University Of Manchester Faculty Of Economic And Social Studies And Attached Railings

The University of Manchester Faculty of Economic and Social Studies, originally built as a High School for Girls, dates from 1881 to 1886 and was designed by Mills and Murgatroyd. The building is constructed of red brick with stone dressings and features a slate roof. It has an F-shaped plan, with the main range running parallel to the street and two rear wings. The structure consists of two and three storeys, along with cellars and a four-storey tower.

The tower includes a round-headed entrance arch with a moulded surround, three-light windows on the first and second floors, a two-light window on the third floor, and decorative bands of raised brick between the floors. It has a bracketed eaves cornice and a steep saddleback roof that extends over the eaves, complete with cresting along the ridge.

To the left of the tower, there is a three-storey, three-window range that features a gabled bay adjacent to the tower, which has a canted oriel on the first and second floors and three-light brick-mullion windows. Further left, there is a two-storey, three-window range that also includes an oriel in a gabled bay.

To the right of the tower is the original schoolroom block, which is two storeys high with a basement and attic. This section has seven narrow bays with buttresses and large segmental-headed 12-pane windows on both floors, along with a corbel table for each bay and three triangular vents in the roof. The two-bay gable wall features a central buttress, similar windows on both floors, an oculus in the attic, and raised brick diaper-patterning in the apex. The wing continues to the rear. The basement area is enclosed by wrought-iron railings. The interior has not been inspected.