32-34 Railway Street

This former Manchester & County Bank was constructed in 1906. The building served as a banking hall at ground level with a manager's flat occupying the first and second floors. It is attached to buildings on either side, with a small enclosed yard at the rear.

Exterior

The building is tall and slender with a ground floor of one-and-a-half times normal height. It has octagonal sandstone chimney stacks at the end ridges and cast-iron rainwater goods.

Front (south-east) elevation on Railway Street

The front elevation comprises three bays set on slightly sloping ground. A pink sandstone plinth at ground level incorporates two small quatrefoil vents, with a pink granite band above. The ground floor features a tall cross window to the left and a tall ten-light mullion and transom window to the centre bay. The main entrance at the far right consists of a tall arched doorway with an integral tripartite overlight above replaced doors. The doorcase incorporates a decorative carved hoodmould and spandrels depicting Tudor roses.

A dentil cornice runs between the ground and first floors, with carved reliefs of flora to its underside and grotesque stops. Modern signage occupies a band below the cornice. Two stringcourses separate the first and second floors. The centre bay on each floor has paired cross windows; those at first-floor level are separated by a plain carved shield. Two semi-octagonal pilaster strips rise through the first and second floors between the bays, forming part of the parapet and surmounted by small pinnacles. Gargoyles sit at each end of the parapet. A central gable is surmounted by a carved figure of a griffin holding a shield, with a carved datestone below displaying '1906' in stylised lettering.

An alleyway through the ground floor of the attached building to the left (south-west) side provides access to the rear of numbers 32-34. The building projects further to the rear than its neighbours and incorporates a tall cross window with Art Nouveau stained leaded glazing to the ground floor of the south-west side elevation.

Rear elevation

The rear elevation is brick with sandstone sills and lintels to the windows. It has three bays and steps down in height, with original two-storey and single-storey outshots. A high brick wall, stepped to the south-west side, encloses a small rear yard containing a small single-storey outbuilding.

A single-storey outshot lies to the south-east side of the yard. It has a doorway incorporating a plain overlight and a large six-light mullion and transom window to the right of the door with Art Nouveau stained-leaded glazing and Gothic arched heads to the upper lights. A brick stair with leaded step coverings and slender cast-iron stick balusters and handrails is set to the north-east side of the yard. This leads up onto the flat roof of the single-storey outshot, which has a parapet wall to the north-west side.

A small single-storey outbuilding with a sloping slate roof sits to the south-west side of the roof, forming part of the enclosing wall. It has a doorway to the right and a small sash window to the left, both with segmental arched heads.

A two-storey projection is set behind the single-storey outshot with a sloping slate roof. Its rear (north-west) wall has a squat four-light lancet window to the lower part (lighting the banking hall and overlooking the flat roof of the single-storey outshot) flanked by quatrefoil roundels with patterned leaded glazing, all with sandstone surrounds. The first floor has a one-over-one sash window to the left and a wider two-over-two sash window to the right.

The stair continues up from the flat roof to an external first-floor landing and seating area. The rear (north-west) wall of the building has a one-over-one sash window with a tall stair window above. The entrance to the former manager's flat is set into the north-east side of the two-storey outshot to the right, with a doorway incorporating a two-light overlight and segmental arched head. The second floor has a two-light casement window to the right of centre and a two-over-two sash window to the far right. A small two-light skylight sits to the far right of the roof.

Interior

The interior is little altered and retains many original features.

Ground-floor banking hall

The large ground-floor banking hall has original parquet and tiled floors beneath later coverings, and a footmat recess inside the main entrance with a patterned mosaic border. Original radiators survive. The coffered ceiling is supported by a series of pilasters with fluted upper sections and carved quatrefoil decoration to the lower sections, set upon panelled dados.

The upper section of the walls is clad with cream glazed tiles, some with relief fleur-de-lys decoration. Heads of cusped arcading can be seen just above the central section of the walls, which are hidden from view by gallery sales boards and clad in cream glazed tiles with turquoise glazed tile backgrounds. A tall cross window in the west corner has Art Nouveau stained leaded glazing.

Large Gothic-hooded fireplaces with cream glazed tile cladding, cast-iron grates and hoods, and turquoise glazed tiled cheeks are set opposite each other in the centre of each side wall. The original counter has ogee-arched panelling. A large stone arch with carved spandrels on the rear wall has a four-light lancet window above, flanked by quatrefoils with patterned leaded glazing. A vestibule behind the arch has turquoise glazed tiled walls.

A small office to the rear left has a chimneybreast (fireplace removed) and roll-moulded cornicing. A small room to the centre left has a washbasin, cream glazed tiled dado with a decorative light and dark green glazed tile border in part-relief, quarry tiled floor and a door into the rear yard. The bank's money lift is located to the centre right, and the basement stair to the rear right. All these spaces have reeded door architraves incorporating dentil cornicing and four- and six-panel doors. The doors to the office and washroom have glazed upper panels with Art Nouveau stained leaded glazing (those to the office have been restored following damage).

The enclosed stone basement stair has cream glazed tiled walls. The basement rooms have cream glazed tiled walls and mainly concrete floors. Two toilets have quarry tiled floors, original ledged and braced and panelled doors, and one original metal grille door. The money lift shaft retains its original operating mechanism and grilles.

Former manager's flat (first and second floors)

Both floors have roll mouldings and plain-moulded cornicing, with some dado and picture rails. Six-panel doors and a four-panel door to the downstairs toilet are present. Original parquet and quarry tiled floors survive to the first floor underneath later coverings; floorboards are believed to survive to the second floor underneath later coverings.

A small entrance hall to the rear right has a later inserted partition to part of the south-east wall. The central stair hall contains a dog-leg stair with Art Nouveau-style splat balusters and shaped newel posts.

Two large rooms on the first-floor front have painted timber fire surrounds with glazed tiled cheeks and adjacent arched alcoves. A large room to the rear left (originally the kitchen) has a chimneybreast and later replaced fireplace, plus an original built-in cupboard.

The second floor has a later partition wall inserted to the landing behind the stair balustrade. Two rooms to the front (that to the south-west end is now partitioned) have painted timber fire surrounds with Art Nouveau-style relief Ace of Spades decoration. Hatch access to the attic is provided.