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Brown Street, MANCHESTER, M2 2JT

Mid- or late-C19th Italianate warehouse, now offices with modern additions at the top and extending down Chancery Lane (left). As usual, the ground floor is stone to add solidity and grandeur, the floors above red brick with stone trim to the windows and sill bands. Grade II listed.

Amongst the modern buildings on Booth Street are these two nineteenth century buildings designed by architect Edward Salomons. The nearer, 8-10 Booth Street, was built in 1874 for the Manchester & Salford Trustee Savings Bank and now houses offices of Lloyds Bank and Atrium Capital. Next door to it, Massey Chambers was built 2 years earlier. Both are notable for their ornate Renaissance-style decorations carved into the stonework. Both are Grade II listed buildings http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/514/listed_buildings_register/1908/a-z_of_listed_buildings_in_manchester/2 . For closer views, see: Image] Image] Image] and Image]

Designed by architect Edward Salomons and completed in 1874, 8-10 Booth Street was built for the Manchester & Salford Trustee Savings Bank. Describes by Pevsner as having, "rich carvings and rounded mouldings" and a "tall piano nobile with graceful windows and carved arched window heads" (http://manchesterhistory.net/manchester/tours/tour5/area5page31.html Manchester History Net), this photo shows a close-up of the carved sculpture over the first floor windows. The building is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed Building (http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/514/listed_buildings_register/1908/a-z_of_listed_buildings_in_manchester/2 Manchester City Council). See also Image] and Image]

Leading off Booth Street. The smaller building (only four storeys) is Lombard Chambers Image Whilst it might appear that there are two tall Portland Stone buildings behind it. The one on the left is the eleven storey Ship Canal House whilst the other is actually a reflection of it in the glass of the offices occupied by Kyocera. The building in the left foreground is the Gregs Building which houses the Honorary Consulate of Italy in Manchester http://web.archive.org/web/20171030005503/http://www.consolato-manchester.co.uk/en/

The Athenaeum wine bar stands on the corner of Spring Gardens and York Street. The former Parrs bank building, designed by Charles Heathcote in 1902, is a superb example of Edwardian baroque with some art nouveau detailing, particularly in the wrought ironwork. Built of red sandstone with an imposing corner entrance topped with a dome, the interior was probably one of Manchester's most opulent banking halls, featuring deep mahogany woodwork, green ceramic and marble walls and stained glass windows.

A grand little building tucked away and overshadowed by its weightier neighbours. Built of a lovely stone with fine carvings (by Williams & Mooney) and a semi-circular oriel topped by a wrought-iron crown (Image]). By George Truefitt, 1868, for Brook's Bank. Grade II listed. I think it was empty at the time of the photo.

Close-up of this building: Image

Lombard Chambers on the corner of Brown Street and Chancery Lane, is all that remains of Brook's Bank. The original building, which opened in 1868, continued through to King Street. William Cunliffe Brooks, MP for East Cheshire, was a very wealthy banker and commissioned George Truefitt to design a building worthy of his financial institution. It is Grade II listed https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1208211 Currently it appears to be home to a restaurant called "Burger & Lobster". Image Image

Architectural detail on Lombard Chambers Image The building is crowned by a wrought-iron corona.

Architectural detail on Lombard Chambers Image The doorways are protected by a very prominent underhang to the oriel balcony, which has arch-vaults over the doorways and concave pendentives all richly carved, including a shield and the date 1868 in the centre. There is a wrought-iron balustrade to the balcony.