Name

Albert Winstanley

Designation
Architect
Born
1876
Place of Birth
Southport
Location
Manchester
Died
1943

  • Birth date      January-March 1878 at Southport
  • Christening    22 April 1876 at Holy Trinity, Southport, Lancashire
  • Marriage        1912
  • Death date    24 June 1943 at The Royal Infirmary Preston Lancashire

A prolific designer of theates and cinemas, Alfred Winstanley was born in North Meols, Southport in 1876, the only child of Henry Winstanley and his second wife, Elizabeth. He was articled to C O Ellison and Son of Liverpool in 1894 and remained as assistant while attending the Victoria School of Art. He was later assistant in the Surveyor of Taxes Office. West Derby, Liverpool and in the Scarisbrick Estate Office, Southport before joining Arnold England as assistant/partner. They later practised with Thomas England, Arnold’s brother, under the style of England, Winstanley and England, Architects, Valuers and Civil Engineers, at Carlton Chambers, 13 St Andrews Road South, St Anne’s.

With offices at 49 Deansgate, Manchester and at Imperial Chambers, 5a West Crescent, St Anne’s, Albert Winstanley was working alone by 1907, the “Cheltenham Palace” Music Hall, High Street, Cheltenham being one of his earliest works.  He was elected LRIBA, on 19 December 1910 proposed by J D Hawkes.

In 1912 he married Harriet Ann Deakin (nee Ellis), a milliner, widowed by the age of 29. Harriet died on 21 June 1926, aged 54. There were no children. He was a prominent Conservative actively associated with St Anne’s Conservative Club, which he had designed in 1922 and was at one time its Chairman.

In his later years, Albert suffered from poor health and increasing blindness, possible contributing factors in his death. On 30 May 1943 he was waiting on the platform of Kirkham railway station when he fell into the path of an oncoming train. The accident left him with brain injuries and his left leg badly crushed, requiring amputation at Preston Royal Infirmary, where he died three weeks later, on 24 June 1943.  A verdict of misadventure was recorded at the inquest.

Winstanley bequeathed most of his estate to the Manchester Society of Architects to provide scholarships in architecture. The Winstanley Scholarship is still awarded by the MSA to students from Lancashire.

 Address:
1909: Rochdale, Lancashire,?
1910-1925: 49 Deansgate Manchester
1926-1936: A Winstanley LRIBA 15 Great Ducie Street, Manchester
1910-1936: A Winstanley LRIBA  5a Imperial Chambers, The Crescent St Annes
 
Residence
1881 : 7, Victoria Street North Meols, (Southport) Lancashire (Census)
1901 : Poulton Bare & Torrisholme (Census) Holiday at Morecambe?
1910 : St Albans Road St Anne’s
1924-1943: A Winstanley LRIBA 53 Orchard Road, St Anne’s
           
References
Who’s who in architecture 1914, 1923 and 1926
British Architectural Library Biography File
Richard Gray Cinemas in Britain  London 1996
Ed Iain MacIntosh & Michaell Sell Curtains: or new life for old theatres    London 1982
The Manchester City News. 7 February 1925. Page 8
Dictionary of Scottish Architects

Buildings and Designs

Building Name District Town/City County Country
“Cheltenham Palace” Music Hall, High Street, Cheltenham   Cheltenham  Gloucestershire  England
Internal reconstruction: Grand Theatre, St Leonardsgate, Lancaster   Lancaster  GMCA  England
Queen's Theatre, Wilson Street, Castleford   Castleford  Yorkshire  England
The Empire Theatre, 93 Lord Street, Fleetwood   Fleetwood  Lancashire  England
Rebuilding Lyceum Theatre, Heath Street, Crewe   Crewe  Cheshire  England
Picture House Wakefield   Wakefield  Yorkshire  England
New Coliseum Abbey Road, Barrow   Barrow  Cumbria  England
Picture House St. Peter's Hill, Grantham, Lincolnshire   Grantham  Lincolnshire  England
Proposed Cinema Abbey Road Barrow   Barrow  Cumbria  England
Art Picture House and Cafe, Knowsley Street, Bury   Bury  GMCA  England
Art Picture Playhouse, Jodrell Street, New Mills Derbyshire   New Mills  Derbyshire  England
St John's Chambers. Deansgate / St John’s Street Manchester Central  Manchester  GMCA  England
New Office Premises, John Dalton Street, Manchester Central  Manchester  GMCA  England
Arcadia Picture House, Yew Tree Avenue/Stockport Road Marple  Stockport  GMCA  England
Three houses and a shop and a house with garage. Moston Moston  Manchester  GMCA  England
Palais de Dance: Bridge Street/St George’s Road, Bolton   Bolton  GMCA  England
Proposed Dance Hall Plymouth Grove Manchester Chorlton-on-Medlock  Manchester  GMCA  England
Cinema Compstall (Road/) Romiley Romily  Stockport  GMCA  England
Alterations: Palace Cinema, Manchester Old Road, Middleton   Middleton  GMCA  England
Proposed Alterations, Magnet Cinema, Weaver Street, Winsford, Cheshire   Winsford  Cheshire  England
Regent Cinema Leyland   Leyland  Lancashire  England
Five Storey Block of Flats. Fog Lane, Didsbury Didsbury  Manchester  GMCA  England
Conversion of Drill Hall, Burlington Street and Park Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock Chorlton-on-Medlock  Manchester  GMCA  England
Proposed Cinema , Sandy Lane, Romiley Stockport Romily  Stockport  Cheshire  England
Cinema, Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy Chorlton-cum-Hardy  Manchester  GMCA  England
Proposed “Curzon” Cinema, Moorside Road and Princess Road, Urmston   Urmstin  GMCA  England
Savoy Cinema, Compstall Road, Romiley near Stockport Romiley  Stockport  GMCA  England
Cinema, Chester Road, Flint   Flint  Clwyd  Wales
Estate of 850 Houses near Barnsley   Barnsley  Yorkshire  England
Cinema, Cartergate, Newark   Newark  GMCA  England
Regal Cinema, Bolton Street Bury   Bury  GMCA  England
Residential Hotel, Squires Gate Lane, South Shore, Blackpool South Shore  Blackpool  Lancashire  England
Exhibition Hall, Queens Road, Cheetham Hill, Manchester Cheetham Hill  Manchester  GMCA  England
Cinematograph Hall, Knowsley Street, Bury   Bury  GMCA  England
Art Picture Playhouse, Jodrell Street, New Mills near Stockport, Derbyshire   New Mills  Derbyshire  England
Proposed Cinema, 13 Dalton Square, Lancaster   Lancaster  Lancashire  England