Tootal, Broadhurst and Lee Building, Manchester, Victorian commercial building in Oxford Street, Manchester, England
The Tootal, Broadhurst and Lee Building is a six-story red brick structure in central Manchester, decorated with orange terracotta details and a rounded archway above its main entrance. It was built as a combined warehouse and office block and is listed at Grade II*, recognizing the quality of its Victorian design.
The building went up between 1896 and 1898 for the textile firm Tootal Broadhurst Lee, one of the leading commercial names in late Victorian Manchester. Today it serves as the headquarters of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, housing the Mayor's office.
Inside the building, a marble memorial honors the employees who died in the First World War, placed there by the company itself. It shows how closely business and community life were connected in Manchester at the time.
The building stands close to Rochdale Canal in central Manchester and is easy to reach on foot from the main transport hubs. As it is an active office building, access for visitors is generally limited to the exterior and entrance area.
The name of the building preserves the names of three business partners who together built one of England's most powerful textile firms. The terracotta decorations on the facade were made by local craftspeople and remain in their original condition today.
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