With just a handful of people allowed in and out of its doors over the past 30 years, London Road Fire Station has stood still and unexplored.
Purchased by award-winning developers, Allied London at the end of 2015, plans to bring this icon back to life are now well underway and a series of tours are being launched in July to celebrate this building’s vibrant and poignant history.
The tours, which have been designed to entertain, inform and delight will take guests on a journey around London Road Fire Station. Beginning in the great courtyard, the tour weaves into the Engine Room, a vast space rich with exquisite detail, craftsmanship and fire poles galore, takes a turn around a workshop and finishes in the Coroner’s Court, a court room frozen in time; a place of pure atmosphere and drama.
Throughout the journey, the tour will tell the stories of the people who have lived, worked and spent time at London Road since the building first opened in 1906. From the criminals in the police cells, to the tragedies in the Coroner’s Courts and the joy and pride of the fire service families who called this place home, the tour is an opportunity to experience London Road’s history first hand.
The tours will showcase the true nature of the communities that lived here and give people a deeper insight into one of Manchester’s finest design and heritage icons. Tours will begin on the 2nd July and run on Thursday’s, Saturday’s and Sunday’s across the summer. Tickets will cost £10 per person.
Allied London’s plans for London Road will see this iconic space become a place of experience, with an international collective of world class operators, interesting brands and innovative hospitality. Over five floors, London Road will become ‘One Space’ – one collaborative destination with a multitude of aspects; including a hotel, signature restaurant, destination bar, event/leisure space, workspace, visitor attraction and spa to name but a few.
Tours will take place every Saturday, Sunday and Thursday in July and August 2016. Tickets cost £10. The tour has been written by well-known Manchester Blue Badge Guide and writer, Jonathan Schofield, in association with Allied London who have kindly permitted these tours to take place and reveal parts of this treasured building.
Tickets can be booked at www.jonathanschofieldtours.co.uk