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    • Introduction
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    • Conclusion
    • Future Task
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  • Strategies
    • Manchester’s New Corporation and Watch Committee
    • Operational Needs
    • Architectural Design
    • Domestication
    • Rationalisation 1898
    • Civic Pride and Cleansing the City
  • Police Estate
    • Introduction: Police Estate
    • Manchester's first expansion 1838/9
    • Sir Charles Shaw and the Watch Committee 1839-1845
    • Operational Replacements from 1846
    • Strategic Requirements 1860 - 1885
    • Manchester's Second Expansion 1885
    • Manchester's Third Expansion 1890
    • Rationalisation of the Police Estate 1898
  • Police Personnel
    • Introduction: Police Personnel
    • A Policeman's Lot 1872.
    • A Policeman's Lot 1885-1901
    • Police Matrons
    • Jerome Caminada
  • Police Stations [38] & Maps
    • 1838/9 Map 1 [11 PS] >
      • Manchester Town Hall Police Office King Street.
      • Deansgate Police Station and lock-up Knott Mill
      • Ridgefield Station House off John Dalton Street – City
      • Swan St Police Lock-up - New Cross
      • Oldham Road Police Station - New Cross
      • Kirby St - Ancoats
      • Cavendish St Town Hall - Chorlton on Medlock.
      • Great Jackson St (Park Place) Town Hall Hulme.
      • Hanover St jct Edward St Smithfield Market
      • London Rd/ Brook St, - Piccadilly.
      • Allum St, Ancoats
    • 1839-1845 Map 2 [2 PS] >
      • Fairfield Street Police Station - Ardwick
      • Moss Lane Station House - Hulme
    • 1846-1859 Map Fig 3 [4 PS] >
      • Harpurhey Village
      • Cheetham Hill PS Temple
      • Grove St/ Bury New Rd Broughton
      • Livesey Street PS. New Cross
    • 1860-1884 Map Fig 4 [6 PS] >
      • Albert Street PS - City
      • Goulden St PS - Collyhurst
      • New Town Hall Lever St
      • Willert St PS Collyhurst
      • Fairfield St (East) Ardwick
      • Newton St PS - City
    • 1885-1889 Map 5 [4 PS] >
      • Brook St P.S. Bradford
      • Monmouth St P.S. Rusholme
      • Cannel Street P.S. Ancoats
      • Derby St P.S. Stangeways
    • 1890-1897 Map 6,7,8 [9 PS] >
      • 1890 Map 7 [7 PS] >
        • Moston Lane P.S. Harpurhey
        • Clarendon Rd P.S. Crumpsall
        • Newton Health P.S. Oldham Road
        • Openshaw P.S. Ashton Old Road
        • South St P.S. - Longsight
        • Lowe St P.S. Miles Platting
        • Belle Vue St P.S. Gorton
      • 1891-1897 Map 8 [2] >
        • Bridgewater St P.S. (Southside) 1892/7
        • Bridgewater St P.S. (Northside) 1897
    • 1898-1903 Maps 9, 10 [2 PS] >
      • Mill St P.S. Beswick
      • Whitworth St P.S. in London Road Fire Station
  • Statistics
    • Table 1 Manchester Police Stations and Buildings 1794 - 1906
    • Table 2 Expenditure Police Stations & Lock-up Houses 1852 – 1879
    • Table 3 Manchester Police Establishment and Offences 1858-1901
    • Table 4 Prisoners at Manchester Police Stations 1897 - 1898.
    • Table 5 Manchester Population, Rates, Police 1839-1901
    • Table 6 Manchester Crime and Census Statistics 1881 - 1901
    • Table 7 Manchester Rateable Values 1839 -1901.
    • Table 8 Report into Manchester Extension 1890
    • Table 9 Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham Police 1892
  • Bibliography
    • Bibliography
    • Primary Sources
    • Secondary Sources
    • Other Bibliographies
Victorian Police Stations
Station Name or Keyword Search
Picture
Chorlton Town Hall 1974.
The above remarkable pictures taken in 1933 show the evidence of the cells believed in much the same condition as obtained in 1839 from the Chorlton on Medlock Township for the newly formed Manchester Borough Police. These pictures being the oldest known display of cells in the  collection of some 180 years old. Courtesy of the Manchester Local Image Collection.


A copy of the Manchester News Chronicle of 15th December 1933 reveals a story of the opening of the blue washed Platt Lane PS and the comparison with these old cells at Cavendish St. The authors account reveals chain rings attached to the walls and gas lighting.

Chorlton on Medlock: D Division

Cavendish St:  Town Hall 

1830-1831                                 The Police Commissioners of Chorlton Row request Richard Lane architect to design the Town Hall. Completed by 14 October 1831, and included a Poor Law Guardians Dispensary on the right hand side. Police Commissioner offices to the left. Central first floor Committee rooms now form the Green Cafe at MMU(2012). [ J. J. Parkinson-Bailey, Manchester: and architectural history, (Manchester: MUP 2000).pp.61-62.]

July 18th 1839               Application for the use of the C. on M. Lock-ups and if refused the parties to be summons to the Borough Court. [An early indication as to the political hostilities that will follow the formation of the Borough of Manchester with the acquired Townships and the next three years]

Jan 6th  1840                  Included in list of Sir Charles Shaw as a Lock-up.

