Conservative Club, Failsworth, Oldham

Cost approx £1500 without furniture. Of three stories, built of red brick with stone and red Ruabon terra cotta dressings.

THE new club at Failsworth, Manchester, occupies a frontage of sixty-two feet six inches, the principal entrance facing the main road, the various rooms being situated on each side. On passing through the vestibule and entrance-hall the billiard-room stands on the left, and has windows both on the front and towards Princess Street. This room is thirty feet long and twenty-five feet six inches wide, and is capable of holding two tables. The bar adjoins the billiard-room and card-room, and is also separated from the entrance- hall by glazed sliding sashes; the lavatories are adjacent to the billiard-room. The reading-room, which is a well-lighted room, stands on the right of the entrance. Leading from the entrance-hall there is a members' staircase for access to assembly-hall upstairs, which extends the whole width of frontage. There is also a public entrance to the assembly-hall in Princess Street, which would allow that room to be used for public meetings, entertainments, assemblies, etc., without interfering with other parts of the club. Close to the landing of public staircase are two committee-rooms which, when the assembly-hall is in use, would serve as retiring-rooms —one for ladies and one for gentlemen, the former having lavatory accommodation. There is also on this floor a larger committee-room which could be used for serving refreshments. From Princess Street access is gained to the caretaker's house, which consists of kitchen and scullery on ground-floor, which are both in direct communication with bar; two bedrooms are on the second floor. By means of a private staircase the caretaker has access to any portion of the premises. The basement contains heating-chamber, fuel-cellar and ample accommodation for storage of refreshments. The building is faced with Accrington bricks on two principal elevations, and is freely interspersed with stone and red Ruabon terra-cotta dressings.  The principal inside doors and assembly-room roof principals are of varnished pitch-pine, the remaining joiner's work being of St. John's pine stained and varnished. The lavatory and entrance floors are tiled. Stained lead lights are freely used in a portion of the windows, bar front, lavatory and vestibule screens, etc. [The American Architect and Building News issue 926 page 187-188]

Reference    Manchester Guardian Saturday 11 July 1891 Page 4 (Contracts)
Reference    Building News 26 May 1893 Page 720
Reference    Builder 25 June 1892 Page 509
Reference    Builder 18 July 1891 Page 54
Reference    The American Architect and Building News issue 926 page 187-188