Building Name

Ardwick and Ancoats Dispensary. (Old) Mill Street, Ancoats

Date
1872
Street
Mill street
District/Town
Ancoats, Manchester
County/Country
GMCA, England
Architect
Work
New Build
Status
partially demoished
Listed
Grade II
Contractor
E Johnson, builder, Palmerston Street.

The new Ancoats Dispensary building, built on a site obtained from the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway at the sole expense of Miss Brakenbury, was begun in 1872, the foundation stone beings laid by the Mayor of Manchester in June of that year. The Manchester Guardian subsequently reported: “The buildings which have been designed by and will be carried out under the superintendence of Mr D Lewis, architect, Cross Street, will be a very handsome structure, and one of the largest of its kind in the kingdom. It will consist of three storeys, flanked on either side by wings, and having a central tower.  Together with the outbuildings and yard it will occupy a space of 1,500 square yards, and will have two fronts, one in Mill Street and the other in Kirby Street. It will be built of brick and terra cotta, with the exception of the window sills and the top of the tower, which are to be executed in Ransom’s patent stone. The male and female wards will contain together about forty beds; and an advantageous part of the plan consists in keeping the surgical department and the domestic arrangements entirely separate.” The buildings are known to have been occupied by early December 1873 although the formal opening did not take place until 29 January 1874. Although provision had been made for the accommodation of in-patients, it was not until 1879 that sufficient funds permitted the first such beds to become available.

Site obtained from the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. Miss Brakenbury had given £5,000 for the new building. [Manchester Guardian 5 September 1871 page 6]

Ardwick and Ancoats Dispensary.  (tender return) March 14. - For the new building, in Mill street, Ancoats. - Daniel Lewis, Architect. [Building News 8 March 1872 page 207 - contracts]

On Saturday afternoon the Mayor of Manchester (W Booth Esq) laid the foundation stone of a new dispensary for the populous districts of Ardwick and Ancoats. ... The buildings which have been designed by and will be carried out under the superintendence of Mr D Lewis, architect, Cross Street, will be a very handsome structure, and one of the largest of its kind in the kingdom. It will consist of three storeys, flanked on either side by wings, and having a central tower.  Together with the outbuildings and yard it will occupy a space of 1,500 square yards, and will have two fronts, one in Mill Street and the other in Kirby Street. It will be built of brick and terra cotta, with the exception of the window sills and the top of the tower, which are to be executed in Ransom=s patent stone. The male and female wards will contain together about forty beds; and an advantageous part of the plan consists in keeping the surgical department and the domestic arrangements entirely separate. The cost of the building will be about £5,000 and the contract has been let to Mr E Johnson, builder, Palmerston Street. Mr S Crowcroft of Moss Lane is appointed clerk of the works. Some difficulty has been experienced in making the excavations owing to the nature of the ground; but the work is now progressing satisfactorily, and the building will, it is expected, be completed in about nine months. [Manchester Guardian 10 June 1872 page 3]

ARDWICK AND ANCOATS DISPENSARY. - On Saturday afternoon, the Mayor of Manchester laid the foundation stone of a new dispensary for the districts of Ardwick and Ancoats. The building, which has been designed by Mr D Lewis, architect, of Manchester, will be one of the largest of its kind in the kingdom. It will consist of three stories, flanked on either side by wings, and having a central tower. Together with the outbuildings and yard it will occupy a space of 1,500 square yards, and will have two fronts. It will be built of brick and terra cotta, with the exception of the window sills and the top of the tower, which are to be executed in Ransome's patent stone. The cost of the building, which is to contain forty beds, will be about £5,000, and the contract has been let to Mr E Johnson, builder. [Building News 14 June 1872 page 489]

 The building was occupied by December 1873, including three wards but funds were still required for the provision of 50 beds. [Manchester Guardian 2 December 1873 page 6]

The new premises for the Ardwick and Ancoats Dispensary, built at the sole cost of the late Miss Brakenbury were formally opened yesterday afternoon by a formal meeting held at the Institute in Mill Street, Mr C H Bazley presided and there was a large attendance. [Manchester Guardian 30 January 1874 page 7].

Reference    Manchester Guardian Saturday 24 February 1872. Page 10 - contracts
Reference    Building News 1 March 1872 page 186
Reference    Building News 8 March 1872 page 207 - contracts
Reference    Manchester Guardian 10 June 1872 page 3 - foundation stone.
Reference    Building News 14 June 1872 page 489
Reference    Manchester Guardian 2 December 1873 page 6
Reference    Manchester Guardian 30 January 1874 page 7
Reference    Manchester Regional History 1993 page 73-

 

Regrettably, the Ancoats Dispensary has been subject to revisionist architectural history. “Crawcroft,” a typographical error believed to have been created in the late twentieth century is now deemed to have been in partnership with Daniel Lewis although a man of this name cannot be identified in either the Manchester census records or directories of the Victorian period. (The clerk of works for the Dispensary, Samuel Crowcroft, does appear in later directories as a building surveyor and valuer but not as an architect until the late 1870’s). More inexplicable are the revised dates of 1879-1891 currently given for the building of the Dispensary in the listing text and widely quoted. Daniel Lewis, it seems, has now joined the ranks of Manchester architects for whom death forms no barrier to successful practice.