Britannia Hotel
BRITANNIA HOTEL, 35-47, PORTLAND 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:
- 1246952
- Date first listed:
- 25-Feb-1952
- List Entry Name:
- Britannia Hotel
- Statutory Address:
- BRITANNIA HOTEL, 35-47, PORTLAND STREET
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2001-06-26
- Reference:
- IOE01/04073/32
- Rights:
- © Mr Neil Short. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1246952
- Date first listed:
- 25-Feb-1952
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 06-Jun-1994
- List Entry Name:
- Britannia Hotel
- Statutory Address 1:
- BRITANNIA HOTEL, 35-47, PORTLAND 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:
- BRITANNIA HOTEL, 35-47, PORTLAND STREET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Manchester (Metropolitan Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SJ 84336 98041
Details
MANCHESTER
SJ8498SW PORTLAND STREET
698-1/28/300 (South East side)
25/02/52 Nos.35 TO 47 (Odd)
Britannia Hotel
(Formerly Listed as:
PORTLAND STREET
(South East side)
Nos.35 TO 47 (Odd)
Britannia House)
GV II*
Formerly known as Watts Warehouse. General warehouse, the
largest and most grandiose of all Manchester warehouses; now
hotel. 1851-6, by Travis and Mangnall. Sandstone ashlar (roof
not visible). Large rectangular plan parallel to street.
Eclectic palazzo style. Five storeys with basement and roof
pavilions, 23 bays, symmetrical; with granite base to massive
chamfered plinth, channelled rustication to ground, 1st and
2nd floors, fluted corner pilasters to each upper floor,
cornices over 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors (that over 3rd floor
dentilled), and 4 large lateral rectangular pavilions
symmetrically placed (at the ends and flanking a 7-bay
centre). The openings are treated in a different style on each
floor, and all the windows are recessed: those at ground floor
round-headed with stepped voussoirs and keystones enriched
alternately with herms and ship-prows, except for coupled
doorways in the 7th and 8th, and 16th and 17th bays which have
round-headed arches on coupled columns, mask keystones and
internal steps; those at 1st floor square-headed, with
balustrades and Elizabethan-style enrichment including carved
swan-neck pediments with urn finials; those at 2nd floor
square but with colonette-in-antis screens; those at 3rd floor
taller and round-headed, with imposts and keystones; and those
at 4th floor set in continuous colonnades of short square
columns with carved caps. In addition, each pavilion has
panelled pilasters, cornice, parapet (formerly with shaped
gables) and 2 large Gothic wheel-windows. Seven-bay returned
ends in matching style, the pavilions with wheel windows in 5
bays, strap-work in the outer bays, and balustraded parapets.
Interior: internal porch of left-hand entrance contains fine
war memorial of c.1920, with bronze sculptural group and
inscribed tablet; entrance hall has spectacular open staircase
of cast-iron with flying lateral flights at each floor in the
form of a succession of "Ponte Rialtos".
Listing NGR: SJ8433698041
This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 30 January 2017.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 456047
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 30 January 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/10670
War Memorials Online, accessed 30 January 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/173299
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 09-Jun-2026 at 17:25:23.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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