803 AND 805, WILMSLOW ROAD

803 and 805 Wilmslow Road are a pair of houses, probably built around 1870. They are constructed of brown brick in header bond, with some sandstone and red brick dressings, and feature some applied half-timbering. The roofs are slate. The houses have an irregular plan and rise two storeys, plus a narrow three-storey tower. The façade includes a seven-window range, with a square-topped wing on the left, a square-topped tower beside it, and two steeply-pitched gables that have ornamental half-timbering and projecting verges with bargeboards. There is a square-headed doorway at the base of the tower and another doorway to the right of the third window, which has a gabled porch. Most windows are two-light, but there is a three-light window between the doorways and another at the first floor to the left, which features an ornamental cast-iron balcony. This building is part of the settlement known as The Grove, which is said to have been built for an immigrant North German community. It is a rare example of domestic architecture that reflects the cosmopolitan nature of 19th century Manchester society and forms a group with other items in The Grove and with 807 Wilmslow Road.