Northern Quarter Offices - 24 Lever Street, Manchester

Just before 24 Lever Street was born, the man who co-founded Communist Theory with Karl Marx, found a neighbourhood in need of a fairly good seeing-to. Friedrich Engels described the area as “insanitary and down at heel” and the houses “dirty, old and tumble-down, and the construction of the side-streets utterly horrible”. Indeed, he also mentioned “pigs walking about in the alleys, rooting in offal heaps”

Admittedly, even now, in the early hours of Sunday morning, there can be a few fairly shocking sights to behold around the Northern Quarter’s streets. However, we think it’s fair to say that the construction of 24 Lever Street has helped elevate the area somewhat.

People started flocking to the Northern Quarter to fill their faces way before the likes of Oklahoma, Dough, Tib Street Chippy, The Market Restaurant, The Soup Kitchen, Ning and Yagdars got cooking. And particularly on a Saturday night, when food became cheaper as the clock struck twelve. Apparently, on a single day in 1870, around 20,000 people went to Shudehill for cheap eats. These days, any day of the week’s good for a quality feed round here, but we do recommend not leaving it till midnight.

24 was originally designed by the architects Mills & Murgatroyd. Sadly though, before the history of the building even began, James Murgatroyd died in 1894. However, the  the partnership was continued with his son Arthur. Designs by this partnership included the entrance to Mr Thomas’ Chop House, Cross Street (1901); Albert House, 17 Bloom Street (1903); and the District Bank, Oldham (1902-03). But, back to the original partnership…

Manchester architects James Murgatroyd (1830-1894) and Alexander William Mills (1814-1905), were both Fellows of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and had their offices at 23 Strutt Street. The practice designed many prominent Manchester buildings, including Dover Street School, Chorlton-on-Medlock (1881-6); The Grand, Aytoun Street (1867-8 as a warehouse for Collie & Co., converted to hotel in 1883 by the practice); the Royal Exchange (1869-74), the predecessor of the present building; the original London Road Railway Station (1862); and the Assembly Rooms, Strangeways, decorated by J.G. Crace and demolished in 1966. The architect and designer Edgar Wood (1860-1935) was articled to James Murgatroyd and trained with the practice; the company also built a house for Wood’s father in Middleton (1864).

* Because we can’t find any pictures of Mills & Murgatroyd, we thought it would be utterly hilarious to use a picture of some sweets. Hopefully you think so too. Incidentally, Jimmy liked the blue ones, but big Al’ preferred green.

In 1897, for an unknown reason, 24 was demolished and replaced by a new building to designs by Mills & Murgatroyd. Some materials from the previous building were probably re-used as a note on the original plans states that ‘old columns’ were to be ‘refixed’. The building kept to its previous footprint, but was internally connected to 26. Supporting documents to the original plans state that the building was not intended for use as a factory, suggesting its use as a warehouse or company headquarters. Small wire items may have been made-up on the site.

It would seem 24 has a history of reinventing itself.

24 Lever Street is a former warehouse, built in 1897-98 by Mills and Murgatroyd for Johnsons.

We don’t know a whole lot about the Johnsons. We’re fairly sure it wasn’t any of the above, but here’s what we do know: The Johnson Company was founded in 1773 as manufacturers of small, wire products such as fireguards and hanging baskets. Its HQ was moved to 24-26 Lever Street in 1883. It is likely that Johnson’s shared these premises with other companies, and they share a listing in Slater’s directory from 1895-1909 with the Vieille Montagne Zinc Company.

In 1898 Mills & Murgatroyd’s new building was completed. Built of red brick and red sandstone in ‘Free Elizabethan’ style, the building is L-shaped in plan with accommodation over five storeys, and a basement. The four-bay facade is symmetrical above the ground floor, with ‘slightly-projected outer bays with tall shaped gables’. The central bays contain mullioned windows which are arched on the 3rd floor. The ground floor has a round-headed doorway to the left, with a stone canopy and a keystone carved with the number ’24′. The date is recorded on cartouches below the outer windows on the 3rd floor, carved with ’18′ and ’98′. The side elevation has two bays in a similar style to the front, the remaining eight bays to Bunsen Street are faced in white glazed-brick, with Crittal steel windows. The glazed brick would have reflected all available light into the warerooms, a response to the narrow width of Bunsen Street and the height of the neighbouring building. The rear elevation is of two storeys, with a drive-through cart way or hovel across the full width of the building. Two hoist shafts protrude above the roof.

Internally, all the floors were originally designed to be open plan. The decorative ribbed ceiling in the entrance lobby is probably original. The ground floor was originally designed as a ‘general warehouse’, with the main entrance from Lever Street. At the rear was storage for ‘bar iron’ with several small rooms adjacent in 8 Stevenson Square, connected to the building. The 1897 plans show Mr. Johnson’s office located on the Bunsen Street front corner of the 4th floor, with an adjoining boardroom and waiting room. Lavatory accommodation was provided at the rear of the building, in the southern corner of each floor below the sloping roof.

