County Court, Manchester

Former County Court building in Manchester, England

County Court

County Court, Manchester

General information
Architectural style| Georgian
Location| 19 Quay Street, Manchester, England
Coordinates| 53°28′43″N 2°15′08″W﻿ / ﻿53.4786°N 2.2521°W﻿ / 53.4786; -2.2521
Completed| 1770s (1770s)
Designations|

Listed Building – Grade II*

Official name| Cobden House, 19 Quay Street
Designated| 2 October 1974
Reference no.| 1247447

The County Court on Quay Street, Manchester, England, is a Georgian townhouse that functioned as the Manchester County Court from 1878 to 1990. It was the home of the politician and reformer Richard Cobden and subsequently the site of Owen's College, the forerunner of the University of Manchester. In origin it is a townhouse of the 1770s, "the best preserved Georgian house in the [city] centre".[1] The house is of "brick with a late nineteenth century doorcase".[1] It was designated a Grade II* listed building on 2 October 1974.[2] The interior is not original.

## History

[edit]

Richard Cobden lived at the house from 1836 to 1850, and it was his base during the years he acted as the main spokesman for the Anti-Corn Law League. A statue of him, together with one of his fellow reformers John Bright, stands in Albert Square. The house subsequently became the site of Owens College, which, together with the Manchester Royal School of Medicine, became the Victoria University of Manchester in 1880.[1] When the college moved to its present site on Oxford Road in 1873, the building was bought for use as Manchester's County Court, which opened in 1878.[1] By the 1970s the building had become badly decayed, and first the courts and then the administrative offices were relocated. The court was closed in 1990. It was subsequently purchased for use as a set of barristers' chambers and has been comprehensively refurbished, with much of its original Georgian decor restored.[3]

## Architecture

[edit]

The house of three storeys and a basement is a Georgian townhouse built in the mid-18th century and subsequently extended to the rear and altered. It is constructed on a rectangular plan in red brick in Flemish bond on a stucco plinth. Its façade has five bays with the centre bay set slightly forward. The central doorway has a late 19th-century pilastered doorcase with a frieze and cornice which replaced the original raised pedimented doorway and double flight of steps. Its windows have raised sills and flat heads, with 12-pane sashes at ground and first floor levels and 9-pane sashes on the second floor, while the basement has segmental-headed windows.[2]

## Gallery

[edit]

* Plaque commemorating Richard Cobden and Owens College

## See also

[edit]

* Listed buildings in Manchester-M3
* Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Hartwell 2001, p. 253
2. ^ a b "County Court, Manchester". Listed Buildings Online. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
3. ^ "Cobden House History". Cobden House Chambers. Retrieved 17 April 2012.

Bibliography

* Hartwell, Clare (2001), Manchester, Pevsner Architectural Guides, London: Penguin, ISBN 0-14-071131-7

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Buildings and structures in Manchester, England

Skyscrapers (over 100 metres)|

* Deansgate Square South Tower (201m)
* Beetham Tower (169m)
* Deansgate Square East Tower (158m)
* The Blade (154m)
* Three60 (154m)
* Elizabeth Tower (153m)
* Deansgate Square West Tower (141m)
* Viadux (136m)
* Deansgate Square North Tower (122m)
* CIS Tower (118m)
* Affinity Living Circle Square (116m)
* Oxygen Towers (110m)
* Angel Gardens (108m)
* City Tower (107m)
* Bridgewater Heights (106m)

High-rises (over 50 metres)|

* Artisan Heights (95m)
* Axis Tower (93m)
* 1 Spinningfields (92m)
* River Street Tower (92m)
* Arndale House (90m)
* Manchester Town Hall Clock Tower (87m)
* Cambridge Street Block A (83m)
* One Regent (82m)
* Civil Justice Centre (81m)
* Manchester One (80m)
* 1 Circle Square (76m)
* 3 Hardman Street (75m)

* Great Northern Tower (72m)
* One Angel Square (72m)
* 3 St Peter's Square (72m)
* The Gate, Angel Meadow (68m)
* The Light House (67m)
* Victoria Residence (67m)
* The Principal Manchester (66m)
* Victoria Mill (65m)
* Albert Bridge House (64m)
* 111 Piccadilly (64m)
* Islington Wharf (64m)
* The Slate Yard Flint Building (64m)
* Skyline Central (63m)
* The Peninsula (63m)
* Cambridge Street Block B (63m)
* No. 1 Deansgate (62m)
* Owens Park Tower (61m)
* Brooklyn Hotel (61m)
* One Castle Wharf (61m)
* Manchester Business School Hotel (60m)
* St James's Buildings (60m)
* 2 Leftbank Apartments (60m)
* 3 Leftbank Apartments (60m)
* 3 Piccadilly Place (60m)
* Chancery Place (60m)
* The Lume (60m)
* Affinity Living Circle Square Tower 2 (60m)
* One St Peter's Square (59m)
* Two St Peter's Square (59m)
* Landmark, St. Peter's Square (59m)
* 2 Circle Square (59m)
* Hotel and MSCP, Circle Square (59m)
* Lowry House (58m)
* Minshull Street Courts (57m)
* UNITE Tower (57m)
* Cornbrook Works Tower 1 (57m)
* Ramada Renaissance Hotel (56m)
* Parkway Gate Block 1 (56m)
* Royal Exchange Theatre (55m)
* 1 New York Street (55m)
* St James's House (55m)
* Bank Chambers (55m)
* Vita Circle Square Tower 1 (54m)
* Kampus Tower 1 (54m)
* Kampus Tower 2 (54m)
* Affinity Living Circle Square Tower 3 (54m)
* No. 1 Marsden Street (53m)
* The Stile, Angel Meadow (53m)
* 82 King Street (52m)
* Oxygen Tower 2 (52m)
* Vox Tower 1 (51m)
* Kampus Tower 3 (51m)
* New Century House (50m)
* Hexagon Tower (50m)
* Parkway Gate Block 2 (50m)

