Royal Buildings Market Street/Mosley Street Manchester

By the recent destruction of the Royal Hotel was signalized something of the change that recent years have wrought in Mosley street. At the end of the eighteenth century and the opening of the nineteenth the street was largely residential, with its St. Pater's Church at one end, posting hotel at the other, and Portico Library and Art Gallery for the cultured leisure of the little community. Then some of the fine old houses became tenanted by consultative medical men, conveniently near the Royal Infirmary, and others were modified into commercial offices. At one time the street showed signs of development into a warehouse thoroughfare, but Portland street asserted itself in that character, and the present trend of wholesale trade is to its neighbour, Whitworth street. Mosley-street has unexpectedly blossomed out into a street of shops, such as stationers, gentlemen's outfitters, and the like, with a cafe or two and some tobacconists. It promises to be quite a good street, with its open square where once St. Peter's smiled  ( or  frowned) and its brightness of display in shop windows, instead of the stony stare of warehouse ground floors. The Royal Hotel, which has gone, stood where in 1772 there was a dye-house. In that day the Infirmary was still surrounded by tree and had its pond, known as “the daubholes,” in front, A residence, with gardens and outbuildings was next on the site, and in 1827 this was turned into the “Royal Hotel and New Bridgwater Arms”   The “Arms” were amputated later. We can all remember the broad archway, bricked up, which faced Market street, and from which in 1836 a coach left daily for Liverpool, competing with the new railway. You can get an electric tramcar at the corner to day, but hardly a coach

The [Royal] hotel and the adjoining property, bounded by Market-street, Mosley-street Meal-street and West Mosley-street were purchased last year by Messrs Lewis's of Manchester & Liverpool and the new building, the plans of which have been prepared by Messrs J W Beaumont & Son, architects, Manchester, provide for shops on the ground floor, with basements. The rooms on the upper floors will be divided for letting as offices and stockrooms. Ten shops are provided, and these will be let for any trade. The entrance to the upper floors is through a granite doorway in the centre of the elevation to Mosley-street, and a wide passage leads to a central staircase with a passenger lift communicating with every floor. A loading hovel is provided in Meal-street and a goods lift from this communicates also with every floor. The building throughout is of fireproof construction with concrete and steel joist floors which will be covered with wood blocks and the staircase is of granolithio on steel. By arrangement with the Corporation, the angle of the new building at the corner of Market-street and Mosley-street is rounded off, and Meal-street is widened by nearly a yard. The elevations to Market-street and Mosley-street and to West Mosley-street and Meal-street are being faced with Portland stone. The building is being erected under a contract with Messrs Wilson and Toft, builders, Ardwick.

Reference           Manchester City News Saturday 10 April 1909 Page 5 with illustration