Heaton Moor Electricity Substation

Electricity substation, circa 1902, built for Manchester Corporation. Located on Heaton Moor Road in the affluent late 19th and early 20th-century railway suburb that developed following the opening of Heaton Chapel station on the LNWR Manchester to Stockport line in 1852. The site was purchased by Manchester Corporation on 7 February 1902 and the substation appeared on the 1907 Ordnance Survey map. The building was vested to Stockport Borough Council in 1921 and subsequently to North West Electricity in 1953.

The substation is constructed in red brick laid in English bond with sandstone dressings, banding, entablature and parapet. The main building has a corrugated asbestos roof, while the outshot has a slate roof. The building is designed in the Edwardian Baroque style.

The plan consists of a large rectangular building with a narrow single-storey outshot at the south end of the rear (east) wall.

The main (west) elevation facing Heaton Moor Road features a stepped double plinth with chamfered stone coping to the lower plinth and stone moulding to the upper plinth. Stone banding, entablature and stone parapet screening the roof run across the elevation. Nine bays of varying widths are articulated by shallow pilasters. The central entrance bay displays a large segmental pediment containing a carved relief of the arms of Manchester Corporation. Below this is a large doorway of bay-width with a segmental curved metal lintel featuring a giant keystone painted red, and wooden double doors. A blocked two-light window above has three stone columns forming the jambs and central mullion, with a moulded stone lintel. The frieze above bears relief lettering reading "MC EW". To each side of the central bay is a narrow bay with a blocked upper oculus set within a moulded stone frame incorporating four giant voussoirs. Bays 1 to 3 and bays 7 to 9 each have blocked upper flat-headed windows with moulded stone architraves and projecting sills on console brackets.

The north return elevation on Hooley Range continues the stone banding from the main elevation. A high shaped gable with stone banding is supported by stone consoles above the entablature. Central to this gable is a lunette window with moulded stone frame featuring intermediate giant voussoirs and a giant double keystone, containing a five-light wooden window frame. The central bay beneath the lunette is slightly recessed. Bays to either side feature large blind round-headed arches with stone voussoirs (alternately giant) and giant double keystones. Two doorways in outer bays have projecting stone surrounds and wooden doors.

The south return elevation is similar to the north return except the high gable has a flat rather than pointed apex, and there are no doorways.

The rear (east) elevation is blank with no stone banding, entablature or parapet. At the south end stands the narrow single-storey outshot of brick with mono-pitch slate roof. The outshot has a brick parapet with stone coping to the east and north elevations. The south elevation of the outshot has four blocked flat-headed windows with stone sills and a segmental-headed doorway with wooden door to the north elevation.

The interior was not inspected.

The boundary wall to Heaton Moor Road and Hooley Range consists of a low brick wall with chamfered stone coping and iron fencing set on top between brick piers with chamfered coping stones. A wide gateway with higher brick piers and ornamental iron gates stands in front of the central entrance on Heaton Moor Road. A further wide gateway with higher piers to the east end of the Hooley Range boundary is fitted with modern metal gates.

Two early 1960s single-storey blocks and two areas of fenced-in machinery against the rear (east) elevation are not of special architectural interest.