Redfern Building

The Redfern Building is a seven-story structure in Manchester featuring pale brown brick walls and a flat roof, with a distinctive service tower on its northern side. It combines retail and leisure spaces on the ground level and lower ground with contemporary office areas throughout the upper floors.

It was built in 1936 for the Co-operative Wholesale Society as part of their commercial expansion in the city. The structure represented modern retail and office space at a time when industrial cities needed new business accommodations.

The building displays Dutch brick modernism through its clean lines and functional approach to design that prioritizes usefulness over decoration. This style created a straightforward way of thinking about how a space should look and work.

The retail and leisure areas on the ground floor are easily accessible directly from the street. The building is well integrated into the city center and easily reached by public transportation.

After major renovation in 2020, it became the main office for the National Probation Service, a branch of the UK Ministry of Justice. This new use showed how older buildings can be successfully adapted to serve modern public services.

Location: Manchester

GPS coordinates: 53.48680,-2.23920

Latest update: December 12, 2025 09:05