The Cotton Exchange
THE COTTON EXCHANGE, KING WILLIAM STREET
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1222896
- Date first listed:
- 02-Sept-1985
- List Entry Name:
- The Cotton Exchange
- Statutory Address:
- THE COTTON EXCHANGE, KING WILLIAM STREET
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 1999-09-18
- Reference:
- IOE01/01668/30
- Rights:
- © Mr R F Shaw. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1222896
- Date first listed:
- 02-Sept-1985
- List Entry Name:
- The Cotton Exchange
- Statutory Address 1:
- THE COTTON EXCHANGE, KING WILLIAM STREET
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- THE COTTON EXCHANGE, KING WILLIAM STREET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Blackburn with Darwen (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SD 68110 28290
Details
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 07/01/2015
SD 62 NE
4/18
KING WILLIAM STREET
The Cotton Exchange
(Formerly listed as Unit 4 Cinema (formerly the Cotton Exchange))
II
Former Cotton Exchange, later a cinema. 1862-5 by Brakespear of Manchester.
Coursed ashlar with slate roofs. High Victorian Gothic, the design
is incomplete as one wing and the central tower were never built so
the plan is asymmetrical; an octagonal entrance, which was to form
the base of the tower and the northern wing only were constructed.
The twin pointed entrances,in the frontal angle of the 2-storey octagon,
have elaborately carved foliated cusping to the 2-light trefoliated
heads and quatrefoil tracery, set in splayed, perpendicular, traceried,
panelled reveals to the moulded pointed porch, each bay distinguished
by an octagonal plinthed buttress with crenellated apex ogee finial.
A continuous moulded string course divides the 1st from the 2nd storey,
each face of which contains a 3-light perpendicular traceried pointed
opening with hood mould and off-set buttress between each face. The
crenellated parapet is canted on a bossed, coved moulded cornice with
gargoyles to the angles and the octagonal roof has bands of fish-scale
shaped tiles with a flag pole at the apex. The north elevation is
of 2 storeys and 9 bays. Bays 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 have deeply-set square
headed moulded reveals to what were originally shop doors, now glazed
in the 1st storey beneath. 2-light, square-headed cusped and traceried
cross windows alternating with canted bay windows in bays 2, 4, 6,
8, plain below and 6-light square-headed traceried and cusped transomed
and mullioned above. There is a bossed, coved and moulded continuous
hoodmould with gargoyles at the cant points of the bay windows to
a plain, 5-course upper wall crenellated parapet. The north wing
is linked to the octagon entrance by an angled 2-storey bay, the upper
storey fenestrated with a 6-light square-headed, traceried, transomed,
mullioned and cusped window. The interior has been extensively altered
to accommodate 3 cinemas and has not been inspected. Charles Dickens
gave his last public reading here.
Listing NGR: SD6811028290
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 418383
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 20-Jun-2026 at 15:06:39.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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