Rylands Building

The Rylands Building is a Grade II listed building and former department store on Market Street in Manchester, England.[2] It is situated in the Smithfield conservation area, which was known for its markets and textile warehouses,[3] close to the Piccadilly area of Manchester city centre.

Not to be confused with John Rylands Library.

Rylands Building
The Rylands Building from Piccadilly Gardens
General information
TypeWarehouse (1932–1957)
Department store (1957–2021)
LocationManchester,
Greater Manchester,
England, United Kingdom
Address109–127 Market St, Manchester M60 1TA
Completed1932
Technical details
Floor count10
Floor area500,000 sq ft (46,000 m2)[1]
Design and construction
Architect(s)Fairhursts (Harry S. & P. G. Fairhurst)

History

Warehouse

The building was originally built as a warehouse by J. Gerrard & Sons of Swinton for the Rylands textile company (Rylands & Sons Ltd) which was founded by the entrepreneur John Rylands. That firm had occupied warehouses in High Street ever since 1822; its west-facing side is on High Street.[4] The building was designed by the eminent Manchester architects, Fairhursts (Harry S. & P. G. Fairhurst), in an Art Deco style. It is clad in Portland stone and features a decorative corner tower and eclectic 'zig zag' window lintels. The work was completed in 1932.[5]

Department store

Following a fire in 1957 which destroyed the premises of Paulden's Department Store in All Saints, the company acquired the Rylands warehouse building and converted it to a store. This was then a direct rival to the Lewis's store, on the opposite side of Market Street. In 1973 Debenhams, the owner of Paulden's rebranded the store in their name. It remained Debenhams until its closure in 2021, outlasting other Manchester department stores including Lewis's, Affleck & Brown and C&A.[6]

Redevelopment

In 2023, the developer AM Alpha published plans to redevelop the Rylands Building to provide office, retail, and leisure spaces, as well as a four storey roof-top extension. The plans by Jeffrey Bell Architects were approved by Manchester City Council in May 2021[7] and construction is expected to complete in 2025.[1]

The Rylands Building can be seen in the background of L. S. Lowry's 1954 painting, Piccadilly Gardens.[8][9]

See also

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Debenhams, Market Street, Manchester.
  1. "GALLERY Sneak peek of Manchester's Rylands revival". Place North West. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  2. "Rylands Building (Debenhams), Manchester". British Listed Buildings.
  3. "Smithfield Conservation Area - History". Manchester City Council.
  4. Farnie, D. A. (1993). John Rylands of Manchester. Manchester: John Rylands University Library of Manchester. ISBN 0-86373-116-3; p. 83
  5. Hartwell, Clare (2001), Manchester, (Pevsner Architectural Guides.) Penguin Books, pp. 11, 253, ISBN 0-14-071131-7; pp. 169, 171
  6. "Debenhams Manchester". Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  7. "Planning – Application Summary". Manchester City Council. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  8. "Piccadilly Gardens | Art UK". artuk.org. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  9. Bradburn, Jean & John (15 January 2016). Central Manchester Through Time. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-4954-2. Retrieved 7 August 2021.

53.4823°N 2.2386°W / 53.4823; -2.2386

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