Notable low-rises
(city centre or Grade II* listed)|

* 1 The Avenue
* 1–3 York Street
* 25 St Ann Street
* 38 and 42 Mosley Street
* 46–48 Brown Street
* 50 Newton Street
* 53 King Street
* 84 Plymouth Grove
* 100 King Street
* Afflecks
* Alan Turing Building
* Albert Hall
* Ancoats Hospital
* Arkwright House
* Athenaeum
* Baguley Hall
* Bank Chambers
* Barlow Hall
* Barton Arcade
* Central Library
* Chetham's Library
* Chips
* Clayton Hall
* Corn Exchange
* County Court
* Daily Express
* Dalton-Ellis Hall
* Didsbury Campus
* Estate Exchange
* Former Bank of England
* Free Trade Hall
* Gateway House
* Old Granada Studios
* The Green Building
* Grove House
* The Haçienda
* Hanover Building
* Heaton Hall
* Holyoake House
* Hough End Hall
* Hulme Hall
* Hulme Hippodrome
* Institute of Biotechnology
* John Rylands Library
* John Rylands University Library
* Kendals
* Lawrence Buildings
* Law Library
* Lincoln House
* London Road Fire Station
* Manchester Art Gallery
* Manchester Museum
* Mechanics' Institute
* Memorial Hall
* Midland Hotel
* Minshull Street Crown Courts
* Science and Industry Museum
* National Graphene Institute
* Nicholls Building
* Odeon Cinema
* Old Wellington Inn
* One Piccadilly Gardens
* Pankhurst Centre
* People's History Museum
* Police Museum
* Portico Library
* Playhouse Theatre
* Redfern Building
* Reform Club
* Rose Hill
* Royal Eye Hospital
* Rylands Building
* Sackville Street Building
* Sharston Hall
* Ship Canal House
* Slade Hall
* Smithfield Market Hall
* St Anselm Hall
* Saint Mary's Hospital
* St Michael's
* Strangeways
* Sunlight House
* Theatre Royal
* Toast Rack
* The Towers
* Transport Museum
* Urbis
* Uttley House
* Victoria Baths
* Whitworth Art Gallery
* Whitworth Building
* Wythenshawe Bus Garage
* Wythenshawe Hall

Mills and warehouses|

* 107 Piccadilly
* 1830 warehouse, Liverpool Road railway station
* Albion Mill
* Asia House
* Beehive Mill
* Bridgewater House
* Brownsfield Mill
* Brunswick Mill
* Canada House
* Chorlton New Mills
* Churchgate House
* Dale Street Warehouse
* Havelock Mills
* India House
* Jackson's Warehouse
* Lancaster House
* McConnel & Kennedy Mills
* Murrays' Mills
* Old Mill
* Piccadilly Mill
* Royal Mill
* Shudehill Mill
* Watts Warehouse

Religious
(Grade I or II* listed)|

* British Muslim Heritage Centre
* Brookfield Church
* Castlefield Chapel
* Christ Church
* Cross Street Chapel
* Holy Name of Jesus
* Edgar Wood Centre
* Gorton Monastery
* Holy Trinity Platt Church
* The Hidden Gem (Church of St Mary)
* Jewish Museum
* Manchester Cathedral
* Manchester Reform Synagogue
* St Ann's
* St Chrysostom's Church
* Church of St Cross
* St George
* St James
* St John
* St Mary (Hulme)
* Church of St Michael
* St Nicholas
* St Peter
* Upper Brook Street Chapel
* St Wilfrid

Transportation|

* Manchester Airport
* Airport station
* Deansgate station
* Piccadilly station
* Victoria station
* Oxford Road station
* Piccadilly bus station
* Shudehill Interchange

Entertainment|

* O2 Apollo
* Arndale Centre
* Bridgewater Hall
* Castlefield Bowl
* Central
* Co-op Live
* Contact Theatre
* Cornerhouse
* The Factory
* Great Northern Warehouse
* HOME
* Palace Theatre
* Parrs Wood Entertainment Centre
* Opera House
* The Printworks
* Manchester Arena
* Manchester Academy
* O2 Ritz
* Royal Exchange Theatre
* Victoria Warehouse

Sports venues|

* Aquatics Centre
* Belle Vue Stadium
* Broadhurst Park
* National Cycling Centre (BMX Arena, Velodrome)
* Etihad Campus
* City of Manchester Stadium
* Manchester City Academy Stadium
* Manchester Regional Arena
* National Speedway Stadium
* National Squash Centre

Memorials and sculptures|

* Alan Turing Memorial
* Albert Memorial
* B of the Bang
* The Glade of Light
* Cenotaph
* Rise up, Women (Emmeline Pankhurst statue)
* Peacock Mausoleum
* Victory Over Blindness

Bridges|

* Albert Bridge
* Blackfriars Bridge
* Corporation Street Bridge
* Hulme Arch Bridge
* Irwell Railway bridge
* Palatine Bridge
* Store Street Aqueduct
* Trinity Bridge
* Victoria Bridge

* Architecture
* Castles
* Churches
* Grade I listed
* Grade II* listed
* Grade II listed
* Mills
* Monuments
* Tallest
* Warehouses

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