Mechanics Institute, Manchester

Acquisition of the lease of the Mechanics Institute in Princess Street, Manchester. Designed in 1854 by John Edgar Gregan, it was his final major work. The building is designed in the palazzo mode, three-storeys high with a red brick exterior with stone dressings. It was here that the Trades Union Congress was formed in 1868. It was threatened with demolition. The applicant proposed to repair the building and establish a conference centre and museum of trade union history.