Refuge Assurance Building, Victorian insurance building in central Manchester, England
The red brick and terracotta edifice features a prominent 217-foot clock tower decorated with Manchester bee symbols at Oxford Street corner.
Alfred Waterhouse designed the structure in 1891 for the Refuge Assurance Company, with expansions by Paul Waterhouse and Stanley Birkett through 1932.
The former dining hall separated male and female employees during meals, reflecting workplace norms of the nineteenth century insurance industry.
The Grade II listed building now functions as the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, offering accommodations at the intersection of Oxford and Whitworth Streets.
Two reinforced basement air raid shelters from World War II served both the company personnel and Manchester residents during German bombing campaigns.
Location: Manchester
Architects: Alfred Waterhouse
Website: http://palacehotelmanchestercity.co.uk
GPS coordinates: 53.47471,-2.24147
Latest update: May 12, 2025 11:36
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