| Watts Warehouse | |
|---|---|
 Britannia Hotel (formerly Watts Warehouse) | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Wholesale warehouse in eclectic Venetian Palazzo style |
| Location | Manchester, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 53°28′44″N2°14′14″W / 53.47895°N 2.237286°W /53.47895; -2.237286 |
| Construction started | 1851 |
| Completed | 1856 |
| Cost | £100,000 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Travis & Magnell |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Britannia Hotel |
| Designated | 25 February 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1246952 |
Watts Warehouse is a large, ornateVictorianGrade II* listed building standing on Portland Street in the centre ofManchester, England. It opened in 1856 as a textile warehouse for the wholesale drapery business of S & J Watts, and was the largest single-occupancy textile warehouse in Manchester. Today the building is part of theBritannia Hotels chain.
The textile firm,S & J Watts Limited was founded byJames Watts, a Mancunian industrialist and entrepreneur, whose textile business had started in a small weaver's cottage inDidsbury. His success as a cotton trader was part of the commercial boom of the 19th century that gave Manchester the name "Cottonopolis", when the city was a global centre for thecotton trade.
Watts became an important figure among British industrialists, socialising with politicians and churchmen at his home,Abney Hall, in Cheadle.Prince Albert chose to stay with him when he visited Manchester to open theArt Treasures Exhibition in 1857. Watts' descendants include British businessman James Watts,Conservative party politicianJames Watts andair commandantDame Felicity Peake. The Watts family is also distantly related to the family of novelistAgatha Christie.[1][2][3]
The sandstone ashlar warehouse was built by local architects Travis & Mangnall in 1851–56 at a cost of £100,000.[1][4] Its ornate style typifies the extravagant confidence of many Mancunian warehouses of this period, but the Watts Warehouse is notable for its peculiarly eclectic design. Designed in the form of a Venetianpalazzo, the building has five storeys, each decorated in a different style –Italian Renaissance,Elizabethan,French Renaissance andFlemish – and roof pavilions featuring largeGothicwheel windows.[5]
The interior was similarly lavish in its decoration, with a sweeping iron cantilever staircase, balconied stairwell, and mahogany counters for displaying merchandise.[1]
During theFirst World War 1914–18, many employees of S & J Watts lost their lives in battle. The company marked this by erecting a memorial in 1922 in the main entrance to the building on Portland Street. A bronze sculpture, "the Sentry", stands in an arched niche on the right, and on the opposite side is a marble plaque commemorating the dead. The bronze statue depicts the sentry wearing aTommy helmet,World War I battle gear and a cape, standing on guard with his rifle with fixedbayonet upright, and was commissioned from the British sculptorCharles Sargeant Jagger who also designed theRoyal Artillery Memorial at Hyde Park Corner, London. A statuette version of the figure is to be seen in the study ofEltham Palace, where it was displayed by Stephen Courtauld, who was – like Jagger – a member of the Artists' Rifles during the First World War.
To the enduring memory of those members of the staff of S & J Watts & Co. who laid down their lives for their King and country in the cause of truth, justice and freedom during the Great War. Their name liveth for evermore.
— Memorial inscription, Watts Warehouse, Portland Street entrance
During theSecond World War, the Watts Warehouse was hit byLuftwaffe bombs, but it was saved from destruction when the fire was smothered by textiles.[6]
The textile industries that built Manchester eventually dwindled and, like many other industrial structures in the North of England, Watts Warehouse fell into disuse and was derelict for many years. The building was threatened with demolition in 1972, but was spared. In the 1980s, the building underwent conversion, retaining many of the original interior features. In May 1982, the Britannia Hotel opened as part of theBritannia Hotels chain initially with 25 rooms and a nightclub, eventually expanding to 363 bedrooms.[1][7]
The building wasGrade II* listed in 1952.[4] The war memorial in the lobby appears on theImperial War Museum's register.[8]
