Northern Assurance Building

The Northern Assurance Building, located on Princess Street in Manchester, was constructed in 1902 by the architectural firm Waddington, Son and Dunkerley. This building, which has been slightly altered, serves as shops and offices. It is likely iron-framed and features a cladding of sandstone ashlar and some grey granite, topped with steeply pitched slate roofs at various levels. The building occupies a corner site with an irregular plan and showcases an elaborate eclectic architectural style with French Renaissance influences.

The structure is mostly five storeys tall with an attic, although the side facing Clarence Street is partly three storeys with an attic. The principal facade consists of three wide bays, featuring windows with three, two, and three lights, along with a broad curved corner that adds asymmetry. A panelled frieze runs above the ground floor, interrupted by a central entrance arch. The first and second floors exhibit French Renaissance style elements, including superimposed triangular pilasters topped with ball finials and enriched panels between the floors. The central feature rises to the third floor, culminating in a balustrade parapet adorned with ball finials. The outer bays on the third and fourth floors are recessed, with their heads bridged by semi-circular arches that have pierced spandrels. A string course above the fourth floor is decorated with egg-and-dart motifs, while the attic windows are set beneath richly decorated shaped gables, with the central gable being two-tiered and flanked by octagonal turrets.

The curved corner is similarly styled and concludes with a cylindrical turret topped by a domed roof with a corona and finial, accompanied by similar turrets. The central round-headed doorway is recessed within a giant round-headed arch, which features a two-light window beneath it. The building has sashed windows without glazing bars on the first and second floors, in the center of the third floor, and in the central gable, all set back behind colonnaded screens. The third and fourth floors have mullion-and-transom windows, while the attic features mullioned windows. The corner also displays similar fenestration, while the return side to Clarence Street is smaller and simpler in design.