St James Buildings is a high-rise,

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

building on Oxford Street,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, completed in 1912. The building was constructed in the

Edwardian Baroque Edwardian architecture is a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to the year 1914 may also be included in this style. Description Edwardian architecture is ...

style and has a

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building ...

exterior reaching a maximum height of 60m.

History

The building opened in 1912 as the headquarters of the Calico Printers' Association Ltd, a company formed in 1899 from the amalgamation of 46 textile printing companies and 13 textile merchants. Companies involved in the merger included F. W. Grafton & Co, Edmund Potter & Co, Hoyle's Prints Ltd, John Gartside & Co, F. W. Ashton & Co, Rossendale Printing Company, Hewit & Wingate Ltd, and the Thornliebank Company Ltd. The renovated building is leased to other businesses by its owner Bruntwood. Notable lessees include

Kaplan Financial Ltd Kaplan Financial Ltd is a British company providing training in accountancy and financial services. It was founded in 1958. Kaplan Financial is part of Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company. Kaplan Financial has more than 48,000 ...

, the

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by ...

BPP Law School BPP University Law School is a private, for-profit provider of professional and academic legal education in the United Kingdom and one of the founding schools of BPP University. History BPP Law School has degree awarding powers through its pare ...

, and the Arup Manchester office who were based on the 8th floor, the

Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) is a tribunal in the United Kingdom that adjudicates on complaints made against doctors, making independent decisions about their fitness to practise. This includes imposing sanctions for decisions ...

and the Manchester city centre campus for

Edge Hill University Edge Hill University is a campus-based public university in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England, which opened in 1885 as Edge Hill College, the first non-denominational teacher training college for women in England, before admitting its first male stu ...

mainly for their

Paramedic A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...

and their

Operating department practitioner Operating department practitioners (ODPs) are specialist allied healthcare professionals or clinicians involved in the planning and delivery of perioperative care. They are primarily employed in surgical operating departments but may also work ...

courses.

Architecture

The building is

in style, has a

exterior and reaches a maximum height of 60m. The architects Clegg, Fryer & Penman designed the long façade with three slightly protruding pavilions with grossly inflated pilasters and pediments; in the centre the principal pediment is topped by a stumpy tower which breaks through the cornice line. The lowest third of the façade is emphasized by rustication and by having a more elaborate arrangement of windows.Atkins, Philip (1976) ''Guide across Manchester''. Manchester: Civic Trust for the North West ; p. 99

References

{{Manchester B&S Grade II listed buildings in Manchester

History

Architecture

See also

References