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Manchester Reform Club

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Manchester Reform Club
Salomons' "best city-centre building"
Manchester Reform Club is located in Greater Manchester
Manchester Reform Club
Location within Greater Manchester
General information
Architectural styleVenetian Gothic style
Location81 King Street (former Reform Club) and
50 Spring Gardens (former Manchester Club), Manchester, M2 4AH, England
Coordinates53°28′51″N 2°14′32″W / 53.4809°N 2.2422°W / 53.4809; -2.2422
Construction started1870 (1870)
Completed1871 (1871)
Design and construction
ArchitectEdward Salomons
Designations
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameFormer Reform Club Manchester Club
Designated3 October 1974
Reference no.1282987

The Reform Club in Manchester, England, is a former gentlemen's club dating from the Victorian era. Built in 1870–71 in the Venetian Gothic style, it was designed by Edward Salomons in collaboration with the Irish architect John Philpot Jones.[1][2] The building stands on the corner of King Street and Spring Gardens. Clare Hartwell, in her Manchester Pevsner City Guide, considers the club Salomons' "best city-centre building",[1] and it is Grade II* listed.[3] The construction contract was awarded to Mr. Nield, a Manchester builder, for £20,000.[4] The Reform was built as the club house for Manchester's Liberal Party and was opened by Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville and Liberal Foreign Secretary, on 19 October 1871.[5]

The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar with polychrome dressings and a hipped slate roof. It has three storeys, with elaborate corner turrets, oriel windows, and balconies.[3] The main entrance features extensive masonry carving, including gargoyles and "winged beasts".[1] Inside, there is a "fine" staircase, a two-storey main dining room, and a very large billiard room on the third floor that runs the entire length of the building.[1] The hall and staircase have linenfold panelling.[3]

Declining membership in the late 20th century led the club to merge with the Engineers' Club in 1967 to form the Manchester Club, but this also failed to prove financially viable and was wound up in 1988. The club's archives are held at the John Rylands Library on Deansgate.[6] The building was later used as a restaurant and bar.[7]

In December 2022, the building became home to House of Books & Friends, an independent bookshop, café, and events space. Funded and founded by the law firm gunnercooke, the bookshop aims to address loneliness and social isolation in the community.[8]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Hartwell 2001, p. 167–8.
  2. ^ "Manchester history: Reform Club". A Manchester view. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Historic England. "Former Reform Club Manchester Club (Grade II*) (1282987)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  4. ^ "1870 - Manchester Reform Club, Lancashire". Archiseek. Architecture of Lancashire. 13 October 2009. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  5. ^ Manchester Evening News, 20 October 1871
  6. ^ "Papers of the Manchester Reform Club". University of Manchester Special Collections. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  7. ^ Heward, Emily (22 March 2017). "Manchester's old Reform Club reopens as Grand Pacific - and it looks magnificent". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  8. ^ Maidment, Adam (22 February 2024). "The cosy independent café and bookshop that could soon be named the best in the north". Manchester Evening News.

References

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  • Hartwell, Clare (2001). Manchester. Pevsner Architectural Guides. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-071131-7.