Opening in October 1962, Ringway Airport was designed by Manchester’s City Architect Leonard Cecil Howitt with interiors by James Cubitt and Partners[1] and replaced an earlier scheme by the previous City Architect George Noel Hill[2]; not until 1975 was the moniker Manchester International Airport officially adopted[3].

From inception, the building was designed for ‘extensibility and flexibility’; a lightweight steel frame supported the extensively glazed elevations whilst prefabricated partitions were used internally[4].

Arriving by car, passengers could park at ground level in front of the terminal building before proceeding to check-in on foot. Those passengers of curious minds may have briefly glanced upwards and wondered about the strange abstract forms above the main entrance and their meaning.

Certainly, the 13-foot square design of ‘jumbled triangles’ had puzzled airport staff with senior airport officials admitting they also did not know what they meant[5].

Perhaps conscious of earlier controversies regarding excessive expenditure by Manchester Corporation on ‘futuristic money-wasting ideas’[6], the work had been undertaken by an in-house member of the City Architects’ Department, Brian Lee.

The abstract design on precast concrete panels utilised ‘classical principles of sculpture’ and was ‘based on the human face’[7]. It would later feature in the documentary film Murals For Manchester: the work of Brian Lee (1966).

Working from his home in Macclesfield, Lee would produce a mould from polystyrene with timber formwork into which concrete could be poured. Once set he would use a blow torch to remove the polystyrene and reveal the design[8].

However, the opportunity for passengers to admire Lee’s work at Ringway would be short-lived.

Only four years after opening, with ever-increasing passenger numbers and the imminent arrival of the 490-seater Boeing 747, or ‘jumbo jet’, the ‘extensibilty’ of the terminal buildings was made real.

Proposal were put forward by the new City Architect, Sidney George Besant-Roberts, to extend the existing terminal building, create a multi-storey car park and introduce a new inter-continental pier for dedicated use by the jumbo jets[9].

The multi-storey car park was to be erected on the site of the existing ground level car park and run the full length of the terminal building obscuring the existing main entrance along with its concrete abstract design.

These proposals accorded with the intention of the original architect. As early as 1955 Howitt had discussed the creation of the arrangement we see today. He envisioned that, “Passenger vehicles arriving at the airport would go up a ramp and unload their occupants directly on to the first floor of the building. Freight and baggage vehicles would arrive at ground level. Lifts would take luggage up to join its owner at the Customs counter, and then it would be returned to the ground floor.”[10]

Completed in 1974, at a cost of approximately £10 million, the new 600ft long inter-continental pier and transit lounge accommodated four jumbo jets and 1,600 passengers[11] whilst the multi-storey car park could take 2,500 vehicles[12]. Short stay parking was introduced costing 70 pence for under five hours[13].

It was anticipated that by the 1980s passenger numbers using the terminal would hit over 5 million a year[14]. Today, that figures stands at over 19 million[15]. And somewhere, under the layers of subsequent building work, Lee’s artwork survives hidden and out of view from the general public.

By Matthew Steele

We have struggled to get hold of a good image of the Ringway Murals – can you help?

You can see the film – Murtals for manchester featuring the work of Brian Lee here

The Manchester Modernist Society, the North West Film Archive and Manchester Metropolitan University Geography are pleased to bring to the City Art Gallery a curated programme of archive films charting the transformation of the North West landscape through the aspirations of 20th Century dreamers, citizens and planners.

Every third Thursday of the month we will present a film screening from 6.30 pm in the City Art Gallery Lecture Theatre on Mosley Street, central Manchester. A specialist presenter will introduce each screening, followed by informal questions and answers. Each event is free, but pre-registration is essential as places are strictly limited. Refreshments will be available for purchase in the cafe.

Thursday 20th June at 18.30

Free Tickets here

Manchester City Art Gallery, Manchester Modernist Society, Geography at Manchester Metropolitan University and the North West Film Archive are pleased to announce the final film in our programme Modernist Dreams and Utopias. We sincerely hope you have enjoyed the series and we are planning to finish with another chance to see Tom Cordell’s wonderful Utopia London (2010, 82mins).

We are also very pleased to announce that Tom Cordell will introduce the film and will take questions after.

