Building Name

Ceylon Tea House 7 & 9 Piccadilly

Date
1910
District/Town
Manchester
County/Country
GMCA, England
Client
Ceylon Tea Company
Work
New Build
Status
Demolished

Designed for the Ceylon Tea Company by Heathcote in collaboration with W. A. Thomas. Although the ground floor had been drastically altered, the Moorish (or Indian Islamic) detail at the upper levels remained. Old photographs suggest that small domes once surmounted the end elements of the facade. A popular café during the inter-war years. This was one of two tea houses built by the Ceylon Tea Company, the other being Calton Café, Cromford Court. Demolished for the Arndale Centre, this too was a joint commission between Heathcote and Thomas, Walter Aubrey Thomas (died 1912) was one of Liverpool=s most successful architects, responsible for the Liver Building, the Philharmonic Hall and the Tower Buildings

While Piccadilly Gardens gets its new look for the 21st century, a unique piece of the encircling cityscape from the past has vanished forever under a developer's hammers

A building at 7-9 Piccadilly that once housed an Edwardian gem is now a gaping, gap toothed hole, where feverish building activity is creating a new retail store. If Manchester really needs yet another retail store, then so be it. The pity is that this one is at the expense of an interior that was a fascinating link with a bygone era. A last-minute attempt by the Civic Society to stop the carnage failed, and now not even the dregs are left of the once popular Ceylon Tea House, near the Market Street corner. The society originally proposed the building for urgent spot listing in April 2001, but the application was unsuccessful and the go-ahead was given for demolition. Then came the slim chance for salvation. As the interior was stripped out, details of the original decor, hidden for years and thought to have long since vanished, unexpectedly came to light. Into view came decorative ceiling mouldings, panelling, skirting boards, door frames, elaborate decorative mirrors, ceiling cornices and pilasters with decorative capitals. On the first floor there was even a circular domed ceiling with large decorative plaster work. But despite this, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport turned down a plea for a reprieve.

It is important to reiterate the extreme rarity of the Ceylon Tea House. The Victorian Society believes that it was a very rare example of this building type, and probably the only English tea room remaining with a considerable degree of intactness. It was the work of two important architects, and its unusual style was executed with quality and character, making it of architectural interest as a good example of Edwardian eclecticism. Tea houses reflected a cultural shift in Edwardian times when the ritual of tea drinking moved away from the home and into the public arena. They were opened in London and major provincial cities, one of the most famous examples being the Willows Tearoom in Glasgow, designed in 1903 by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.  In Manchester, the Ceylon Tea House was built in 1910, at a time when radical changes were taking place in Piccadilly, starting with the demolition of the Manchester Royal Infirmary, which opened up a vast amount of space in the nucleus of the city. It was designed by Charles H Heathcote and Walter A Thomas, both eminent North West architects. Heathcote was responsible for over 40 bank and insurance buildings in Manchester, including Lloyds Bank in King Street, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank, the Commercial Union and Parr's Bank. Thomas was one of Liverpool's most gifted and successful architects, who designed some of the city's most innovative buildings, among them the Liver Building and the Philharmonic Hotel. Many of the remaining buildings of these two architects are listed for their architectural and historic interest.  They designed the Ceylon Tea House in a distinctive Indian Islamic style with a front elevation in grey-white glazed faience tiles, creating a fine example of the diversity of Edwardian architecture. It was one of two tea houses built by Heathcote and Thomas for the Ceylon Tea Company in Manchester, the other being Carlton Café in Cromford Court, also now demolished.[Civis. Manchester Forum Edition 24. Spring 2002 Page 1]

Reference    Vic Soc Newsletter May 2001 Page 7 Application for spot-listing made
Reference    Civis. Manchester Forum Edition 24. Spring 2002 Page 1