Manchester Reform Club
| Manchester Reform Club | |
|---|---|
 Manchester Reform Club | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Grade II listed |
| Architectural style | Venetian Gothic style |
| Location | Spring Gardens, Manchester, England. |
| Coordinates | 53°28′51″N 2°14′32″W / 53.4809°N 2.2422°W |
| Construction started | 1870 |
| Completed | 1871 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Edward Salomons |
The Reform Club in Spring Gardens, Manchester, England, is a former gentlemen's club of the Victorian era. Constructed in 1870–1871 in the Venetian Gothic style by Edward Salomons in collaboration with Irish architect John Philpot Jones,[1][2] the club is "his best city centre building"[1] and is a Grade II* listed building as of 3 October 1974.[3] The contract for construction was awarded to "Mr Nield, builder, Manchester for £20,000".[4] Built as a club house for Manchester's Liberal Party elite, the building was opened by the Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone on October 17, 1871.[5]
The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar with polychrome dressings and hipped slate roofs[3] and is three-storey with elaborate corner turrets and oriel windows and balconies. The main entrance is "richly adorned with carving including winged beasts".[1] The interior contains a "fine staircase, a (two-storey) grand dining room and an enormous billiard room, running the whole length of the building, in the roof".[1] The "hall and staircase (have) linenfold panelling."[3]
Declining membership in the late 20th century led the club to merge with the Engineers' Club in 1967 to form the Manchester Club, but this failed to prove financially viable and was wound up in 1988. Records of the club are stored at the John Rylands Library on Deansgate. The building is now a restaurant and bar.
Notes
- ^ a b c d Hartwell 2001, p 167-8 Cite error: The named reference "Hartwell 167-8" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Manchester history: Reform Club Retrieved 17 February 2014
- ^ a b c Good Stuff IT Services. "Former Reform Club Manchester Club - Manchester - Manchester - England | British Listed Buildings". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
- ^ "1870 - Manchester Reform Club, Lancashire - Architecture of Lancashire - Archiseek.com". archiseek.com. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
- ^ http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/mancunian/expats/s/87/87886 what would mr gladstone say.html
References
- Hartwell, Clare (2001), Manchester, Pevsner Architectural Guides, London: Penguin, ISBN 0-14-071131-7
