London Road Fire Station to host summer tours
WITH just a handful of people allowed in and out of its doors over the past 30 years, London Road Fire Station has stood still and unexplored.
Purchased by developer Allied London at the end of 2015, plans to bring the building back to life are now well underway and a series of tours are being launched in July to celebrate its vibrant and poignant history.
The tours, which have been designed to entertain and inform, will take visitors on a journey around London Road Fire Station. Beginning in the great courtyard, the tour weaves into the Engine Room, a vast space rich with exquisite detail, craftsmanship and fire poles galore, takes a turn around a workshop and finishes in the Coroner’s Court, a court room frozen in time; a place of pure atmosphere and drama.
Throughout the journey, the tour will tell the stories of the people who have lived, worked and spent time at London Road since the building first opened in 1906. From the criminals in the police cells, to the tragedies in the Coroner’s Courts and the joy and pride of the fire service families who called this place home, the tour is an opportunity to experience London Road’s history first hand.
The tours by Manchester Blue Badge Guide and writer Jonathan Schofield will begin on July 2 and run on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays across the summer, costing £10 per person.
Allied London’s plans for London Road will see this iconic building become ‘One Space’ – a collaborative destination with a multitude of uses; including a hotel, signature restaurant, destination bar, event/leisure space, workspace, visitor attraction and spa.
