Description

MANCHESTER

SJ8497NW WHITWORTH STREET
698-1/32/441 (South side)
03/10/74 Nos.73 AND 75
India House (including attached
wrought-iron gateway linked to
Lancaster House)

GV II*

Packing warehouse, converted as apartments 1988-9. Dated 1906,
built between 1905 and 1912; by Harry S.Fairhurst.
Steel-framed, with cladding of buff terracotta and red brick
with buff terracotta dressings (roof concealed). Large
rectangular plan. Edwardian Baroque style. Six storeys with
basement and attic, 3:4:6:4:3 windows at 1st floor,
symmetrical; rock-faced plinth, channelled buff terracotta to
ground and 1st floors with mutuled cornice on brackets (a
cartouche under this at each corner lettered "INDIA HOUSE"),
giant arcades to the next 4 floors with brick pilasters, very
heavily enriched terracotta frieze (swags, volutes,
cartouches, etc.) and modillioned cornice, and attic treated
as a parapet. The strong horizontal emphasis of the facade is
relieved by vertical features flanking the 6-bay centre: these
have entrances at ground floor with elaborate surrounds of
grey ashlar including large semi-circular open pediments with
mutules over recessed doorways with flanking Ionic
semi-columns, and panelled side-bays under mutuled cornices
supported by cartouches (lettered "73" and "75" respectively);
canted bay windows of terracotta tiered from 2nd to 5th
floors, with various forms of enrichment including corbelled
plaques at the top lettered "1906", and flanked by broad
banded terracotta pilasters; and attics under hefty
semi-circular open pediments with mutules and cartouches. The
other bays have segmental-headed windows at 1st floor,
round-headed at 5th floor, and square-headed elsewhere, mostly
containing 3-light sashes and mostly also with triple
keystones; and the attic has low recessed 3-light windows.
Return walls similar.
Attached at the left end, and linked to No.71 (Lancaster
House), is a large gateway composed of double gates with
ramped tops and semicircular 4-strand overthrow forming a
complete circle from the apex of which is suspended a slender
lamp in Art Nouveau style. Forms group with Nos 67 to 71
(Lancaster House) to the left (q.v.), with Refuge Assurance
building to the right (Oxford Road, q.v.), and with Nos 58 to
60 (Bridgewater House) opposite (q.v.). Interior not
inspected.

Listing NGR: SJ8421597619

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• India House, Manchester at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q6019325

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

• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014