Utopia London is a feature length documentary exploring London’s recent architectural history. The film observes the method and practise of the Modernist architects who rebuilt London after World War Two. It shows how they revolutionised life in the city in the wake of destruction from war and the poor living conditions inherited from the Industrial Revolution. This film is their story.

Utopia London travels through the recent history of the city where the film maker, Tom Cordell grew up. He finds the architects who designed it and reunites them with the buildings they created. These young  idealists were once united around a vision of using science and art to create a city of equal citizens. Their architecture fused William Morris with urban high-rise; ancient parkland with concrete.

Utopia London examines the, social and political agendas of the time in which the city was rebuilt. The story goes on to explore how the meaning of these transformative buildings has been radically manipulated over subsequent decades.

Inspired by the optimism of the past it poses the question; where do we go from here and now?

This visually stunning film will change the way you look at the city.

Free Tickets here

For more  information please visit:

www.utopialondon.com

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1757922/

–

Housing and Mass Redevelopment

16th May 2013: 6.30pm until 8.15pm

Free tickets here

The North West Film Archive and the Manchester Modernist Society, in conjunction with Geography at Manchester Metropolitan University, present five films about housing redevelopment and its impact on local communities in the post-war period.  The full programme will be:

6.30 Introduction by Eddy Rhead (The Manchester Modernist Society)

6.45 Film presentation:

1. Homes for Workers (1939) – documenting “slum” clearance in Liverpool and outlining new housing plans for the city
2. Late Hope Street (1968) - An ‘Impressionistic’ look at the final weeks of demolition of several rows of terraced houses in the Bradford area of Manchester
3. Unit by Unit (1964) - documenting the construction of system built housing in Liverpool by the Unit Construction Company
4. Murals for Manchester (1966) - a film depicting the sculptural work of Brian Lee, showing the installation of a concrete mural in Longsight, Manchester
5. A Practical Faith (1980) – a poignant documentary about the work of Reverend Mike Taylor in Hulme, Manchester.

8.00 Questions and answers

8.15 close

Guests should arrive from 6pm for a prompt start at 6.30pm in the lecture theatre. The event will finish at approximately 8.15pm.

Come early and get a drink or snack from the Gallery Cafe, to enjoy during the film showing.

Free tickets here

Our final film will be Tom Cordell’s excellent Utopia London to be introduced by Tom Cordell himself.  Booking will be essential.

–

Manchester on the Move

18th April 2013

The evening will be introduced by Richard Brook (Manchester School of Architecture), who co-organised the well-received Infra_Manc Exhibition at Cube in 2012.  There will also be an opportunity for questions and answers afterwards.

Guests should arrive from 6pm for a prompt start at 6.30pm in the lecture theatre. The event will finish at approximately 8.15pm.

Come early and get a drink or snack from the Gallery Cafe, to enjoy during the film showing.

Free tickets here

–

Bata-ville : We are not afraid of the future

14th March 2013 

Written & directed by Northern Art Prize Winners Karen Guthrie & Nina Pope, Bata-ville (90mins) is a bittersweet record of an English coach trip to the origins of the Bata shoe empire – the Moravian town of Zlin – a place described by Le Corbusier as a “shiny phenomenon”. Against the backdrop of economic regeneration in their communities, former employees of two now closed UK Bata factories are led by artist / directors Pope & Guthrie on a unique journey through Bata’s legacy and across a changing Europe.   What begins as a free holiday soon becomes an opportunity for a collective imagining of what Tomas Bata’s inspirational maxim, “We are not afraid of the future” can mean in 21st century Britain.

Free tickets here

From lobbies to boardrooms – English Heritage reviews list descriptions of 28 buildings in pilot project giving owners more clarity in managing change

English Heritage has today announced the outcomes of a pilot project to review list descriptions of building types that undergo frequent change. The revisions to 28 post-war commercial offices have better identified the special interest in these buildings, which in many cases are the exterior and internally limited to spaces such as lobbies and board rooms. When other parts of the building, such as basements and working floors are not of interest, this is said explicitly, thereby giving owners greater flexibility and clarity in the process of consents and management of change.

The project was in response to the Penfold Review and has culminated as the Enterprise and Regulatory Bill has gained Royal Assent. The new Act incorporates many changes recommended in the Penfold Review, bringing positive changes to the heritage protection system with clearer and faster decisions, and more efficient systems to facilitate growth. Listing is also playing its part in this.

