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55 Faulkner Street (also 18 Nicholas Street) is a historic building in the Chinatown district of
In January 2018, it was announced that the building would be converted into flats, with a restaurant on the ground floor.
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, England. Constructed in 1870, and Grade II listed in June 1994, it caught fire and was gutted in November 2016.
History
Located in Chinatown, Manchester, close to Manchester's Chinese Arch, 55 Faulkner Street was originally constructed as a warehouse in 1870 by architects Clegg and Knowles. It is a rectangular corner building with a basement and four floors, with five bays facing Nicholas Street and three bays facing Faulkner Street. It was built of brown bricks withFlemish bond
Flemish bond is a pattern of brickwork that is a common feature in Georgian architecture. The pattern features bricks laid lengthwise (''stretchers'') alternating with bricks laid with their shorter ends exposed (''headers'') within the same cou ...
and sandstone dressings. It was later used as offices, and became a Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
on 6 June 1994.
2016 fire
In the early hours of 25 November 2016, around 2.15am, the building caught fire. Over 50 firefighters were involved in extinguishing the fire. The building was gutted by the fire, with the roof collapsing in, and the building was deemed structurally unsafe. Staircases in the building had to be shored up before the remains of the building could be explored. The cause of the fire has not been established. No other buildings in the area were damaged. The bodies of two men, James Evans and Wayne Bardsley, were recovered from the first floor of the building after the fire, thought to behomeless people
Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...
, which sparked outcry amongst homeless charities and members of parliament about homelessness in Manchester. The building was known to have housed homeless people in the past, as the building had been unoccupied for some time. The police and fire service ran a joint investigation of the fire, and an arrest connected with the fire was made on 8 December 2016.
2018 conversion
In January 2018, it was announced that the building would be converted into flats, with a restaurant on the ground floor.
See also
*Listed buildings in Manchester-M1
Manchester is a city in Northwest England. The M1 postcode area of the city includes part of the city centre, in particular the Northern Quarter, the area known as Chinatown, and part of the district of Chorlton-on-Medlock. The postcode area c ...
References
{{Reflist Grade II listed buildings in Manchester 2010s fires in the United Kingdom 2016 disasters in the United Kingdom 2016 fires in Europe 2016 in England