Whitworth Street
Encyclopedia
Whitworth Street is a street in Manchester
, England. It runs between London Road (A6) and Oxford Street
(A34
). West of Oxford Street it becomes Whitworth Street West which then goes as far as Deansgate
(A56
). It was opened in 1899 and is lined with many large and grand warehouses. It is named after the engineer Joseph Whitworth
whose works once stood on the route. Whitworth Street West runs alongside the viaduct connecting Oxford Road and Deansgate railway station
s: beyond Albion Street the Rochdale Canal
is on the northern side. On the Albion Street corner is the building once occupied by the Haçienda
nightclub at nos. 11-13 while further east on the same side is the Ritz
.
Opposite the Sackville Street Building
is Whitworth Gardens
, a public park established in 1900.
in 1894.
St Mary's Hospital for Women and Children
was founded in 1790 and from 1855 to 1903 it occupied a building in Quay Street. In 1904 the hospital was amalgamated with the Manchester Southern Hospital for Women and Children and consequently two new hospitals were built. One was in Whitworth Street West on the corner of Oxford Street, while the other was on Oxford Road in Chorlton on Medlock
. In 1915 the city centre hospital provided maternity and outpatient services and had 56 maternity beds and 50 cots, with accommodation for medical students, midwives and pupil nurses. The suburban hospital provided gynaecological and paediatric services and contained 115 beds.
Hydraulic power station
The Whitworth Street West station of the Manchester Hydraulic Power
supply system was opened in 1894 (before the opening of Whitworth Street in 1899). It was located on the banks of the Rochdale Canal
, between the canal and Oxford Road railway station. It was the first to be upgraded to electrical operation, but was little used after 1964, as it held equipment bought from Glasgow, which was only used as a backup. Following the closure of the system, its contents were sold for scrap and the building was demolished.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England. It runs between London Road (A6) and Oxford Street
Wilmslow Road, Manchester
Wilmslow Road is a major thoroughfare in Manchester, England, running from Parrs Wood north into Manchester City Centre. Its name changes to Oxford Road at Whitworth Park, north of Rusholme, and changes again to Oxford Street, when it reaches the city centre.The road runs through the centres of...
(A34
A34 road
The A34 is a major road in England. It runs from the A6042 in Salford to Winchester in Hampshire. It forms a large part of the major trunk route from Southampton, via Oxford, to Birmingham, The Potteries and Manchester...
). West of Oxford Street it becomes Whitworth Street West which then goes as far as Deansgate
Deansgate
Deansgate is a main road through the city centre of Manchester, England. It runs roughly north–south in a near straight route through the western part of the city centre and is the longest road in the city centre at over one mile long....
(A56
A56 road
The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the village of Broughton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the...
). It was opened in 1899 and is lined with many large and grand warehouses. It is named after the engineer Joseph Whitworth
Joseph Whitworth
Sir Joseph Whitworth, 1st Baronet was an English engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist. In 1841, he devised the British Standard Whitworth system, which created an accepted standard for screw threads...
whose works once stood on the route. Whitworth Street West runs alongside the viaduct connecting Oxford Road and Deansgate railway station
Deansgate railway station
Deansgate is a railway station in Manchester city centre, England. It is situated approximately west of Manchester Piccadilly in the Castlefield area, at the junction of Deansgate and Whitworth Street West....
s: beyond Albion Street the Rochdale Canal
Rochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" canal in northern England, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. The "Rochdale" in its name refers to the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, through which the canal passes....
is on the northern side. On the Albion Street corner is the building once occupied by the Haçienda
The Haçienda
Fac 51 Haçienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, England. It became most famous during the "Madchester" years of the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the 1990s it was labelled the most famous club in the world by Newsweek magazine...
nightclub at nos. 11-13 while further east on the same side is the Ritz
The Ritz (Manchester)
The Manchester Ritz is a live music venue in Whitworth Street West in Manchester.It won Manchester's Best Bar None and Club awards for 2006/2007, which are organised by the Greater Manchester Police....
.
Opposite the Sackville Street Building
Sackville Street (Manchester)
Sackville Street is a street in Manchester city centre, England.-The street:Sackville Street is a street in Manchester city centre. It runs in a northwest-southeast direction and is split into two sections by Whitworth Street, which runs in a northeast-southwest direction. At the northern end of...
is Whitworth Gardens
Whitworth Gardens
Whitworth Gardens in Manchester, England, is bounded by The Manchester College Shena Simon Campus on one side and Whitworth Street, Sackville Street and the Rochdale Canal and Canal Street on the others. The land was purchased by Manchester Corporation in 1900 and laid out with walks, lawns and...
