Looking west towards the Grade II listed St. Peter's Church

“The turning point came with the creation of the Ancoats Buildings Preservation Trust in 1995.”

The view this week is looking west towards the Grade II listed St. Peter's Church, which sits on the corner of Blossom Street and Murray Street in Ancoats.

As always, huge thanks to Steve Welsh for kindly sharing the top photo which dates back to 1997.

St Peter’s Church was designed by Isaac Holden & Son architects. It was built in 1859, consecrated in 1860, and originally seated around 1,350 worshippers.

The building fell into disuse in the 1960s and by the early 1990s had become abandoned and extensively vandalised. Much of its roof had collapsed and the building was close to being lost altogether. In many respects, it was a symbol of Ancoats’ decline.

The turning point came with the creation of the Ancoats Buildings Preservation Trust in 1995. Working in partnership with Manchester City Council, Historic England (then English Heritage), the Heritage Lottery Fund and other public bodies, the Trust sought sustainable new uses for Ancoats’ historic buildings. Following emergency stabilisation and restoration, the Hallé acquired St Peter’s, opening Hallé St Peter’s in 2013 with the scheme being designed by Buttress.

Visible in the background on the left is The Oglesby Centre - a three storey extension to the Hallé St Peter’s which provides a contemporary music and education facility. The scheme was designed by Stephenson Studio and opened in 2019.

Importantly Halle St Peter’s and The Oglesby Centre sit alongside Cutting Room Square, which originally opened in 2008. It has become one of Ancoats’ principal public spaces and provided a context for the delivery of subsequent developments.

This includes Smith’s Yard, which is visible in the background on the right. The scheme includes 158 apartments, and was designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBStudios) and delivered by Manchester Life Management Limited.

Today, Hallé St Peter’s, The Oglesby Centre and Cutting Room Square reflect the wider regeneration of Ancoats, bringing together heritage restoration, new public spaces and contemporary development.