Ashton House
| Current Status | Still flats |
|---|---|
| Address | Corporation Road, Manchester |
| Building Date and Architect | 1910 by H.R. Price, Manchester City Architect |
| Designation | Listed Grade II in 1988 |
| National Grid Reference | SJ8428899157 |
View the full listing on the National Heritage List for England
Northern cities were much further advanced than London in their municipal housing provision for single working women. England's exemplar in municipal terms was Manchester, which opened the first purpose-built model lodging house for women along modern lines in 1910.
Ashton House, designed by the City Architect, H.R. Price, catered for 222 women with beds in a series of dormitories with cubicles. It is a sober yet well-articulated Arts and Crafts building that featured banded buff faience dressings and rubbed bricks with subtle castellation and the words 'Ashton House' picked out in stylish lettering.
The paired narrow sash windows and the plain upper and side elevations hinted at the building's function, and its scale and name suggested an institutional use. But this was a building of quality in its design and materials and Manchester was clearly proud of its civic duty. It is listed as a subtle but impressive Arts and Crafts residential institution that has a particular historic claim as the first municipal hostel for women of such size and quality.
