Middle Warehouse, At Former Castle Field Goods Yard

The Middle Warehouse, located at the former Castle Field Goods Yard on Chester Road in Manchester, is a former canal warehouse built between 1828 and 1831. It was unoccupied at the time of the survey and has undergone alterations in the 20th century. The structure is primarily made of red brick with some sandstone dressings and some 20th-century concrete, with the roof concealed.

The warehouse has a large rectangular plan, featuring a central projection at the rear. It stands five storeys tall and has a symmetrical facade with a total of 26 windows, including a prominent 10-window center that is likely to have been pedimented. This central area is dominated by a giant segmental blank arch that contains a pair of segmental arched shipping holes, flanked by a low sandstone pier and responds on either side. The blank arch also features a blank medallion in its center and keystones on all arches. Most of the windows, including those in the outer ranges, are small and round-headed with raised sills. The outer ranges have windows arranged in pairs between former five-stage loading slots that have been altered into windows, with 20th-century full-height fire escapes added near both ends. A plain stone band runs over the top storey, and there is a plain parapet, although the center has been replaced by a concrete flat-roofed penthouse. Additionally, there is a four-stage loading slot in the right-hand return wall. The rear of the building features windows similar to those at the front and added 20th-century concrete hoppers. Inside, remnants of loading hoists are visible in the shipping holes.

Historically, this warehouse is similar to the former Duke's grain warehouse on the Bridgewater Canal in Liverpool, which was built in 1811. The Middle Warehouse is a prominent feature of the site, further enhanced by the restoration of the basin leading to the shipping hole during the survey.