The Towers (later known as the Shirley Institute, and then the BTTG) is a research establishment for new technologies in cotton production. The Shirley Institute was established in 1920 at a cost of £10,000 to accommodate the newly formed ''British Cotton Industry Research Association''. It is 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 ...

listed building 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 ...

in the suburb of Didsbury, located south of the centre of

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 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 b ...

History

The building was constructed in the period 1868–72, for an estimated cost of £50,000. The house was designed by

Thomas Worthington Thomas or Tom Worthington may refer to: *Thomas Worthington (Douai) (1549–1627), English Catholic priest and third President of Douai College * Thomas Worthington (Dominican) (1671–1754), English Dominican friar and writer * Thomas Worthington ...

, for the editor and proprietor of the '' Manchester Guardian'',

John Edward Taylor John Edward Taylor (11 September 1791 – 6 January 1844) was an English business tycoon, editor, publisher and member of The Portico Library, who was the founder of the '' Manchester Guardian'' newspaper in 1821, which was renamed in 195 ...

. The building was described by

Pevsner Pevsner or Pevzner is a Jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aihud Pevsner (1925–2018), American physicist * Antoine Pevsner (1886–1962), Russian sculptor, brother of Naum Gabo * David Pevsner, American actor, singer, da ...

as "grossly picturesque in red brick and red terra cotta."

Manchester Ship Canal

Lodge of the Towers Blue Plaque, Didsbury

The Towers was once the home of the notable engineer

Daniel Adamson Daniel Adamson (30 April 1820 – 13 January 1890) was an English engineer who became a successful manufacturer of boilers and was the driving force behind the inception of the Manchester Ship Canal project during the 1880s. Early life Adamso ...

– whose idea for the canalisation of the Rivers Irwell and

Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

resulted in the creation of the Manchester Ship Canal project which made the rivers into

navigable for sea-going ships. He invited representatives of several

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

towns, local businessmen and politicians, and two civil engineers,

Hamilton Fulton Hamilton Fulton (26 May 1781 – 30 October 1833) was a Scottish civil engineer who worked for John Rennie and Thomas Telford before moving for a decade to the state of North Carolina as its principal engineer. Thereafter, he returned to Britain. ...

and

Edward Leader Williams Sir Edward Leader Williams (28 April 1828 – 1 January 1910) was an English civil engineer, chiefly remembered as the designer of the Manchester Ship Canal, but also heavily involved in other canal projects in north Cheshire. Early life ...

. Fulton proposed a tidal canal, with no

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

and a deepened channel into Manchester; Williams was in favour of a series of locks. Both engineers were invited to submit proposals, and Williams' plans were selected to form the basis of a bill submitted to Parliament in November 1882.Owen (1983), p. 31. Because of intense opposition by Liverpool and the railway companies, the necessary enabling

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

was not passed until 6 August 1885. Certain conditions were attached: £5 million had to be raised, and the ship canal company had to buy both the

Bridgewater Canal The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. It was opened in 1761 from Wor ...

and the

Mersey & Irwell Navigation The Mersey and Irwell Navigation was a river navigation in North West England, which provided a navigable route from the Mersey estuary to Salford and Manchester, by improving the course of the River Irwell and the River Mersey. Eight locks were ...

within two years.

Shirley Institute

In 1920 it became the base of the

Shirley Institute The Shirley Institute was established in 1920 as the British Cotton Industry Research Association at The Towers in Didsbury, Manchester, as a research centre dedicated to cotton production technologies. It was funded by the Cotton Board through ...

of the British Cotton Industry Research Association as a research centre dedicated to cotton production technologies. A significant contribution to the purchase price of £10,000 was made by William Greenwood, the MP for Stockport, who asked that the building be named after his daughter, Shirley.

Business Park

The Towers Didsbury entrance11 25 09 681000

In the early 21st century, the estate land of the Shirley Institute was redeveloped and a new

business park A business park or office park is a designated area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. These types of developments are often located in suburban areas where land and building costs are more affordable, and are typicall ...

was constructed.

Notes

Bibliography

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Towers Towers in Greater Manchester Didsbury Houses in Manchester Houses completed in 1872 1872 establishments in England Office buildings in Manchester 1920 establishments in England Grade II* listed buildings in Manchester Grade II* listed office buildings Gothic Revival architecture in Greater Manchester