| Manchester Reform Club | |
|---|---|
 Salomons' "best city-centre building" | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Venetian Gothic style |
| Location | 81 King Street (Former Reform Club) and 50 Spring Gardens (Former Manchester Club) Manchester, M2 4AH, England |
| Coordinates | 53°28′51″N 2°14′32″W / 53.4809°N 2.2422°W |
| Construction started | 1870 |
| Completed | 1871 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Edward Salomons |
| Designations | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Former Reform Club Manchester Club |
| Designated | 2 October 1974 |
| Reference no. | 1282987 |
The Reform Club in Manchester, England, is a former gentlemen's club dating from the Victorian era. Built in 1870–1871 in the Venetian Gothic style, it was designed by Edward Salomons, in collaboration with an Irish architect, John Philpot Jones.[1][2] The building is situated on the corner of King Street and Spring Gardens. Claire Hartwell, in her Manchester Pevsner City Guide considers the club Salomons' "best city-centre building"[1] and it has a Grade II* heritage designation.[3] The contract for construction was awarded to Mr Nield, a Manchester builder, and had a value of £20,000.[4] The Reform was constructed as the club house for Manchester's Liberal Party, and was opened by Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, Liberal Foreign Secretary, on 19 October 1871.[5]
The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar with polychrome dressings and a hipped slate roof. It is of three storeys with elaborate corner turrets, oriel windows and balconies.[3] The main entrance has extensive masonry carving, with gargoyles and “winged beasts".[1] The interior contains a "fine" staircase, a two-storey main dining room, and a very large billiard room on the third floor, which 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, Deansgate.[6] The building is now a restaurant and bar.[7]
In December 2022 the building became home to House of Books & Friends, an independent bookshop, cafe and events space. Funded and founded by a law firm, gunnercooke, the bookshop's aim is to address loneliness and social isolation in the community.[8]
- ^ a b c d Hartwell 2001, p. 167-8.
- ^ "Manchester history: Reform Club". A Manchester view. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ a b c Historic England. "Former Reform Club Manchester (Grade II*) (1282987)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "1870 - Manchester Reform Club, Lancashire". Archiseek.com. Architecture of Lancashire. 13 October 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ Manchester Evening News, 20 October 1871
- ^ "Papers of the Manchester Reform Club". University of Manchester Special Collections. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ Heward, Emily (22 March 2017). "Manchester's old Reform Club reopens as Grand Pacific - and it looks magnificent". Manchester Evening News.
- ^ Maidment, Adam (22 February 2024). "The cosy independent café and bookshop that could soon be named the best in the north". www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk.