Parkfield House, formerly known as Middleton Town Hall, is a former municipal building in Manchester Old Road, Middleton, a town in Greater Manchester in England. The building, which served as the offices and meeting place of Middleton Borough Council, is currently vacant.
| Parkfield House | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2010 | |
| Location | Manchester Old Road, Middleton |
| Coordinates | 53°32′47″N 2°12′32″W / 53.5465°N 2.2090°W |
| Built | 1965 |
| Architect | Tom Ellis of Lyons Israel Ellis |
| Architectural style(s) | Brutalist style |
  Shown in Greater Manchester | |
History edit
The original Parkfield House was commissioned by a local magistrate, Thomas Ashton, in the first half of the 19th century. The site he selected was on the north side of the Manchester Old Road opposite the entrance to Alkrington Park Road.[1] It was designed in the Georgian style, built in ashlar stone and was Ashton's main residence by 1848. It was acquired by another local magistrate, Harvey Heywood, in around 1870.[2][3]
In 1886, the local area became a municipal borough and the local improvement commissioners were succeeded by Middleton Borough Council.[4] Heywood became the first mayor of the new borough council, which was initially based at the old town hall in Gas Street.[5] After Heywood died in 1920, his widow, Harriette, sold the original Parkfield House to Middleton Borough Council for use as its headquarters in 1925.[2]
A garden of remembrance with a colonnade was established on the west side of the original house in the presence of Lieutenant Colonel Roderick Livingstone Lees of the 6th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers in October 1927.[6][7]
As the responsibilities of the borough council increased, councillors decided to commission a more substantial building on a site between the garden of remembrance (on the left) and the original building (on the right). The new four-storey building was designed by Tom Ellis of Lyons Israel Ellis in the brutalist style with an L-shaped plan, built in concrete and glass, and was completed in 1965.[8][9] It continued to serve as the headquarters of the borough council for the next decade,[10] but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Rochdale Borough Council was formed in 1974.[11] The council instructed the demolition of the original Parkfield House in 1978.[12]
In 1980, the council sold the newer building to the North West Water Authority,[2][13] which sold it on to the security business, Chubb, in 2000.[14] Chubb vacated the building in 2020.[15] In January 2023, the developer, Muller Property Group, acquired the vacant building,[16] and, in May 2023, Muller Property Group submitted plans to demolish the building and replace it with 20 houses and an 80-bed care home.[17][18][19]
References edit
- ^ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1914. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ a b c "Parkfield House". Parks and Gardens. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ The Monthly C. T. C. Gazette and Official Record. Vol. 17. Cyclists' Touring Club. 1 February 1898.
- ^ "Middleton MB". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "Changing face of Middleton". Manchester Evening News. 29 March 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "Middleton". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ "Middleton Garden of Remembrance". War Memorials Online. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Forsyth, A.; Gray, D.F.; Brown, N.; Lyons Israel Ellis Gray (1988). Lyons Israel Ellis Gray: Buildings and Projects 1932–1983. Architectural Association: Works. Architectural Association. ISBN 978-0-904503-96-8.
- ^ "Thomas Bickerstaff Harper "Tom" Ellis". Architects of Greater Manchester 1800–1940. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "No. 44962". The London Gazette. 24 October 1969. p. 10851.
- ^ Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
- ^ Statham, Nick (28 April 2023). "Former town hall could demolished to make way for new houses and 80-bed care home". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "No. 51895". The London Gazette. 9 October 1989. p. 11547.
- ^ "Concerns over Chubb's future". Manchester Evening News. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Wheelan, Dan (2 May 2023). "Middleton's Parkfield House in line for overhaul". Place North West. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Three-acre site acquired for care home development". Insider Media. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Parkfield House: former Rochdale Council Headquarters set to be replaced with new housing and care home". 1 May 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Muller submits Middleton care home planning application". The Planner. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Parkfield House, Middleton". Asteer Planning. Retrieved 24 February 2024.