Rylands Building Explained

Rylands Building
Building Type:	Warehouse (1932–1957) Department store (1957–2021)
Architectural Style:	Art Deco
Location:	Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Address:	109–127 Market Street, Manchester M60 1TA
Completion Date:	1932
Floor Count:	10
Floor Area:	500000square feet^[1]
Architect:	Fairhursts (Harry S. & P. G. Fairhurst)

The Rylands Building is a Grade II listed building and former department store on Market Street in Manchester, England.^[2] It is situated in the Smithfield conservation area, which was known for its markets and textile warehouses,^[3] close to the Piccadilly area of Manchester city centre.

History

Warehouse

The building was originally built as a warehouse by J. Gerrard & Sons of Swinton for the Rylands textile company (Rylands & Sons Ltd) which was founded by the entrepreneur John Rylands. That firm had occupied warehouses in High Street ever since 1822; its west-facing side is on High Street.^[4] The building was designed by the eminent Manchester architects, Fairhursts (Harry S. & P. G. Fairhurst), in an Art Deco style. It is clad in Portland stone and features a decorative corner tower and eclectic 'zig zag' window lintels. The work was completed in 1932.^[5]

Department store

Following a fire in 1957 which destroyed the premises of Paulden's Department Store in All Saints, the company acquired the Rylands warehouse building and converted it to a store. This was then a direct rival to the Lewis's store, on the opposite side of Market Street. In 1973 Debenhams, the owner of Paulden's rebranded the store in their name. It remained Debenhams until its closure in 2021, outlasting other Manchester department stores including Lewis's, Affleck & Brown and C&A.^[6]

Redevelopment

In 2023, the developer AM Alpha published plans to redevelop the Rylands Building to provide office, retail, and leisure spaces, as well as a four storey roof-top extension. The plans by Jeffrey Bell Architects were approved by Manchester City Council in May 2021^[7] and construction is expected to complete in 2025.^[1]

In popular culture

The Rylands Building can be seen in the background of L. S. Lowry's 1954 painting, Piccadilly Gardens.^{[8] [9]}

See also

• Listed buildings in Manchester-M60

References

53.4823°N -2.2386°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: GALLERY Sneak peek of Manchester's Rylands revival . Place North West . 3 April 2023 . 4 April 2023.
2. Web site: Rylands Building (Debenhams), Manchester . British Listed Buildings.
3. Web site: Smithfield Conservation Area - History . Manchester City Council.
4. Farnie, D. A. (1993). John Rylands of Manchester. Manchester: John Rylands University Library of Manchester. ; p. 83
5. Hartwell, Clare (2001), Manchester, (Pevsner Architectural Guides.) Penguin Books, pp. 11, 253, ; pp. 169, 171
6. Web site: Debenhams Manchester . 2012-11-20.
7. Web site: Planning – Application Summary . Manchester City Council . 4 April 2023.
8. Web site: Piccadilly Gardens Art UK . artuk.org . 7 August 2021 . en.
9. Book: Bradburn . Jean & John . Central Manchester Through Time . 15 January 2016 . Amberley Publishing Limited . 978-1-4456-4954-2 . 7 August 2021 . en.