The Cotton Exchange

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 07/01/2015

SD 62 NE 4/18

KING WILLIAM STREET The Cotton Exchange

(Formerly listed as Unit 4 Cinema (formerly the Cotton Exchange))

II Former Cotton Exchange, later a cinema. 1862-5 by Brakespear of Manchester. Coursed ashlar with slate roofs. High Victorian Gothic, the design is incomplete as one wing and the central tower were never built so the plan is asymmetrical; an octagonal entrance, which was to form the base of the tower and the northern wing only were constructed. The twin pointed entrances,in the frontal angle of the 2-storey octagon, have elaborately carved foliated cusping to the 2-light trefoliated heads and quatrefoil tracery, set in splayed, perpendicular, traceried, panelled reveals to the moulded pointed porch, each bay distinguished by an octagonal plinthed buttress with crenellated apex ogee finial. A continuous moulded string course divides the 1st from the 2nd storey, each face of which contains a 3-light perpendicular traceried pointed opening with hood mould and off-set buttress between each face. The crenellated parapet is canted on a bossed, coved moulded cornice with gargoyles to the angles and the octagonal roof has bands of fish-scale shaped tiles with a flag pole at the apex. The north elevation is of 2 storeys and 9 bays. Bays 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 have deeply-set square headed moulded reveals to what were originally shop doors, now glazed in the 1st storey beneath. 2-light, square-headed cusped and traceried cross windows alternating with canted bay windows in bays 2, 4, 6, 8, plain below and 6-light square-headed traceried and cusped transomed and mullioned above. There is a bossed, coved and moulded continuous hoodmould with gargoyles at the cant points of the bay windows to a plain, 5-course upper wall crenellated parapet. The north wing is linked to the octagon entrance by an angled 2-storey bay, the upper storey fenestrated with a 6-light square-headed, traceried, transomed, mullioned and cusped window. The interior has been extensively altered to accommodate 3 cinemas and has not been inspected. Charles Dickens gave his last public reading here.

Listing NGR: SD6811028290