The spaces were mostly plainly finished. Some areas were given a more decorative treatment; for example the beams on the 3rd floor were encased with panelled timber linings. The 1^st floor front office rooms had decorative plaster ceilings and evidence of a fireplace but the historic partitions enclosing these spaces have been lost.

The image shows the building on a 1903 Ordnance Survey Map.

About 77 years before the baggy era, a street-dancing culture emerged in the Northern Quarter. Loads of young people got together, did polkas, waltzes and schottisches (Wikipedia says it’s a dance craze started in Bohemia) to music played by the Italian organ grinders who lived round the corner in Ancoats. Cut to present day and you get young folk (and not-so-young folk) shuffling around to resident DJs in a whole bunch of bars and clubs just around the corner from 24 Lever Street.

In 1924 an application by Messrs. Schofield Bros (shirt manufacturers) for alterations to form offices in 24 was submitted. The designs, by Ernest S. England, of Oldham, involved significant alterations to 26 (then referred to as 24), and the subdivision of all floors and the insertion of spine corridors in 24. These proposals appear to have been implemented and the building has largely been in office use since that period.

It’s some of the walls and windows that were constructed at this time to create offices within the originally open plan building which are now listed.

Click the thumbnails below, to see some more of the partition walls before and after restoration.

And lo, as a result of being fairly neglected after the Second World War, interesting types of businesses were attracted to the area, which offered low rents and an alternative feel to the typical British high street. Gradually, the Northern Quarter became known for independent stores, cafes and bars. It offered an alternative shopping experience. And this was just the start.

24 is a grade II listed building, listed in 1994*. 24 Lever Street is significant as a good example of a late 19th Century warehouse, built not for the textile trade but for a steel and hardware manufacturer. Mills & Murgatroyd, the original designers, are a well-regarded Manchester architectural practice best known for their classical 1874 Royal Exchange, the predecessor of the current one.

Their building makes a positive contribution to the street scene on Lever Street, within the Stevenson Square conservation area, designated in 1987. The rear elevation to Little Lever Street is significant for the drive-through hovel which provides evidence for the loading and unloading of goods onto vehicles within a covered loading bay.

The interior is significant for the building’s structure of cast-iron columns, steel beams and boarded floors, which survive on all floors. Although most floors have been altered to varying degrees since the building was first constructed, features from the 1890s interiors partly survive on the first four floors. The part-glazed corridor partitions and doors, and the entrance lobby panelling date from the 1920s and are typical features of warehouse offices.

*Which is in fact, the same year that another well built, and debatably notable Mancunian, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, released their debut single ‘Supersonic‘.

A few years ago, a fire raged through neighbouring buildings and into 24 Lever Street. It was a sad day for the immediate area, and in particular for many small businesses based in the building, which were left very badly affected. You can read the news story here.

However, Mancs are a resilient lot, and this building is no exception. So from the ashes, a new era is beginning.

4 days after the fire, over a cup of tea, and looking at a very wet building, it was decided 24 would be restored. In the same conversation somebody was heard to say ‘At least the sprinklers worked’.

2 days after that, Atul at Sheila Bird, starts thinking and sketching out how he could make the best out of a bad situation.

The Northern Quarter has appeared in loads of TV programmes and films in recent years, but check out 24 Lever Street’s starring – alright, alright, cameo – role in Hollywood’s recent Sherlock Holmes blockbuster, right here in glorious technicolour. Read more about it here.

Here’s how we found it – daunting but very, very exciting. Shots by Atul at Sheila Bird, and Tim Sinclair.

It’s been a busy few weeks here at 24. However, we did have to stop and admire all the beautiful doors and radiators that were collecting around the place. The plan is to re-use them where we can.

We’re getting things a bit more ship-shape and tidy. Little piles of bricks, that kind of thing. More shots of work in progress to follow soon.

We thought we’d just give you a quick update. Everyone’s working hard to get the building ready. We think its coming along rather nicely. Have a look at the images and see what you think – we hope you agree.

The Henleys floor is now complete… they will be moving in shortly.

The communal areas of 24 are now complete. Click through the thumbnails to take a look.

We just wanted to take time to say a big thank you to the ladies at Composite Imaging for all their hard work in bringing the communal parts of our building to life. They have a strong reputation for creating bespoke and affordable artwork for all manner of clients, and have done just that at 24. Paulette and Jackie from Composite Imaging have been taking snaps from around the NQ, and from the building before and during the restoration, and then using those images to create the wall paper and lampshades for the interiors. We think they look great, as do tenants Henleys, who commissioned their own pieces to adorn the walls on their own 2 floors.

Find out more about Composite Imaging here.

Manchester Evening News Young Business of the Year 2009, The Neighbourhood have just taken the fourth floor in the building. As you can see, the owners of 24 are just a little bit chuffed about this. More on The Neighbourhood to follow…