The revised List entries will also facilitate the development of Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreements between the owner and the local authority. This approach to listing was set out in the listing of the Lloyds Building in December 2011 and can reduce the amount of listed building consent applications the owner needs to make.

As part of the project, the Time and Life Building (1953), London, has been upgraded to Grade II* in recognition of the high level of design and high quality art, including two commissions by Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson reliefs and Geoffrey Clarke sculpture integrated into the building. The interiors of the building were designed by Sir Hugh Casson, director of architecture at the Festival of Britain.

Bracken House (1955, London), the former headquarters of the Financial Times, was the first post-war building to be listed in 1987. This late example of modern classicism has since undergone significant change since listing, as the central printing house was rebuilt in 1988-91 for the new owners by Michael Hopkins and Partners. It was cleverly knitted into the wider building and is of such quality that it has been given a special mention within the Grade II* listing.

The former Pilkington Headquarters complex (1959, St Helen’s) was listed at Grade II in 1995 as one of the best and earliest greenfield headquarters complexes in England. The revised List entry now includes the previously unlisted gatehouse, former chauffeur’s house, and car port as key original components of the complex. The north lake surrounds and concrete bridge, which were previously listed separately at Grade II, are now incorporated into the new single list entry for the site. The landscape has been added onto The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens at Grade II for its strong design interest, one of only a small number of registered post-war landscapes.

Other notable facts added to the list entries include:

New Century House (1959-63, Manchester): one of the first commercial buildings in England to be air conditioned, as was the CIS building. Includes sculptured artworks by Stephen Sykes & John McCarthy (McCarthy also has a specifically listed artwork at the Birds Eye building).

The Rotunda (1960-65, Birmingham): considered unique in Britain to find an office building in such a simple form, its setting “forming a climax to the entry to the city”. Significant artworks identified in the list entry include the full height ciment-fondu mural by John Poole.

The Willis Building (1970-75, Ipswich): Sir Norman Foster’s first large scale commission and hailed internationally for its striking design and sensitive, innovative use of curvilinear glass curtain walling and the first use of escalators in an office building in Britain. It was listed Grade I in 1991.

New Zealand House (1959-63, Westminster): an elegant tower and podium composition, it has significance as the first major office tower in central London, the first to be fully air conditioned and the first to be fully glazed on all sides. It also includes specifically listed artwork: the sculptor Inia te Wiata’s life sized tribal figures of Maoris.

Liz Peace, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation which was consulted on the project, said: “The passage of theEnterprise and Regulatory Reform Act will bring many benefits for all those involved with listed buildings as for the first time the extent of the listing will be legally defined. This will make it much easier to identify and protect those parts of a listed building which make it special whilst, where appropriate, allowing changes to take place to less significant parts of the building that may be needed to keep it in use and so safeguard its future.

“The problem is that most listed buildings currently have listings which provide only the sketchiest information about what makes them special. Updating those listings will be a massive job and we are delighted with the success of English Heritage’s initial pilot to provide more detailed listings for modern office buildings. We look forward to working with English Heritage to build on this solid start and explore which other buildings should be fast tracked for more detailed listing.”

Emily Gee, Head of Designation at English Heritage, said: “This project has helped shape our designation response to the government’s better regulation agenda and provided what we hope are useful improvements for the owners of these special working offices. English Heritage is committed to applying appropriate levels of protection and providing clarity, while also celebrating the very best of post-war commercial architecture.”

The 28 buildings that have enhanced list descriptions are:

Pilkington Glassworks Head Offices, St Helen’s

Pall Mall Court, Manchester

New Century House, Manchester

CIS Building, Manchester

Barclay’s Bank, Plymouth

Royal Bank of Scotland (formerly National Provincial Bank), Plymouth

Grosvenor House, Birmingham

Offices for Carr & Co, Birmingham (Goldfinger House)

