St Bedes College

MANCHESTER

SJ89NW ALEXANDRA ROAD SOUTH, Whalley Range 698-1/4/826 (West side) 03/10/74 St Bede's College (Formerly Listed as: ALEXANDRA PARK St Bede's College)

II

Roman Catholic college, now school. 1877, by Dunn and Hansom (unfinished). Red brick with matching terracotta dressings (roof concealed). L-shaped plan (incomplete T-plan) formed by main range parallel to road, with rear wing. Italian Renaissance style. Four storeys and attic, 11 bays (2:6:3, probably intended to be 2:6:3:6:2), the 2-bay south end breaking forwards and a single-storey 3-bay porch projecting at the north end; with moulded terracotta bands to all floors, frieze enriched with scrolls, prominent modillioned cornice, and pierced parapet punctuated by short piers with segmental pediments. The windows have enriched terracotta architraves, those at ground floor with pediments containing busts (all different), and those at 1st and 2nd floors vertically linked, with decorated panels between the floors and pediments at 2nd floor; the 3rd floor has small square windows and the 2-bay south end has an attic. The single-storey porch has a 3-bay arcade of round-headed arches, the outer containing segmental-pedimented windows flanked by piers with coloured relief majolica panels, and that in the centre a doorway with elaborate enrichment including twisted columns of deep blue glazed tiling, segmental pediment, and frieze lettered "VENITE FILII AUDITE ME Ps.33"; frieze over outer arches lettered "BONITATEM ET DISCIPLINAM" "ET SCIENTAM DOCE ME Ps.118"; balustraded parapet; shield with bees, and various free-range terracotta bees on other parts of wall. Interior: entrance hall with 3-bay arcades of Corinthan columns (front) and pilasters (rear), the latter glazed and opening onto a hall or former chapel which has 12-bay aisle arcades of very narrow round-headed arches; wide axial corridor.

Listing NGR: SJ8328295026