Manchester University Laboratories

Manchester University Chemical Laboratories Complex

This complex comprises four interconnected laboratory buildings constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: the Chemical Laboratories, Schorlemmer Laboratory, Polygonal Laboratory, and John Morley Laboratories. All four buildings abut and interconnect with each other.

Chemical Laboratories

The main Chemical Laboratories form a square plan with three ranges running east-west, each with double-pitched roofs. The building contains two large parallel former science laboratories with basement laboratories beneath. The northern range houses individual rooms opening off a corridor on each floor, with a lecture hall at the east end of the first floor. An additional range on the east side has a steep double-pitched roof running north-south with gables facing Burlington Street and the rear courtyard. This eastern section contains individual rooms with a former science laboratory on the first floor adjacent to Burlington Street.

The building is constructed of pale buff brick matching the stone tone of the main quadrangle, with stone dressings and red tile roofs. It rises one and two storeys over a raised basement. The Burlington Street elevation comprises a range of six bays separated by stepped buttresses with tumbled brickwork and a rebuilt brick parapet. The ground floor has tall rectangular windows with timber casements relating to a science laboratory, while the high basement is lit by similar large windows opening into an area. A tall industrial square stack with Italianate detailing stands set back at the west end.

At the east end, a slightly projecting three-bay gable features a flat-headed doorway with flanking windows to each side in the basement, three pointed-arch windows to the raised ground floor and first floor, and a circular window in the gable apex with quatrefoil plate tracery. The arched windows have alternating brick and stone voussoirs creating a polychrome effect, with stone hoodmoulds above. A tall square campanile tower with pyramidal roof stands set back at the east end.

The rear courtyard elevation shows three distinct sections from left to right: a three-bay gable, a second adjoining three-bay gable, and a three-bay range. The first gable has similar pointed-arch windows on ground and first floors with a circular window at the apex. The second gable has two pairs of segmental arched windows to the basement and ground floor, with three tall pointed-arch windows on the first floor relating to the lecture hall. To the right are three pairs of segmental-arched windows to basement and ground floor, with paired flat-headed windows above on the first floor.

Inside, the main entrance (located in a link block not of special interest) opens into an entrance hall with an open-well staircase featuring turned timber balusters, moulded handrail, and newel posts with ball finials, now painted grey. The stair treads are concrete sections with chamfered undersides slotted together. The two parallel former science laboratories are separated by a single wall pierced by large segmental arched openings. Both have arched braced timber trusses rising from corbels supporting the timber-lined roofs. The southern laboratory has rooflights to the north slope, while the northern laboratory has rooflights to both slopes. Each laboratory also has an angled observation post with a window set high in the inner corner on the east side.

The high basement is fire-proofed with iron columns, probably using the Dennet system of wrought-iron bars and concrete arches employed by Waterhouse in both Manchester Town Hall (1868) and the west range of the main quadrangle. The lecture hall on the first floor retains its original demonstration bench, raked wooden benching with flip-up leather-covered seats, and writing slopes. Other features of note include patterned encaustic tiles to the ground-floor corridor, terrazzo flooring to other corridors, four and six-panelled doors, and moulded cornices.

Schorlemmer Laboratory

This rectangular building is built against the west side of the Chemical Laboratories, housing a large science laboratory on the ground floor and another in the basement. Constructed of red brick, it is single storey over a basement. Only the six-bay west elevation is visible, facing into a small courtyard. The slightly projecting basement level has stone coping and square windows, with a segmental-arched doorway at the right-hand end. The raised ground floor has tall rectangular windows and a stepped-brick eaves level with parapet. Windows have stone sills and lintels and wooden casements, those on the ground floor with centre-pivoting top lights. Above the second to fifth bay windows are metal wall straps.

