Co-operative Bank etc. Corporation Street Manchester

The building of the second block of CWS premises on Corporation Street, Manchester, enabled the CWS Bank to be worthily housed; for, as a litter of books and papers, proofs, cuttings, and slips of copy is to a journalist's table, so is a show of opulence to a banker.

Begun following the completion of Hanover House on a site immediately to the south bounded by Balloon Street, Corporation Street and Mark Lane. Of 13 bays divided 2:3:3:3:2, the elevational treatment generally followed that of Hanover House

The new building now in course of erection has frontages to Corporation Street, Balloon Street and Mark Lane of 242 feet, 80 feet and 97 feet respectively, and with the new central premises (Hanover House), the frontage to Corporation Street amounts to 418 feet. There are eight floors, containing a total area of 123,000 superficial feet. The basement is to be used as a butter and cheese cellar; the ground floor contains the banking department and the furnishing department offices, with a central entrance in Corporation Street. The first floor is occupied by the saleroom and buyers’ offices, the second floor is for the paper and stationery department, whist the remaining upper floors will be used entirely for furnishing showrooms.  There are six goods lifts from the basement to the loading platforms at the back on the ground floor, a book lift from the bank to the basement, and also an electric passenger lift and a goods hoist running the full height of the building, serving each floor. The building will be lighted by electricity and heated by a steam installation with radiators. It is of fire-resting construction throughout, the whole of the floors columns and beams being constructed of ferro-concrete on the Hennebique system. Outside the base and entrances are of grey granite, whilst the ground and first floors are of Derbyshire stone from Darley Dale. The upper portion is built of Accrington red pressed bricks with Darley Dale stone dressings. The height is 90 feet to the parapet, and each end of the building is flanked by a stone dome, 14 feet in diameter, surmounted by a copper ball finial. Generally the new building is intended to form, with the recently erected central premises, one complete scheme. The work is being carried out by the Society’s own building department, from designs by and under the direction of Mr F E L Harris ARIBA, architect to the Society. On 16 October the first event to be held in the new building will be the great annual dried fruit sales. [Manchester Guardian 15 October 1909 page 10]

Reference    Manchester Guardian 15 October 1909 page 10
Reference    Manchester Guardian 23 October 1973 page 17 - proposed redevelopment