Postcards celebrate Manchester's 'unloved' buildings

Yakub Qureshi

October 29, 2009

| Submit Comments | Comments (28) | Previous | Next

Jack Hale and the postcards at the Toastrack building in Fallowfield

SOME of Manchester's most distinctive 'hard-to-love' buildings are being given a lift - thanks to postcards that have been handed out on the street.

Rather than tourist spots such as the town hall or Old Trafford stadium, the souvenir cards depict concrete office blocks and unconventional landmarks.

More than 10,000 postcards shows buildings such as the CIS tower, Kendals department store, and the distinctive Toastrack college building in Fallowfield, formerly part of the city's Domestic and Trades College, have been handed out free to visitors.

The cards are the brainchild of the Manchester Modernist Society, a newly-created society for fans of the city's overlooked architecture.

The initiative, which has the blessing of Manchester council, aims to stimulate interest in overlooked masterpieces constructed in the 20th century.

The postcards are available at popular venues around the city, including the tourist information centre, Manchester Museum and Whitworth Art Gallery.

Organisers Jack Hale and Maureen Ward also plan to produce a map featuring buildings they believe to be modern classics. The pair said that the hard-to-love buildings deserved be celebrated.

Maureen added: "There is a certain glamour to these buildings. They are a bit grubby but they represent a style which is rapidly being lost."

Which of Manchester's less-renowned buildings do you love? Submit your comments and let us know ...

| Submit Comments | Comments (28) | Previous | Next

Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All

Jack Hale (29/10/2009 at 10:11)

Find out more at www.manchestermodernistsociety.org

The Marine, Oldham (29/10/2009 at 10:18)

The old Daily Express building

Lower Broughton Soul, "In 76, oh yes it's true......" (29/10/2009 at 10:45)

Unloved buildings...??? How about the 'Boo Camp'..??

Surely that must be included judging by the lack of visitors.

James S (29/10/2009 at 10:55)

Not sure i'd want to receive one of these myself!

Is It Me? (29/10/2009 at 11:30)

What about the Town Hall. Oh,it's only the people inside who are unloved!

bootty (29/10/2009 at 11:48)

I would like to submit the tower blocks, come concentration camp tower blocks on Victoria Avenue East what would have been typical of eastern Europe when the Soviets were in charge

Unite against the UAF (29/10/2009 at 12:24)

What about that corruggated cowshead building the stands on Sir Matt Busby way.

Harry Roberts , Oldham (29/10/2009 at 12:27)

What! The Toastrack is in that group? No way!! Thought it was a Bauhaus-esque heavenly thang when growing up in the sixties. Isn't it part of the university anymore?

Mr Manchester (29/10/2009 at 12:38)

Good work, Jack Hale and co.

Rammylad (29/10/2009 at 12:54)

The Toastrack is a stunning building even more so compared with URBIS and Hilton. There the buildings which are unloved and rightly so.

the monkey, bolton (29/10/2009 at 12:54)

Has anyone heard of BENTLEY Buildings existed around 1880's
any clues where to find this info

JA0005 (29/10/2009 at 13:57)

Re: Unite against...... Having the inshore oil rig is a good idea, except its not actually in Manchester.

lezzer, Canada (29/10/2009 at 14:01)

sunlight house

Pat Fowles (29/10/2009 at 14:07)

What a great idea Jack and Maureen. But like many of the comments I also thought (and still do) that the 'Toast Rack' is a fab building and landmark. Love Ya. Pat Fowles

offmessage, Victoria Park (29/10/2009 at 14:08)

The erstwhile Daily Express building is superb.

I also had an affection for the Maths Tower on Oxford Road, but they knocked that down. While there's nothing particularly wrong with the SCAN building that has replaced it, there's nothing particularly noteworthy about it either. The Maths Tower may have been ugly, but it had character.

Glad to see Mrs Gaskell's house at 84 Plymouth Grove being renovated, though it won't, of course, *be* Mrs Gaskell's house in any meaningful sense once they've finished putting a lift in it and so on.

Mike S, Manchester (29/10/2009 at 14:26)

Kendals is a magnificent building, a lovely example of art deco architecture.

Get rid of the Renaissance Hotel at the bottom of Deansgate, now that's an eyesore.

ironfighter (29/10/2009 at 14:56)

what about the huge block that faces piccadilly gardens that houses the old piccadilly plaza hotel,
completed in the mid sixties, it should be blown down and rebuilt.-

bill howard 29/10/09

tiggerluc, somewhere in shaw (29/10/2009 at 16:33)

The Berlin Wall in Piccadilly Gardens.

Deejay, Bury (29/10/2009 at 18:08)

How about the Arndale centre - it's revolting - nothing to celebrate there. At least the new cladding looks better

Maynard Kitchener Lampwick. Manchester., (29/10/2009 at 18:35)

Has anyone heard of BENTLEY Buildings existed around 1880's any clues where to find this info

A Bus Driver (29/10/2009 at 21:12)

Who says the Toastrack is unloved? I've never heard anyone saying that. Has anybody else heard that? Now the concrete wall in Piccadilly has to go, or even get a mural on it to cover it up.

silver-fox, Chorlton (29/10/2009 at 22:18)

Incredibly, I don't believe the toast rack is listed, so some greedy developer could demolish it without a second thought. I liked the old maths tower too (from a distance anyway!)

Unite against the UAF (30/10/2009 at 00:03)

JA0005, I overlooked that fact, but it's still a blot on the landscape if you look in that direction from a high building that is in Manchester.

Grandad Tom, Brisbane (30/10/2009 at 12:14)

I can`t comment on the modern buildings,because I haven`t seen any since the late 50s. I watched the old Daily Express Building being built,it was very innovative at the time. Especially the way they got around the old shop on the corner that refused to be bought out. They simply went around and over it, even in those days the little bloke couldn`t win but at least he stuck to his principals. Tom Lyons Brisbane...

Mark Readman (30/10/2009 at 15:25)

I always enjoy seeing The Toast Rack

()

Report

News