The tall ground-floor laboratory has arched braced timber trusses rising from corbels to support a timber-lined roof with central ventilation grilles and five skylights to the east slope. Features of note include the wooden parquet floor and shallow stone sinks (now cased in laminated wood) on iron brackets beneath the windows. Beneath each sink is a cast-iron radiator. Across the south gable wall is a possible former balcony above the windows supported on iron brackets. The basement laboratory has a series of iron columns, now boxed-in, supporting cross beams.

Polygonal Laboratory

Built against the south wall of the Schorlemmer Laboratory and the west wall of the Chemical Laboratories, this structure contains a polygonal science laboratory on the ground floor and a workshop in the basement. A west wing is separated by a cross wall and attached to the east wall of the Schunk Building; this section formerly contained additional laboratories.

Constructed of pale buff brick, the single storey over basement faces Burlington Street. From left (abutting the Schunk Building), it comprises two bays with double-pitched red tile roof, a canted bay with pyramidal roof, and a narrow bay abutting the Chemical Laboratories. The two left bays and the left and centre face of the canted bay have wide rectangular six-light casement windows, the two left with small panes to the upper lights. Two-light rectangular casement windows appear on the right face of the canted bay and right bay. A moulded stone sill band with deep rendered band runs over the basement windows, which are similar to those on the ground floor. Brick buttresses support the canted bay, and a lantern ventilator sits on the roof.

Inside, the building features parquet flooring and a fire-proofed basement with iron beams and concrete arches running east-west. Set in the original south external wall of the Schorlemmer Laboratory (now the internal north wall of the polygonal laboratory) is a granite plaque dated 1903 commemorating the centenary of Dalton's Atomic theory.

John Morley Laboratories

This rectangular building runs east-west, attached to the north side of the Chemical Laboratories and Schorlemmer Laboratory. The original building contains two large laboratories, research rooms, private laboratories, and offices. A short south arm at the west end is later and not of special interest.

The building is constructed of pale buff brick with dark brown stone dressings to the rear courtyard elevations, with small-pane glazing to all windows. Red brick appears elsewhere. It rises two storeys over a raised basement. The east elevation from left has a narrow bay abutting the Chemical Laboratories, a polygonal stair turret, and two wider bays to the right. The left bay has a doorway with a large stone mullion and transom window above and a smaller mullion window on the first floor. The two right bays have wide six-light mullion and transom windows to the basement and ground floor and three-light mullion windows on the first floor.

The stair turret has round-headed windows to the lowest level. The upper windows are separated by decorative stone panels and have tracery heads. A moulded modillion cornice with plain gargoyles, a blind arcade stone parapet, and a steep polygonal spire crown the turret. A large projecting angled gable appears at the outer corner, with stone mullion and transom windows to basement, ground and first floors. Between the ground and first floors and to the gable apex are decorative stone panels.

The north elevation from left comprises three bays with similar mullion and transom windows to the basement and ground floor and mullion windows to the first floor. The original basement doorway in the right-hand bay is inscribed "CHEMISTRY DEPT" on the stone lintel. The left-hand window on the ground floor has been altered to form a doorway with a flight of metal steps, flat-roofed canopy and hoist arm on the left side. A brick ridge stack appears on the roof.

Interior features of note include the cantilevered stone spiral stair with swept handrail in the stair turret, terrazzo flooring to the corridors, and original panelled doors with partial small-pane glazing. The large ground-floor former science laboratory, located to the rear of smaller offices and personal laboratories, has five timber queen-post roof trusses with decorative pierced arcading to the spandrels and six large skylights to both roof slopes. A modern first floor has been inserted. On the ground floor, close to the entrance into the Schorlemmer Laboratory, is a bronze medallion to William Henry Perkin, Waynflete Professor of Organic Chemistry 1892-1912. There is also a plaque over the adjacent double doors with raised lettering stating "THE JOHN MORLEY LABORATORIES 1909".

Subsidiary Items

A low stepped brick wall with chamfered stone coping and decorative iron railings stands in front of the areas on Burlington Street. This continues from similar fencing in front of the south elevation of the west range of the main quadrangle, which runs between two shaped stone piers.