Royal London House

MANCHESTER

SJ8398SE DEANSGATE 698-1/27/107 (West side) 03/10/74 Nos.188 TO 202 (Even) Royal London House

GV II

Insurance office. 1904, by Charles Heathcote. Iron frame with cladding of sandstone ashlar, ground floor of dark brown polished granite; slate roof. Large rectangular plan on island site. Free Baroque style. Five storeys and attic, 15 bays, with 3-bay centre and 2-bay ends breaking forwards slightly; plus set-back chamfered corner to left forming hinge to Quay Street facade and surmounted by octagonal 2-stage turret; banded pilasters to ground and 1st floors, a frieze over each (swagged in the 2-bay ends), giant segmental-headed arcades to 2nd and 3rd floors with chamfered pilasters and modillioned segmental cornices with voluted keystones, prominent modillioned cornice, and vernacular-style triangular gables over the centre and ends, with small segmental dormers between them. Ground floor has central doorway with projected pedimented architrave, and large windows with modern plate-glass; 1st floor has a cross-window above the doorway with blocked semi-columns and open-segmental pediment, and casements in the other bays; 2nd floor has casements with triple keystones, 3rd floor has round-headed 3-light casements; top floor has casements set in colonnades, which form screens to the windows between the centre and ends; attic gables have 3-light casements. Corner to left has 1-light windows with different architraves on each floor, and cupola lantern with small round-headed windows between pairs of blocked colonnettes, stepped modillioned cornice, and domed roof. Right-hand corner has domed cupola. Six-bay return end to Quay Street in matching style. Interior not inspected.

Listing NGR: SJ8352298008