Castlefield Information Centre

MANCHESTER

SJ8397NW DEANSGATE 698-1/30/112 (West side) 17/05/74 Nos.322 TO 330 (Even) Castlefield Information Centre (formerly Deansgate Free Library)

GV II

Formerly known as: Nos.322 TO 330 Deansgate Free Library DEANSGATE. Includes: No.2 LIVERPOOL ROAD. Library over shops, now visitor' centre and urban studies centre.1882, by George Meek; altered. Red brick with sandstone dressings, slate roof. Rectangular plan with curved corners to the front. Romanesque style. Two storeys (the upper much higher), 7 bays including the corners; square stone piers to ground floor, plus cast-iron columns at the corners, frieze and cornice over ground floor, sill-band and panelled pilasters to 1st floor, plain brick frieze, moulded cornice with blocking course interrupted in the 3 centre bays by a stone frieze, bracketed cornice and enriched parapet with central carved pediment. The 4th bay at ground floor is an open entrance to a lateral through-passage, furnished with iron gates and with a segmental pediment above containing carved figures; immediately to the right is a round-headed doorway moulded in 2 orders, with shafts, and the other bays have glazed screens. At 1st floor each bay has large stepped triple window treated as an arcade of round-headed arches, with stone shafts which have carved capitals, geometrical glazing bars, and hoodmoulds, that over the main entrance with a panelled arch-band above. Quadrantal corners with 5-bay arcades carried round, and 2-bay returned ends in matching style. Rear linked to former Higher Campfield Market Hall, Liverpool Road (q.v.).

Listing NGR: SJ8341997715