Gardner Warehouse Bond Street (Now Princess Street)

Perhaps the best warehouse erected in Manchester since our previous visit is that belonging to Mr Gardner in Bond-street, by Messrs Travis & Mangnall. Indeed we cannot now call to mind, in any other work erected lately, an example of the combination of brick and stone, so happy as in this design. The building is of four storeys, besides the basement, which is considerably elevated. Brick pilasters, occupying the height of the three upper storeys, and supported by a stone basement, form the principal decoration. All the apertures are semi-circular arch-headed, in two orders, so that by recessing the window aperture half a brick, a stone impost, plain console and plinth, are inserted in the outer face. In the top storey, which is much lower than the others, there are two windows in each space between the pilasters, all the other storeys having one window. The cornice, which is without break, is ornamented with dentils, and is well designed, but might, perhaps, have been improved by greater projection. The upper storeys are separated by plain string courses carried round the pilasters, and supported in the intermediate spaces by projecting bricks. The portion of the basement storey above the ground line is of massive character, and the ground storey forms a continuous arcade, with moulded impost capitals and bases, separated from the storey above by a cornice, the coin stones, string courses, consoles, imposts, and plinths are of stone; the pilasters, arches, and other parts, of red brick. In the ground and basement storeys nearly the whole is of stone, except the spandrel spaces, and the use in these of brick, made manifest the advantage of the combination, in place of constructing the whole of stone, as usual in brick and stone buildings. [The Builder 1847: Page 526]

Floor area 33,434 square feet. (as advertised Oct 2000). Conversion to apartments 2002-2003