Main Prison Block Of Hmp Manchester

The main prison block of HMP Manchester, formerly known as the main prison block of Strangeways Gaol, was built between 1866 and 1868 by architect Alfred Waterhouse. This prison is constructed from red brick with stone dressings and features a Romanesque style. It consists of six wings that radiate from a central concourse, which includes a short entrance wing facing the gatehouse and five cell-block wings.

The hexagonal concourse is topped with a pointed roof and has a clerestory of round-headed windows supported by pilasters, along with a corbel table at the eaves. The two-storey entrance wing, which includes a chapel on the first floor, has a slightly projecting gabled bay in the center, flanked by pilasters. This wing also features an arcaded range of five windows and a central arched entrance, topped by a perron. The five four-storey cell wings are designed with ranges of barred windows that have stone sills and cambered stone lintels, and each wing has a canted bay at the gable end that encloses the staircase.