Look inside as iconic Corn Exchange is laid bare

OWNERS of Manchester’s historic Corn Exchange have laid bare the iconic building ahead of the final phase of its £30m transformation.

Work is about to begin on a new 114-bedroom aparthotel on the upper floors in a restoration which will see the re-opening of the original grand main entrance fronting Hanging Ditch/Exchange Square.

This follows completion of the first phase, launched in August 2015, which saw the original trading floor revamped as a new dining destination with 17 new and retained restaurants opening under the glazed domes on all three faces of the distinctive building.

The new aparthotel is the final piece of the jigsaw for owner Aviva and its developer Queensberry Real Estate, securing the future of the Grade II-listed building in the heart of the city.

Aviva’s Andrew Coles said: “Manchester Corn Exchange has a rich commercial heritage and the new Corn Exchange has recaptured this vision – destination focused on great restaurants and a fantastic leisure offer.

“The whole ethos of the planned refurbishment and development from Aviva was to enhance the building’s unique character, soul and integrity and future proof its standing as a key city centre landmark.”

The entire project has been designed by 5plus Architects and the aparthotel will be operated by Roomzzz.

5plus associate director Rhys Westacott said: “Corn Exchange is a very complex building – there are seven different levels and 13 separate staircases – and the challenge has been to make the best use of the space while preserving its unique character.”

Most recently used as offices, the strip out of the upper floors revealed fireplaces and rooms from an earlier 40-bed hotel – Exchange Hotel – that once occupied the Cathedral corner of the building with a separate entrance from the corner of Cathedral Street and Fennel Street.

Westacott continued: “There were no building drawings or detailed plans, so we discovered unexpected elements and nooks and crannies as the strip out went along and had to keep measuring and re-evaluating and redrawing.

“There are no standard elements to the layout which allowed us to tailor the rooms to the building and create something unique.”

Special spaces include three large penthouse rooms, one of which will have access to the building’s distinctive turret that will be glazed and accessed by a spiral staircase.

The hotel rooms occupy the second, third, fourth and fifth floors of the building.

Queensberry development director and co-founder Jon Munce said: “Our number one priority has always been to deliver a development which is sympathetic to the building’s many period features.

“Of course, this has made the project complex and we had to utilise our previous experience working with heritage sites to maximise these.”

Roomzzz chief executive Max Walton said: “This is our second hotel in Manchester, building on the success of our current property Roomzzz Manchester City.

“Roomzzz Corn Exchange Manchester’s period features and beautiful bare brick walls will be merged with our ‘new generation’ concept, which features bold bespoke interior designs.

“The new hotel is part of our ongoing expansion with three additional sites planned for Liverpool, London Stratford and York.”

The Corn Exchange site dates back to medieval times with the first permanent building erected in 1837.

In 1895, architect Potts, Dixon and Pickup was appointed by The Corn Exchange and Produce company and the building was extended.

During the 1930s the trading floor declined as a result of the great depression and in the 1940s the building suffered severe bomb damage in World War Two.

The building was Grade II listed in 1973 and three years later the Royal Exchange Theatre used the building for a short time.

Between 1976 and 1986, the building was used as an alternative market for independent stallholders.

The building was damaged by the IRA bomb in 1996, but after repairs was re-branded and re-opened as The Triangle shoping Centre.

In 2012, Manchester City Council endorsed a strategy to revitalise the building and creat a new destination venue for the city.

Inside the stripped back upper floors: