1830 warehouse | |
Address: | Liverpool Road, Manchester, England |
Years Built: | 1830 |
The 1830 warehouse, Liverpool Road, Manchester, England, is a 19th-century warehouse that forms part of the Liverpool Road railway station complex. It was built in five months between April and September 1830, "almost certainly [to the designs of] the Liverpool architect Thomas Haigh".[1] The heritage listing report attributes the work to George Stephenson and his son, Robert. It has been listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England since May 1973.
The warehouse is of "red brick in Flemish bond, with sandstone dressings and slate roofs". It is three storeys high, though only two storeys present to the level of the railway to allow for direct loading and unloading. At the ground floor at street level, carts could also gain direct access. "The internal structure is of timber, but with cast-iron columns in the basement."
The processing of goods within the warehouse was originally a manual operation but "steam-powered hoists [were] installed within a year as the manual system could not cope with the volume of goods".[2] The steam system of 1831 was replaced with a hydraulic system between 1866 and 1880 to increase efficiency.
Restoration of the warehouse was undertaken in 1992–96 by the Building Design Partnership.[2]
In 2012, the Science and Industry Museum became custodians of the warehouse., the museum is embarking on a phased programme of conservation work to the 1830 warehouse, having undertaken repairs to improve the structural integrity of the building and roof repairs.[3]