Manchester Royal Exchange (Architectural Competition)
MANCHESTER ROYAL EXCHANGE. - The board of directors of the Manchester Royal Exchange, at their last meeting (Sir Arthur Haworth, chairman, presiding), adopted the recommendation of their assessor. Mr J. S. Gibson, FRIBA, on the designs sent in by thirty‑seven competitors for the rebuilding of the Exchange as follows: 1st Messrs. Bradshaw, Gass, and Hope. 19, Silverwell‑street, Bolton: 2nd Mr T. Edwin Cooper, 4. Verulam‑buildings, Gray's Inn, London. WC; 3rd Messrs Thomas Halliday and Claude Paterson, 14, John Dalton Street, Manchester. The winners of the second and third places will each receive a premium of 100 guineas.
THE THIRD DESIGN. The design placed third, by Messrs Halliday and Paterson, was, so far as the Exchange was concerned, a compromise between the types shown in the first and second designs. There was a similar hall on either side; but of the intervening space, the centre portion only was taken up the full height, the end portions being kept low, with roof‑lights over. As in the first design, entrances to the Exchange were provided in the centre of the Cross street and Exchange‑street fronts. This design was the only one of the premiatcd ones in which the passage was placed in the position suggested on the site plan. This obviated the necessity of disturbing the shops at present in Bank‑street, but did not tend to improve the remainder of the ground floor. In fact, this design might easily have been improved, both in plan and elevation (especially the latter), had the authors shown a little more courage in "scrapping" the old work, instead of making sacrifices to retain it. [Building News 23 January 1914 Page 110-111].
Reference Building News 2 January 1914 Page 42
Reference Building News 23 January 1914 Page 110-111
Reference Building News 23 January 1914 Page 118