Description

MACCLESFIELD

SJ87SE VICTORIA ROAD
886-1/3/209 Parkside Hospital (original blocks
17/03/77 only)

II

County asylum, now psychiatric hospital. 1868-71. To designs
by Robert Griffiths of Stafford. Red brick with yellow brick
and some stone dressings; Welsh slate roofs. This listing
applies to the principal hospital complex designed by
Griffiths (which is remarkably complete) and does not extend
to the later buildings.
PLAN: a regular ground plan arranged around quadrangles (some
completely, and others partially enclosed and some now
occupied with later infill). A 2-storeyed administration
building with 5-stage clock tower stands forward of the main
blocks and is connected to them by lower ancillary ranges
(kitchens, stores). Central to the plan are the surgeon's and
matron's offices and rooms together with the dining hall
(which is flanked by 2 distinctive towers with leaded
cupolas). All this forms a N-S axis; intersecting on an E-W
axis is a single-storeyed corridor range with the 2-storeyed
former 'excited blocks' to the exteme E and W.
Running to the S of the corridor range are 4 similar ranges
which give access to the 3-storeyed ward blocks I to IV which
are otherwise detached. Between corridors I and II, and III
and IV, and aligned E-W, are the storeyed infirmaries, one for
each sex. The women's side lay to the W, the men's to the E.
Standing forward of ward blocks II and III, and on the
administration-dining hall axis, is the detached former
superintendent's house. Detached to the NW is the former
laundry (on the women's side) and to the NE the former
workshops (on the men's). Between the administration block and
the laundries is a further storeyed range, which although
apparently not part of the original plan, is stylistically of
a piece and must have been added shortly afterwards. The
overall style is a hybrid Italianate/Rundbogenstil.
EXTERIOR: characteristic decorative features include round or
segmentally-headed window arches with varied coloured
voussoirs and keyblocks; stone plinths, and lintel bands;
decorative brick cornices; overhanging eaves, sometimes with
console and sill brackets; ridge stacks have decorative brick
banding and moulded stone caps.
Special decorative effects are reserved for the
entrance/administration block with a projecting central tower
porch, a principal arched doorway of 2 orders, one and 2-light
windows to the lower 2 floors, a tall 2nd bay with recessed
round-headed panels connected by impost band, the top-most
stage with the clocks to each face corbelled out and
supporting a short spire.
The ranges connecting the administration and central blocks to
the outer elevations (which are single-storeyed) have an
arcade internally, corridors) of round-headed arches with
coloured brick voussoirs, impost band and circular windows.
Angle towers (withe external entrances) effect the junctions
between these ranges.
Dining hall (burnt out and roofless at time of inspection,
June 1992) with flanking towers (round-headed entrance arches
with roundels above, the upper stages with tall round-headed
blind arches, with leaded ogee caps), large windows with basic
tracery set in arches of 2 orders with impost bands. A
polygonal shallow 'apse' to S.
The superintendent's house is of 2 storeys, windows with
raised surrounds, but otherwise with detailing similar to the
other principal ranges.
The kitchens have a tall chimney (which has lost its
decorative cap). Some boundary walls demarcating enclosed
recreation areas have been removed.
Griffiths was a significant architect who specialised in
hospitals of this sort.

Listing NGR: SJ8984274005

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26505451

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

• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas