City Police Courts

MANCHESTER

SJ8498 MINSHULL STREET 698-1/28/234 (North East side) 03/10/74 City Police Courts

II*

City police courts. 1868-71, by Thomas Worthington. Red brick with sandstone dressings, steeply-pitched slate roofs. Rectangular plan on corner site. Italian Gothic style. Two-and-a-half storeys over basement, plus tower at north-west corner, 1:3:3:3:1 bays, the centre gabled, the left end formed by the tower and the right-hand end with a turret; with moulded stone plinth, impost bands, enriched 1st-floor sill-band, Lombard frieze, and stone parapet stepped up to the centre gable with tourelles at the corners of this. Central 2-centred arched doorway with gabled surround including shafts with carved crocket caps; three 2-centred arched 2-light windows above the doorway, and arcaded 5-light attic window in gable; 2, 3 and 2-light windows to both floors of the side ranges, with shafts and 2-centred arched lights with linked hoodmoulds; another doorway to the right-hand end, which has slightly different fenestration to the main floors, arcaded 7-light attic window, and saddle-back roof. Very tall octagonal chimney behind ridge. Tall square tower to left, with bands, 3-light window to 1st floor with balcony, 2 small lancets to next stage, clockface in arched surround, elaborate stone top stage with corner tourelles and arcaded belfry, and slated pyramidal roof. Left return (to Bloom Street) in similar style, with central doorway, windows of 3, 3, 2, 3 and 3 lights, and 2 large gables each with a 2-centred blank arch containing two 2-light windows. Interior not inspected, but probably contains features of equivalent quality.

Listing NGR: SJ8450498008