Barclay House - Whitworth Street West The only reference
Pevsner makes to Barclay House is to say that down the
street from the Ritz dance hall there is, "
... another white-faience-clad block .. a
warehouse of 1914, by Harry S. Fairhurst.."
The building backs on to the Rochdale Canal. The
sides and back of the building are typically made up of
wide bands of windows capturing as much light as was
available in Manchester in those days.
 The front of the building displays quite a bit of decoration.   The decoration includes the initials of the original owners, R. Barclay & Co.  **************************** When I passed Barclay House in August of 2019, it was swathed in scaffolding.  The explanation of what was
happening appears to be on the building's
website. The "repurposing" of the building is
explained as follows, ".... One of the most
ambitious and exciting new property investment
projects, Barclay House is situated in historic
Whitworth Street in the heart of central
Manchester. These ninety outstandingly
stylish apartments spring from the repurposing of
what was a landmark building in the heyday of the
city’s global commercial activity. Robustly
constructed with the grandiose proportions
and architectural panache typical of the period,
Barclay House has impressive stone features and an
impressive, monumental neo-Renaissance front
edifice. Our architects and designers have
retained the building’s imposing stature while
skilfully transforming the interior into a choice
of practical, stylish, beautifully-equipped
apartments. They provide perfect accommodation for
aspiring city workers, members of Manchester’s
burgeoning academic community and those committed
to living close to this exciting city’s vibrant
heart."
************************************************* Below is my version of a map of the site from 1928 showing Barclays warehouse beside an Hydraulic Power Station, which has long since been demolished and replaced.  The aerial photograph below shows the site in 1946. Barclay House is indicated by the red arrow.  Close Window |