, a public park established in 1900.
Notable buildings in Whitworth Street
Mainly of the Edwardian period, after the expansion of trade which followed the opening of the ship canalManchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
in 1894.
Southeast side
- Sackville Street Building, University of ManchesterSackville Street (Manchester)Sackville Street is a street in Manchester city centre, England.-The street:Sackville Street is a street in Manchester city centre. It runs in a northwest-southeast direction and is split into two sections by Whitworth Street, which runs in a northeast-southwest direction. At the northern end of...
(listed Grade II) - Lancaster HouseLancaster House, ManchesterLancaster House in Whitworth Street, Manchester, England, is a packing and shipping warehouse built between 1905 and 1910 for Lloyd's Packing Warehouses Limited, which had, by merger, become the dominant commercial packing company in early-twentieth-century Manchester. It is in the favoured...
(listed Grade II*) - India HouseIndia House, ManchesterIndia House in Whitworth Street, Manchester, England, is a packing and shipping warehouse built in 1906 for Lloyd's Packing Warehouses Limited, which had, by merger, become the dominant commercial packing company in early-twentieth-century Manchester...
(listed Grade II*) - Refuge Assurance BuildingRefuge Assurance BuildingThe Refuge Assurance Building, now the Palace Hotel or Refuge Building, stands at the corner of Oxford Street and Whitworth Street in Manchester, England....
(now the Palace Hotel) (listed Grade II*)
Northwest side
- City College ManchesterCity College ManchesterCity College Manchester was a network of further education campuses in Manchester, England.It was the largest provider of "Offender Learning" in the Greater Manchester region.-Merger with MANCAT in 2008:...
(formerly Shena Simon College) - Bridgewater HouseBridgewater House, ManchesterBridgewater House, Manchester is at 58–60 Whitworth Street, Manchester, England. It is a Grade II listed building.Bridgewater House was built as a shipping warehouse in 1912 to a design by Harry S. Fairhurst. It is built around a steel frame with a cladding of sandstone ashlar and white...
- London Road Fire Station (Grade II* listed)
Demolished buildings
St Mary's Hospital for Women and ChildrenSt Mary's Hospital for Women and Children
St Mary's Hospital, Manchester
St Mary's Hospital is a hospital in Manchester, England. It is part of Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It was founded in 1790. St Mary's provides a unique range of inter-related services specifically for women and children...
was founded in 1790 and from 1855 to 1903 it occupied a building in Quay Street. In 1904 the hospital was amalgamated with the Manchester Southern Hospital for Women and Children and consequently two new hospitals were built. One was in Whitworth Street West on the corner of Oxford Street, while the other was on Oxford Road in Chorlton on Medlock
Chorlton-on-Medlock
Chorlton-on-Medlock is an inner city area of Manchester, England.Historically a part of Lancashire, the northern border of Chorlton-on-Medlock is the River Medlock which runs immediately south of Manchester city centre. Its other borders roughly correspond to Stockport Road, Hathersage Road, Moss...
. In 1915 the city centre hospital provided maternity and outpatient services and had 56 maternity beds and 50 cots, with accommodation for medical students, midwives and pupil nurses. The suburban hospital provided gynaecological and paediatric services and contained 115 beds.
Hydraulic power station
The Whitworth Street West station of the Manchester Hydraulic Power
Manchester Hydraulic Power
Manchester's Hydraulic Power system was a public hydraulic power network supplying energy across the city of Manchester via a system of high-pressure water pipes from three pumping stations from 1894 until 1972...
supply system was opened in 1894 (before the opening of Whitworth Street in 1899). It was located on the banks of the Rochdale Canal
Rochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" canal in northern England, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. The "Rochdale" in its name refers to the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, through which the canal passes....
, between the canal and Oxford Road railway station. It was the first to be upgraded to electrical operation, but was little used after 1964, as it held equipment bought from Glasgow, which was only used as a backup. Following the closure of the system, its contents were sold for scrap and the building was demolished.
Sources
- Hartwell, Clare (2001) Pevsner Architectural Guides - Manchester. New Haven: Yale U. P. ISBN 0-300-09666-6