IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Dickinson Street, MANCHESTER, M1 4LX

The surface buildings of the Guardian Underground Telephone Exchange on George Street in Manchester.

Looking North, with the Town Hall Extension in the distance. The brick built building on the left has for the past two years been rented as offices by the builders of the glass and concrete horror behind it.

Large L-shaped 1960s office block, the long front facing George Street, composed of a series of bands, white-brown brick-window, all resting on white pilotis. Empty at the time of writing, and earmarked for demolition so that a twelve-storey office block can be built. Is it really necessary, given the amount of empty office space in this, and every other, city?

Dickinson Street in Manchester.

A temporary repair, where "temporary" seems to have been several years. These sort of load-bearing steel sheets are common where a culvert has collapsed, for example, but to see it tarmac'd in is rather an admission of defeat by someone.

One of Manchester's very many excellent palazzo-style warehouses (now offices). Built c1857, possibly by the city's leading exponent, Edward Walters. Red brick with stone dressings, rusticated ground floor, paired windows on the top floor and a heavy cornice. Grade II listed. On the corner with Dickinson Street, hence its current name, Dickinson House.

This austere structure is located in central Manchester between George St and St James St. I believe it to be an entrance to the Guardian Exchange. This underground communications bunker was built in the 1950s and was designed to withstand atomic attack on Manchester and preserve regional and national communications links. The development of the H bomb reputedly led to its security being compromised. The bunker and its tunnels are still used to route telecommunications cables under the city. A fire in such a tunnel in 2004 put parts of the telephone network out of action for several days. See also Image and Image