Former Corn And Produce Exchange

MANCHESTER

SJ8398NE HANGING DITCH 698-1/26/157 (North side) 30/03/73 Former Corn and Produce Exchange (Formerly Listed as: FENNEL STREET (South side) Corn Exchange)

GV II

Corn exchange with shops and offices, now market hall with shops and offices. Dated 1903. Iron frame with cladding of sandstone ashlar, slate roof with glazed atrium. Very large curved triangular plan on island site. Baroque style. Four diminishing storeys with basement and attic (east corner of different build and lower), 14 bays (plus 7-window east end), the bays divided by piers which finish as tall chimneys, the 3 western bays slightly lower and finished with a domed cupola at the corner, the next 11 bays forming a symmetrical composition with the centre and ends breaking forwards slightly and carried up to shaped gables above the attic. The projected centre bay has the main entrance, a giant elliptical archway in triumphal-arch form with coupled pilasters of polished pink granite with debased Ionic capitals, corniced entablatures to these, and a banded head with keystone, and containing a pedimented doorway with similar columns and frieze lettered "PRODUCE EXCHANGE". The upper levels of this portion have (inter alia) 3 windows to each floor including the attic, with various forms of decoration including a colonnade to the top floor, pulvinated frieze and prominent mutule cornice, and a pedimented Baroque gable flanked by chimneys. The slightly smaller end bays are in similar style. Otherwise, the intermediate bays have rectangular shop fronts to ground floor, coupled round-headed windows to 1st floor, and mullioned windows of 3 lights to 2nd floor and 4 lights to 3rd floor and attic. West side and rear similar but simpler. INTERIOR: unaltered entrance hall to staircase, and central atrium with round-headed arcades and glazed roof with central dome.

Listing NGR: SJ8395598720