Former Salford Central Fire Station What was once the forecourt of the
Salford Central Fire Station is now a relatively
tranquil public space with trees and benches.. In
stark contrast to the Manchester Central Fire Station on
Whitworth Street which has languished in a state of
increasing decay since it closed, the Salford equivalent
has been beautifully restored and given a new lease of
life. Today the main building has been converted
by Salford University to accommodate its Council Chamber
and three small boardrooms. The redesign of the
former fire engine bays into meeting spaces involved
retaining the fireman's poles and the walls are graced
by portraits of university chancellors by the Salford
artist Harold Riley. The Harold Riley Archive is
accommodated within the buildings surrounding the
square.
The red brick and buff terracotta
building, designed by H. Kirkly and opened in 1903,
includes a central range featuring a shaped gable,
balcony and clock face.
   On one side is the former residence
of the chief fire officer who, when it opened, was
Albert Bentley.
 On the other side of the square is a second range of garage doors. A history of the Salford Fire Service indicates that in 1903 when this station opened, "F ire cover was extended to Prestwich and the running of the ambulances was taken over from the police." Perhaps these garages were for ambulances.   Behind the fire station building is a
square of houses built originally to accommodate firemen
and their families. The square is lined on three
sides by two and three-storey terraced houses. You
can see them in the aerial image below from the 1940s.
 In the centre of the square is a
landscaped area of trees, shrubs and raised bed
plantings. When the station was operating the
square was used by the firemen for training and the
cleaning of the fire engines and hoses.
  Today both the fire station and the
houses on the square are listed as Grade A buildings on
the Salford Local List.
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In the square in front of the
fire station is a war memorial dedicated to the men
of the Lancashire Fusiliers. The memorial was
designed by J and H Patteson in the form of a
cenotaph surmounted by a sphinx. It was
unveiled by the Earl of Derby in July 1922.
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