390s, you can see The
Albion Hotel but not in Piccadilly in Market Street
between High Street and New Brown Street.
It seems like they brought the roof-top sign with them from the hotel in Piccadilly.