Context 151 - September 2017

C O N T E X T 1 5 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 35 IHBC ANNUAL SCHOOL Simon Green, on Saturday. Both tours were ably shep- herded by conservation planner Kate Kendall, adding further insights.We have textile mill and railway herit- age in Dundee, and this was as impressive (we have a navigable estuary rather than canals). ‘Why go to Venice when we have canals in Manchester?’ My paraphrase of the words of Julian Holder’s young son was equally apposite to the Ancoats tour. In each case we began by following the Rochdale Canal (west and then east) from the lock located to the rear of our conveniently located hotel. We heard about how the canals had been saved, largely due to the efforts of volunteer enthusiasts, at a time when city tourists were unusual, and canals were not needed and being infilled. For Ancoats, we passed along the canal heading east behind textile premises, including what was intended to be the tallest skyscraper of its date (it halted after the first stages), to the colourful surrounds of Canal Street, renowned for its gay nightlife – a Scots baro- nial style warehouse across the road also catching our attention. Then the remarkable police courts complex by the unsuccessful bidder for the town hall design, a favourite of Green’s (and mine), eventually arriving in the Ancoats conservation area, across from the Royal Mill complex, comprising some four large cotton mill buildings from 1818 and 1912, containing ground-floor commercial outlets and a coffee bar around courtyards with apartments. The 50-acre conservation area is where the world’s first industrial city effectively began, where the spinning mule met the steam engine. The concentration of mills is to the south west, with the canal forming the southern boundary. Most of the mills seem to have been regenerated for housing, but what immediately stood out was the high-quality public realm work in between. Simple, natural materials have been laid out in traditional formations, with railings where appropriate, some street trees and some areas of seat- ing, such as opposite the ice-plant building (used by the immigrant Italian community in the 1860s for ice cream manufacture). I was impressed by Manchester’s first local authority housing, the great Victoria Square complex of 1894, where a few corner shops and pubs are empty but the whole continues to gel with appropriate fenestration. Nearby is a street of low terraced housing, with a church on either side (in new uses, one rather compro- mised); St Peter’s church, now a practice studio for the Halle Orchestra, restored by a building preservation trust; and the 1939 northern headquarters of the Daily Express, appropriately extended (in the 1990s the opportunity was taken to complete the frontage to the original design when the adjacent site at last became available and the complex was converted to offices). After completing the Ancoats rectangle, we returned to the canals, passing more restored mills and newer housing, all making great use of their waterside set- tings, although with only a few barges visible. I hope those we did see will continue to use Manchester’s amazing canal network. Adam Swan A lock-keeper’s cottage on the Ashton Canal with Albion Mills, recently converted, in the background (Photo: Jen Austin) The IHBC would like to thank the sponsors of this year’s annual school Annual Dinner Reception Refreshments Affinity MFL INSURANCE BROKERS