Manchester Parcel Post Office

The Manchester Parcel Post Office, now a wholesale warehouse, was built in 1894 and has undergone alterations in the late 20th century. It is constructed of red brick with moulded brick and terracotta detailing, topped with Welsh slate roof coverings and a glazed courtyard canopy.

The building occupies an irregular triangular site bordered by the River Irwell, New Bridge Street, and Mirabel Street. The south-west elevation is three storeys high with attics above two basement levels. The left side features a nine-bay facade with gabled ends, topped with terracotta finials. The central five bays are emphasized. Semi-circular arched windows with five narrow lights are set within the upper gables. Below, there are 2-over-2 pane sash windows with narrow flanking sashes, all with joggled terracotta heads. Terracotta panels with foliage decoration surround crown motifs on the facade, with the letters 'V R' featured centrally. To the right is a 21-bay sorting office arranged in a pattern of 3:2:5:2:5:2:2. Gabled sections with blind semicircular arches and glazed circular openings at the gable apexes are visible on the upper levels of the sorting office. Basement levels contain shallow-arch-headed windows, some of which are blocked. A lower four-bay two-storey section extends towards a railway viaduct.

The north elevation is three storeys high with a prominent, advanced three-bay gable at the centre. A wide semicircular arched window with a transomed window is centrally located. An entrance with a moulded terracotta surround and transomed overlight is positioned to the left. A continuous cill band runs along the first-floor windows, and decorative terracotta panels are placed below the upper-floor windows.

The east elevation follows the line of Mirabel Street. The north end has an asymmetrical front, including a pair of gabled entrances to a loading bay courtyard, covered by a glazed canopy supported by a cast and wrought iron structure. Paired semi-circular arched windows are set within recessed panels on the flanking walls. A two-storey range with a tower at the right-hand corner extends further along the elevation, with a raised canted bay window on the first floor.

The interior has not been inspected.

The building served as a specialist parcel sorting office strategically located between Exchange and Victoria stations. It was a vital part of the network of transportation and storage facilities in late 19th century Manchester, a period when the city was at the height of its commercial and industrial power.