Droylsden Educational Institute. Market Street/ Ashton New Road

DROYLSDEN NEW EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION – The new building, which is of two storeys, is situated at the junction of Market Street and the Ashton New Road. It is built in the Gothic style, from a design by Mr Alfred Waterhouse, architect, Cross Street, Manchester; the contractors being Messrs Thomas Bates and Company. The building is faced with red bricks, relieved with stone dressings and white brick bands. On the ground floor there are four class-rooms (one of which also serves as a library and committee room), and a reading room. The whole of the upper storey – with the exception of a small anteroom – is occupied by a large room, 60 feet by 28 feet, with a permanent platform at one end. It has an open timbered roof of five stained deal principals. On one side and at one end are several three-light windows; and above the side windows is a range of dormer windows. At each end, corresponding in height with the dormers is a rose light window. The entrance to this room is from Market Street; and that to the class-rooms from Ashton New Road.  … The foundation stone of the building was laid on 5 June last by Mr Richard Christy. The cost of the undertaking will be about £1,200. [Manchester Guardian, 22 November 1858 Page 3]

THE DROYLSDEN INSTITUTE. This elegant and attractive building, which stands on the site of the old Day School, at the bisection of Market street by the Ashton New-road, proves useful to the inhabitants, as well as a graceful ornament to the centre of the village. It is built in the Gothic style, from the designs of Mr. Alfred Waterhouse, architect, of Manchester, who also superintended the erection, the contractors being Messrs. Thomas Bates and Co., of Droylsden. The edifice is a rectangular structure, faced externally with the local red stock bricks, relieved with stone dressings and fire brick bands, and stands on a basement of stone. The white bricks are also introduced alternately with the red ones in the arches over the windows. Above the eastern entrance is inscribed Droylsden Institute, and on worked stone labels in the gable adjoining," Erected by voluntary contributions," with the date, "1858," in a monogram on an oval medallion ia. the centre. There are two storeys to the building. On the ground floor the window openings are four feet wide ; on the upper floor they are smaller, and arranged in groups of three. The roof is acute in pitch, covered with alternate stripes of blue and green slates, and on the south receives a broken and varied outline from the chimney stacks at the ends, the octagonal ventilating turret in the centre of the ridge, and a range of five dormer windows. The interior is commodious and well adapted for educational purposes. On the ground floor, to the left of the entrance lobby from the south or principal front, is the library, used also as a committee room and a class room, lighted by a triplet window, and occupied by the females. On the opposite side is a convenient and well-furnished news room, measuring 28 feet by 18 feet, fitted up with tables, of pitch pine; and beyond are two class rooms, supplied with desks and other requisites for the male members. The whole of the upper storey forms a spacious hall,60 feet by 28 feet, and 31 feet 6 inches high. [Historical and Descriptive Notices of Drolsden John Higson. 1859 page 112.]

Reference    Manchester Guardian Monday 22 November 1858 Page 3 Col 6 (opening)
Reference    Historical and Descriptive Notices of Drolsden John Higson. 1859 page 112 with illustration.