London Road Fire Station is one of Manchester’s most iconic buildings and is located in the heart of the city, opposite Piccadilly station.
The Grade II* Listed building was first opened in 1906 and is renowned for housing a bank, coroner’s court, fire station, ambulance station, police station, gas meter testing station and living quarters all in one complex – it still has the original police cells and court room in the building today. After the building closed its doors in 1986, it has since sat largely vacant for almost 4 decades until it recently saw new investment from Allied London.
CMB Engineering’s Blackpool division secured the multimillion-pound M&E contract for this development back in November 2022 and commenced works on the project in July 2023. As a Grade II* Listed building, this comes with great complexities during the construction process. Careful consideration has been taken by all contractors to ensure all elements subject to conservation of original features are met throughout the development – including the slate roof, timber, brickwork, stone and tiles. Restoration works include the repair of structural red-brick and ironworks, as well as window glazing where required and the roof covering. This will improve the building’s thermal performance, making it a more sustainable and environmentally friendly building.
The historic building will be given an entirely new lease of life and will consist of 45,000 sqft of modern working spaces. The building will also offer a brand-new hotel across the ground and first floor, with bedrooms provided in the north and east wings of the building.
As well as its rich history within the city of Manchester, London Road Fire Station has more current claims to fame with it being used a shooting location in Series 4 of Peaky Blinders and as a music video recording location for Lewis Capaldi in 2018, amassing over 7 million views.
With Blue Sky Building as Principal Contractor on this project and Purcell as architects, the onsite team have sought engineered solutions to overcome the challenges expected with a heritage building such as London Road.
CMB continue to engage with Curtins Consulting and Purcell Architects as every wall and slab penetration must be considered from a structural and heritage perspective; ensuring the services installed mean the client’s requirements are met without compromising on the aesthetic of one of the most architecturally significant buildings in Manchester.
This process has been ongoing, but CMB have so far completed the installation of the Plantroom and Tank/Booster Room and are now progressing with the heating and domestic services throughout the building, with Evans Electrical commencing installation of small power, data and fire.
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