The Reform Club in Spring Gardens,
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 t ...
, England, is a former
gentlemen's club dating from the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
. Built in 1870–1871 in the
Venetian Gothic style, it was designed by
Edward Salomons
Edward Salomons (1828–1906) was an English architect based in Manchester, active in the late 19th century. He is known for his architecture in the Gothic Revival and Italianate styles.
His prominent commissions in Manchester include the Manchest ...
, in collaboration with an Irish architect, John Philpot Jones. Claire Hartwell, in her ''Manchester''
Pevsner City Guide considers the club Salomon’s "best city-centre building" and it has a
Grade II*
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 Irel ...
heritage designation.
The contract for construction was awarded to Mr Nield, a Manchester builder, and had a value of £20,000.
The Reform was constructed as the club house for Manchester's
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
, and was opened by
Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, Liberal
Foreign Secretary, on October 19, 1871.
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
An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window is most commonly found projecting from an upper f ...
and balconies.
The main entrance has extensive masonry carving, with
gargoyles and “winged beasts". 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. The hall and staircase have
linenfold
Linenfold (or linen fold) is a simple style of relief carving used to decorate wood panelling with a design "imitating window tracery", "imitating folded linen" or "stiffly imitating folded material". Originally from Flanders, the style became ...
panelling.
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 records are held at the
John Rylands Library
The John Rylands Research Institute and Library is a Victorian era, late-Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, neo-Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. It is part of the University of Manchester. The library, which opened to t ...
,
Deansgate. The building is now a restaurant and bar.
See also
*
Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
There are 236 Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester, England. In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural ...
*
Listed buildings in Manchester-M2
Manchester is a city in Northwest England. The M2 postcode area of the city includes part of the city centre, including the Central Retail District. The postcode area contains 143 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heri ...
Notes
References
*
{{Authority control
Grade II* listed buildings in Manchester
Gothic Revival architecture in Greater Manchester
Venetian Gothic architecture in the United Kingdom
Buildings and structures completed in 1871