Portland Street, Manchester

Coordinates: 53°28′39″N 2°14′26″W / 53.4775°N 2.2406°W / 53.4775; -2.2406

Aerial view of Portland Street at night
Britannia House, one of Manchester's most imposing buildings
Manchester One (formerly Portland Tower) is among the city's tallest buildings

Portland Street is a street which runs from Piccadilly at its junction with Newton Street southwards to Oxford Street at its junction with Chepstow Street in Manchester, England. The major buildings of Portland Street include the largest former warehouse in the city centre, Watts Warehouse (grade II* listed), the former Bank of England Building and other former warehouses on the corners of Princess Street.

Location

Portland Street was a name given to a new street on the site of a lane called Garrett Lane after a 14th-century hall, Garrett Hall; like some others it was borrowed from the street of the same name in London by wealthy Manchester men in the early 19th century.[1] It became Victorian Manchester's showpiece: until the 1850s it ended at David Street (afterwards renamed Princess Street). From the 1840s this part of the town began to be taken over by warehouses and during the 1850s and 1860s they predominated in Portland Street.

The 1911 Victoria County History refers to "a very fine vista of unbroken line" of warehouse buildings "chiefly constructed in brick and terra cotta".[2] Its parade of impressive buildings was reduced by bombing during the second World War and some later development ignored the old building line.[3]

Buildings

One building is grade II* listed (Watts Warehouse) and many are grade II listed, including the former Pickles Building at 101, the Portland Thistle Hotel at 3, 5 and 9, Nos 74-80 (including the Grey Horse public house) and many old Victorian textile warehouses.[4]

Transport

The northernmost section of Portland Street is close to the bus and Metrolink stations at Piccadilly Gardens and the Metrolink line towards Piccadilly railway station crosses Portland Street to get into Aytoun Street. There are bus stops for southbound services near Sackville Street and northbound services near Dickinson Street. Chorlton Street coach station is nearby south of Chorlton Street next to the gay village.

See also

References

  1. Bradshaw, L. D. (1985). Origins of Street Names in the City of Manchester. Radcliffe: Neil Richardson. ISBN 0-907511-87-2; p. 39
  2. William Farrer & J. Brownbill (editors) (1911). "Townships: Manchester (part 1 of 2)". A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  3. Atkins, Philip (1976) Guide across Manchester. Manchester: Civic Trust for the North West ISBN 0-901347-29-9; pp. 26–27, 30-31
  4. http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1908&pageNumber=15 Listed buildings in Manchester 2014
  5. Sharp, Dennis, ed. (1969) Manchester. (City Buildings Series.) London: Studio Vista; pp. 20–21
  6. Atkins; pp. 26–27
  7. Atkins; pp. 26, 28
  8. Sharp, Dennis, ed. (1969) Manchester. (City Buildings Series.) London: Studio Vista; pp. 20–21
  9. Atkins; p. 28
  10. Stewart, Cecil (1956) The Stones of Manchester. London: Edward Arnold; pp. 101–03

Further reading

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