Levenshulme Antiques Village, formerly Levenshulme Town Hall, is a former municipal building on Stockport Road in Levenshulme, a suburb of Manchester in England. The building, which served as the offices and meeting place of Levenshulme Urban District Council, now accommodates an antiques centre.
| Levenshulme Antiques Village | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2019 | |
| Location | Stockport Road, Levenshulme |
| Coordinates | 53°26′29″N 2°11′20″W / 53.4414°N 2.1889°W |
| Built | 1899 |
| Architect | James Jepson |
| Architectural style(s) | Italianate style |
  Shown in Greater Manchester | |
History edit
Following significant population growth, largely associated with its status as a growing residential suburb of Manchester, a local board of health was established in Levenshulme in 1865.[1] After the local board of health was succeeded by Levenhulme Urban District Council in 1894,[2] the new council decided to commission dedicated council offices. The site they selected was open land on the east side of Stockport Road, just north of the Fallowfield Loop railway line.[3][4]
Construction of the new building stated in 1897.[5][6] It was designed by James Jepson in the Italianate style, built by Burgess and Galt in red brick with ashlar stone finishings at a cost of £6,000 and was officially opened on 3 March 1899.[7][8] Two reading rooms were installed in the building and were opened by the chairman of the Manchester Libraries Committee, Alderman James Wilson Southern, on 22 September 1899.[9]
The building ceased to be the local seat of government in 1909, when the district was annexed by the City of Manchester.[10] Manchester City Council continued to use it to deliver services until 1990, when it was sold off and converted into an antiques centre.[11][12] The antiques centre houses dealers selling furniture, fittings and smaller items, while outbuildings in the courtyard are used as workshops.[13]
Architecture edit
The design involves a symmetrical main frontage, 75 feet wide, of seven bays facing onto Stockport Road. The central bay features a round headed opening with an architrave and a keystone. The entrance is flanked by brackets supporting a frieze, an entablature inscribed with the words "Council Offices", and a small triangular pediment containing a roundel. The other bays on the ground floor are fenestrated by cross-windows, and the first floor is fenestrated by round headed windows, which are flanked by pilasters supporting hood moulds and keystones. At roof level there is a partially balustraded parapet broken by a central clock face with a garland below and a pediment above. The main entrance leads into an octagonal hall, with entrances to rooms which originally served as the council chamber, and as offices for the clerk, surveyor, overseers, and sanitary inspector. There is a staircase to the former public hall, with two retiring rooms. Behind the building is a courtyard, with buildings originally containing stables, sheds, and the caretaker's house.[7]
References edit
- ^ "Levenshulme Medical Officer of Health reports". Archives Hub. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "Levenshulme UD". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1890. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "Levenshulme Railway Memories". Levenshulme Then and Now. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ Notice of contracts. The British Architect. 28 May 1897. p. 394.
- ^ Urban District Councils. The Surveyor and Municipal and County Engineer. 13 August 1897. p. 187.
- ^ a b "Levenshulme Public Offices". Manchester Victorian Architects. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2004). Lancashire Manchester and the South-East (Buildings of England Series). Yale University Press. p. 368. ISBN 978-0300105834.
- ^ The Library Association Record. 1900. p. 602.
- ^ "Township of Levenshulme records". National Archives. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Fry, Kath; Cropper, Karen. "Leisure Services". Manchester 1984. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ The Pleasures and Treasures of Britain A Discerning Traveller's Companion. Dundern Press. 1992. p. 335. ISBN 978-1554883479.
- ^ "About". The Antiques Village. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2024.