Rotunda, Birmingham

WD & HO Wills HQ, Bristol

The Willis Building, Ipswich

Boots D90 HQ, Nottingham

Bird’s Eye, Walton on Thames, Surrey

Bracken House, Cannon Street, City of London

Former offices of YRM, Greystoke Place, City of London

Clareville House, Panton Street, Westminster

Sanderson House, Berners Street, Westminster

Economist Building, Westminster

Knickerbox, 219 Oxford Street, Westminster

Time and Life Building, New Bond Street, Westminster

45-46 Albemarle Street, Westminster

100 Pall Mall, Westminster

New Zealand House, Haymarket, Westminster

Millbank Tower, Westminster

41 Albemarle Street, Westminster

Centrepoint, Charing Cross Road, Camden

Sekers, 190 Sloane Street, Kensington & Chelsea

Heinz admin & research Labs at Heinz UK Headquarters, Hillingdon

The list descriptions can be found on the National Heritage List for England at www.english-heritage.org.uk/list.

Looking ahead, English Heritage will prioritise revisions of complex buildings and sites where the new approach would have a positive impact on management. It is also undertaking a project on architectural developments in commercial offices built between 1964 and 1984, the exemplars of which will be considered for listing later this year, and a contextual report published.

English Heritage press office 

On Saturday, May 11, Matthew Schofield will lead a Twentieth Century Society North West Group walk around central Stockport. 

Call out for images

Alongside the map we are busy revamping our clunky old website so we can feature all the buildings that we have discovered during our walks.. but here’s the rub… we need your help again!

We’d like to include images of all the buildings on our list and we know how many super photographers have been snapping the twentieth century city over the years.

We’d like to include some of your photos on our website!

How to contribute:

• Send your images headed PHOTOS to gallery[at]manchestermodernistsociety.org
• Please include the name of the photographer and building.
• Please ensure that you hold all rights to publish the image.
• (if possible please format you photos for web use – no more than 600 pixels wide)
• We will only be able to include around three images per building and so can’t guarantee that your pictures will be included.
• N.B. the photographer will be credited and all copyright and ownership of the images will remain the that of the photographer.

We thank you

the manchester modernists

Do you have images of these buildings?

The Manchester Print fair was started in 2011 by designer Alessandra Mostyn from a belief that the city could benefit from an all-round creative event which celebrated print design in all its forms, creating a community of creative practitioners.

Come along to meet us and a host of talented print-makers, publishers and graphic designers.

And if you can’t make it – you can always buy The Modernist Magazine on-line.

The Manchester Print Fair

The making of post-war Manchester 1945-74: Plans and projects

A free one-day symposium

Amazing set of amateur slides of redevelopment of central Manchester in the 1960s and 1970s.

Free discovery tours – and map plotting! 

Manchester Modernist Society have always loved a good map, and we’ve long wanted to produce a map of the fabulous modernist heritage of the City. We are now pleased to say that, with a bit of help from the Heritage Lottery Fund, we are about to embark on a plan to map our very favourite city centre buildings and produce some real – yes, real – paper maps to help people explore the twentieth century heritage of Manchester and Salford.

To make things easier for those of you who might want a little rest along the way, we are going to more or less follow the routes of the three free to use Metro Shuttle Buses  that wind their way through central Manchester – so, whilst discovering the city, you will be able to hop on and off to your heart’s content.

Before we start drawing our maps, we need your help!

Manchester Modernist Society would like to invite you to join us on one of six discovery tours, where we will discover and share the story of social progress, scientific achievement, commercial development and cultural and religious change. From the early Paramount Cinema to the UK’s first purpose-built TV Studios (Granada); from the Scandinavian modernism of Oxford Rd Station to the brutal intrusion of the Mancunian Way; from the Manchester Polytechnic to the scientific achievements at UMIST; from the International style of the CIS tower to an erotic Cinema on Oxford Road, there is a fascinating wealth and variety of history that should be identified, explored and celebrated.. and we want you to share your knowledge, stories and information with us.

So, please join our guide and expert on Manchester Modernism – Mr. Eddy Rhead on one (or both) of our walks …

Tours – and map plotting!

Saturday 27th April at 10.30am – Route 2 -  Free to attend (NB this is a repeat of walk #2 for those who missed out the first time) reserve your place by clicking here.

Saturday 27th April at 2.00pm – Route 3  - Free to attend (NB this is a repeat of walk #3 for those who missed out the first time) reserve your place by clicking here.

N.B. As ever, the walks take place in the open air and good weather cannot be guaranteed; please dress accordingly and be prepared for a walking session which will take around three hours.

Places are limited.