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The Towers (Manchester)
Encyclopedia
The Towers is a research establishment for new technologies in cotton production. The Shirley Institute was established in 1920 at a cost of £10,000 to accommodate the newly formed British Cotton Industry Research Association. It is a Grade II* listed building in the suburb of Didsbury
, located 6 miles (10 km) miles south of Manchester
, England
.
, for the editor and proprietor of the Manchester Guardian, John Edward Taylor
. The building was described by Pevsner
as "grossly picturesque in red brick and red terra cotta."
– whose idea for the canalisation of the Rivers Irwell
and Mersey
resulted in the creation of the Manchester Ship Canal
project which made the rivers into Manchester
navigable for sea-going ships.
He invited representatives of several Lancashire
towns, local businessmen and politicians, and two civil engineers, Hamilton Fulton
and Edward Leader Williams
. Fulton proposed a tidal canal, with no locks and a deepened channel into Manchester; Williams was in favour of a series of locks. Both engineers were invited to submit proposals, and Williams' plans were selected to form the basis of a bill submitted to Parliament in November 1882. Because of intense opposition by Liverpool and the railway companies, the necessary enabling Act of Parliament
was not passed until 6 August 1885. Certain conditions were attached: £5 million had to be raised, and the ship canal company had to buy both the Bridgewater Canal
and the Mersey & Irwell Navigation
within two years.
of the British Cotton Industry Research Association as a research centre dedicated to cotton production technologies.
A significant contribution to the purchase price of £10,000 was made by William Greenwood, the MP
for Stockport
, who asked that the building be named after his daughter, Shirley.
Didsbury
Didsbury is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre, in the southern half of the Greater Manchester Urban Area...
, located 6 miles (10 km) miles south of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
The building was constructed in the period 1868–72, for an estimated cost of £50,000. The house was designed by Thomas WorthingtonThomas Worthington (architect)
Thomas Worthington was a 19th-century English architect, particularly associated with public buildings in and around Manchester.-Early life:...
, for the editor and proprietor of the Manchester Guardian, John Edward Taylor
John Edward Taylor
John Edward Taylor was the founder of the Manchester Guardian newspaper, later to become The Guardian.-Biography:...
. The building was described by Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
as "grossly picturesque in red brick and red terra cotta."
Manchester Ship Canal
The Towers was once the home of the notable engineer Daniel AdamsonDaniel Adamson
Daniel Adamson was a notable English engineer who became a successful manufacturer of boilers and was the driving force behind the inception of the Manchester Ship Canal project during the 1880s.-Early life:...
– whose idea for the canalisation of the Rivers Irwell
River Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
and Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
resulted in the creation of the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
project which made the rivers into Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
navigable for sea-going ships.
He invited representatives of several Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
towns, local businessmen and politicians, and two civil engineers, Hamilton Fulton
Hamilton Fulton
Hamilton Fulton was a British engineer who later immigrated to North Carolina.He was born in Great Britain, presumably of Scottish parentage, and had studied under the noted Scottish Engineer, John Rennie, the designer of London Bridge...
and Edward Leader Williams
Edward Leader Williams
Sir Edward Leader Williams was an English civil engineer, chiefly remembered as the designer of the Manchester Ship Canal, but also heavily involved in other canal projects in north Cheshire.-Early life:...
. Fulton proposed a tidal canal, with no locks and a deepened channel into Manchester; Williams was in favour of a series of locks. Both engineers were invited to submit proposals, and Williams' plans were selected to form the basis of a bill submitted to Parliament in November 1882. Because of intense opposition by Liverpool and the railway companies, the necessary enabling Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
was not passed until 6 August 1885. Certain conditions were attached: £5 million had to be raised, and the ship canal company had to buy both the Bridgewater Canal
Bridgewater Canal
The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester...
and the Mersey & Irwell Navigation
Mersey & Irwell Navigation
The Mersey and Irwell Navigation was a river navigation in North West England, which provided a navigable route from the Mersey estuary to Salford and Manchester, by improving the course of the River Irwell and the River Mersey. Eight locks were constructed between 1724 and 1734, and the rivers...
within two years.
Shirley Institute
In 1920 it became the base of the Shirley InstituteShirley Institute
The Shirley Institute was established in 1920 as the British Cotton Industry Research Association at The Towers in Didsbury, Manchester as a research centre dedicated to cotton production technologies...
of the British Cotton Industry Research Association as a research centre dedicated to cotton production technologies.
A significant contribution to the purchase price of £10,000 was made by William Greenwood, the MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, who asked that the building be named after his daughter, Shirley.