Description

MANCHESTER

SJ8490 WILMSLOW ROAD, Didsbury
698-1/25/675 (East side)
25/02/52 Administration Building at Didsbury Campus,
Manchester Metropolitan University

GV II*

(Formerly Listed as Manchester Polytechnic, Didsbury School
of Education (original portion only))
(Formerly Listed as WILMSLOW ROAD, Didsbury (East side)
Didsbury College of Education)

House, c.1790, altered with extensive additions as Wesleyan
Theological College 1842; subsequently altered, and now part
of Manchester Metropolitan University. Sandstone
ashlar facades, with rear and courtyard walls of red brick in
Flemish bond with sandstone dressings, slate roofs with glazed
skylights. Four ranges of building enclosing a large
rectangular courtyard, with the original house forming an
entrance block at the west end, and the ends of the rear range
projected as short wings. Classical style. The facade has a
3-storey 5-bay centre breaking forwards, but is otherwise
2-storeyed, with 2-bay side ranges, and end pavilions breaking
forwards; the ground floor has channelled rustication, the
centre has giant pilasters above this level with acanthus and
reed caps, and a pediment, and the end pavilions have paired
pilasters; the doorway in the centre is square-headed, with a
moulded surround; the end pavilions have tripartite windows,
those to the left altered (with stained glass), otherwise all
windows are sashed with glazing bars, mostly 12-paned but with
9-pane sashes at 2nd floor. The 3-bay return walls have paired
pilasters and similar sashed windows; and continued to the
rear of these are lower 12-bay side ranges which have 12-pane
sashes at ground floor and 9-pane sashes above, and terminate
with rear wings in matching style. The rear range is 16 bays,
with pilastered end bays, and the centre rebuilt (in buff
brick) with a passage through. The courtyard sides of these
ranges have sandstone plinths, bands to both floors, cornices
and blocking courses, and 12- and 9-pane sashes with
flat-arched heads. Linked to the rear of the entrance block is
a former external kitchen over extensive basements, with a
small basement area on its north side. (C20 additions attached
to south-east corner). Interior: entrance hall with screen of
reeded columns distyle in antis, elliptical open-well
staircase with wrought-iron balustrade, coved niches and
elliptical-arched sashed windows with intersecting glazing
bars; axial corridors at 1st floor of side wings, lit by
continuous ridged skylights with tilting casement windows;
extensive storage basements connected to kitchen range by
dumb-waiter (remains of).

Listing NGR: SJ8479590600

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Didsbury Campus at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q5274245

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)