Wythenshawe Bus Garage, Grade II* listed bus depot in Northenden, Manchester, England.
Wythenshawe Bus Garage is a concrete bus depot in Northenden with impressive reinforced concrete arches spanning approximately 165 feet and covered by a very thin concrete shell roof. The building was originally designed to hold 100 double-decker buses and now primarily serves as a parking facility.
The building was completed in 1942 by Manchester City Architects Department and served the British Air Ministry for Lancaster bomber production during World War II. This dual use shows how civilian infrastructure was repurposed in wartime.
The building shows early applications of modern concrete shell construction in England and shapes the local landscape as a witness to a time when engineering replaced traditional building methods.
The site is accessible by public transport and located near Manchester Airport, which helps visitors with orientation. Since the building now primarily functions as a parking facility, visiting is limited unless special tours or events are arranged.
The roof structure features large square concrete rooflights that allow natural daylight to reach deep into the massive interior space. These rooflights are a distinctive architectural feature that governs how light fills the inside of the building.
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