Dr Peter N. Lindfield considers Greater Manchester's Gothic architecture in his ongoing Haunt Manchester article series and now shares exciting video content to highlight the different historical eras explored in his work and how this relates to the area. 

Introduction

The most significant buildings and structures in Manchester have been listed by Historic England. They are graded I, II*, and II: Grade I is the highest, most significant listing, with Grade II* representing works that are highly significant, but not as important for historical or other reasons as Grade I, and Grade II are the lowest in terms of significance. As Historic England explains here, 92 per cent of all listings are Grade II; Grade II* and Grade I are very much the exception. As my posts on the Haunt Manchester section of Visit Manchester demonstrate, a large number of Gothic structures in Manchester are Grade I (4) and Grade II* (19)—there are a further 118 Grade II Gothic structures according to Historic England. This means that the significance of Gothic structures listed in Manchester are higher than the national average across all listing types, with 84 per cent (rather than 92 per cent nationally) being Grade II.

This interactive map of Manchester’s Gothic listed buildings that I have created based upon Historic England data enables you to examine and explore the city’s Gothic listed buildings like never before. As you can see, there is a concentration within the centre of the city, and it shows that a lot of the sites are within easy walking distance; perfect to explore on foot as and when time, weather, and social distancing measures permit!

1—Medieval

Gothic Beyond Architecture: Manchester Cathedral, here.

The Zenith of Manchester’s Gothic: Chetham’s Library, here.

Moving Manchester’s ‘Tudor’ Shambles, here.

Layers of Gothic: A Jewel in Salford’s Crown—Ordsall Hall, here.

2—Georgian

A Hotchpotch of History: Sacred Trinity, Salford, here.

A ‘Bastard’ Building; a Child of Strawberry [Hill] uglier than its Parent: St John’s Church, Deansgate, here.

A Mancunian Gothic Sunday School, here.

3—Victorian

High Victorian Gothic: Thomas Worthington’s Venetian Hall at the heart of Manchester, here.

The Rule of Gothic: City Police and Session Courts, Minshull Street, here.

Furnishing the Minshull Street City Police and Session Courts, here.

A Hidden Gem in Salford: Arlington House, Bloom Street, here.

Manchester’s Twentieth-Century Library: The John Rylands Library, here.

Manchester’s ‘Renaissance Gothic’ Building?: Former Refuge Assurance Company Offices—now Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, here.

4—Twentieth-century and modern

Gothic Transformations: A Wesleyan Hall Turned Commercial Venture—Albert’s Schloss and Albert Hall, 27 Peter Street, here.

Manchester’s Modern Gothic in St Peter’s Square, here.

By Dr Peter N. Lindfield (including the featured/thumbnail image)