1841 Slater’s                   Police and Town Office Town Hall Grosvenor Square.

Sept 27th 1842               Finally taken over by the Council's W.C and listed as D Div HQ

Dec 2nd 1842                  Payment of rent

1843 Pigot’s &                 Borough Police Force Corporation of Manchester Capt Edward Wallis: D  Division Supt. John Taylor
Slater’s

Feb 3rd 1843                   To be connected to the sewer £20 and to improve the entrance basement and police accommodation totalling £81 which raises concern as to the repeated costs.

July 27th 1843                 New gas lamp to be fitted £4.6.0

Nov 1st 1843                     To remove the Scavenging Dept carts form the rear yard to enable the drilling [of the constables].

Nov 13th 1845                   Laying of water pipes to the station closets.

Feb 22nd 1848                  HM Inspector’s report for Sec of State Home Dept into improvements requested to Lock-up accommodations – improve the lighting as explained to the C.C.

Jan 4th 1849                     To build a parade room at Chorlton Town Hall £179.15.0d

Jan 13th 1852                   Rent £17.10.0d

March 15th 1860             Gas Street Vans to be placed in the yard to afford increased facilities for the stoppage of the escape of gas.

Oct 8th 1863                      To build a room over the existing parade room.

1863 Slater’s                      Police Stations: Supt. William Saynor

Oct 17th 1867                    Following the death of Sgt Brett in the ‘Fenian Outrage’ the LUSC ordered to make arrangements to secure the stations by:-
                                              Plating the doors in iron, wrought iron bars to windows, revolving shutters to windows.


29 Sept 1869                 HMIC Inspection reveals: 3 cells, no rooms for lodging accommodation.

Sept 21st 1870                   Alterations to lock-ups £30

Oct 19th 1876                    Additional accommodation required at station.

Dec 7th 1876                     To convert the Overseers office to a charge office and enquiry counter, Sgts room, waiting room for £200. Five cells male and female and new corridor and ventilation shaft £800.

Feb 1st 1877                       Surveyor states the Town Hall was unable to be converted by W.C into a police station and does not entirely approve of previous plans for the cells but no better arrangements can be made. [An interesting insight into the use of buildings not purposely designed for Police Duties nor owned by the W.C. This at the height of station building in the era of Local Government Board loans]

Aug 31st 1877                     Authorised to purchase the Town Hall  [It reveals from latter entries that the W.C  buy the section within the Town Hall Building used by the police.

1879 Slater’s                      Boundary St West : Police Station D Division (rear entrance exits onto this street )

Jan 19th 1879                    Agreed to alter Town Hall for police accommodation for £905 by Mr James Herd.

1879 Slater’s                      : Police Station

Sept 5th 1889                     Survey of Stations owned outright for insurance purposes. Section within Town Hall £100.

Dec 12 1890                        To relay stone flags in rooms as worn out. Concrete £40 and flags £80. Concrete chosen and tender £43.

April 30th 1891                  Painting of the stations: £86

April 14th 1892                  Four WCs required at station £25

June 8th 1893                     New flush system required for WC as old design of single cistern system for 4 WCs unsuitable.

6th July 1893                       Lock -Up Sub- Committee report on their visit to Cavendish St and  Park Place lock up to examine the closets and lavatory. Also to the Bridgewater St PS where a large number of officers and constables parade for duty. Urinal accommodation should be provided for them.

1895 Slater’s                         :Police Station D Division Bannister William Supt. [1897 Home Office Dugdale enquiry centres on the corrupt practices led by this officer]

17th Oct 1895                        Poor rate assessment appeals; Cavendish St £216.15.0, Belle Vue St £13.10.0, South Street £10.5.0, Goulden St £184.8.0, Park Place £10.0.0, as premises used for the residence of a police officer and his family such parts are rateable. At that time Cavendish St not occupied and an Inspector and his family were at Belle Vue St and a Constable and his family at South St.

21st May 1896                         Quinquennial Valuation  and Inventory of Furniture of properties of the WC.
                                                    £ nil Town Hall owned building                £115.16.4

27th Aug 1896                         Assessment for Poor Law rates. Overseer’s’ office appeal agreed and assessment struck out.

21st April 1898                        Fire Brigade sub-committee visited and resolved to provide a new hut corner of Cavendish St and Lower Ormond Street for the firemen currently on duty in the cellar at the Cavendish St PS. Tender £64

19th May 1898                         LUSC: Painting of ground and first floor and six rooms on second and third floors. Tender £72

19th May 1898                         City Surveyor to be instructed to obtain an estimate of the cost of fixing of glass fanlights instead of perforated iron ones at the various police stations. [believed this is to the cell doors such as Fairfield St PS] Tender £126.

29th March 1900                     LUSC: The substitution of a self acting w.c in lieu of those provided in the cells of the various police stations.

15th May 1901                          Quinquennial Valuations: No entry shown as Police Station does not form part of the W.C building valuations as building owned by the General Council as a Town Hall.

15th Aug 1901                           Drilling of Post Office messengers at Cavendish St, Willert St, Fairfield St and Broughton Town Hall Salford agreed for one hour a week

2012                                              The building and façade remain but interior converted into the Manchester Metropolitan University Art Department.  Blue plaque indicates previous usage. The cellars reveal the brick lintels only for the cell doors now fully converted into new rooms.



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