County Court, Manchester
Encyclopedia
The County Court in Quay Street, Manchester
, England, is a former Victorian
courthouse which was the home of the politician and reformer Richard Cobden
and subsequently the site of Owen's College, the forerunner of the University of Manchester
. In origin it is a townhouse of the 1770s, "the best preserved Georgian house in the [city] centre". The house is of "brick with a late nineteenth century doorcase". It was designated a Grade II* listed building on 3 October 1974. The interior is not original.
Richard Cobden lived at the house from 1836 to 1850, and it was his base during the years he acted as the main spokesman for the Anti-Corn Law League
. A statue of him, together with one of his fellow reformers John Bright
, stands in Albert Square
.
The house subsequently became the site of Owens College, which, together with the Royal Manchester School of Medicine, became the University of Manchester
in 1872. When the university moved to its present site on Oxford Road in 1873, the building was bought for use as Manchester's County Court, which opened in 1878. By the 1970s the building had become badly decayed, and first the courts and then the administrative offices were relocated. The court was finally closed in 1990. It was subsequently purchased for use as a set of barristers' chambers and has been comprehensively refurbished, with much of its original Georgian decor restored.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England, is a former Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
courthouse which was the home of the politician and reformer Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden was a British manufacturer and Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with John Bright in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League as well as with the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty...
and subsequently the site of Owen's College, the forerunner of the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
. In origin it is a townhouse of the 1770s, "the best preserved Georgian house in the [city] centre". The house is of "brick with a late nineteenth century doorcase". It was designated a Grade II* listed building on 3 October 1974. The interior is not original.
Richard Cobden lived at the house from 1836 to 1850, and it was his base during the years he acted as the main spokesman for the Anti-Corn Law League
Anti-Corn Law League
The Anti-Corn Law League was in effect the resumption of the Anti-Corn Law Association, which had been created in London in 1836 but did not obtain widespread popularity. The Anti-Corn Law League was founded in Manchester in 1838...
. A statue of him, together with one of his fellow reformers John Bright
John Bright
John Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...
, stands in Albert Square
Albert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
.
The house subsequently became the site of Owens College, which, together with the Royal Manchester School of Medicine, became the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
in 1872. When the university moved to its present site on Oxford Road in 1873, the building was bought for use as Manchester's County Court, which opened in 1878. By the 1970s the building had become badly decayed, and first the courts and then the administrative offices were relocated. The court was finally closed in 1990. It was subsequently purchased for use as a set of barristers' chambers and has been comprehensively refurbished, with much of its original Georgian decor restored.