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{{Short description|Building in Manchester, England}}
⚫
[[Image:Chcc blue sky.jpg|thumb|Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre''' (formerly named '''The Firs'''), is a [[Listed building|Grade II listed]]<ref>http://www.manchester.gov.uk/planning/heritage/listed/streets4.htm{{Dead link|date=March 2010}}</ref> mansion in [[Fallowfield]], [[Manchester]], [[England]]


{{Infobox building
⚫
The house was built in 1850 for [[Sir Joseph Whitworth]], by [[Edward Walters]], who was also responsible for Manchester’s [[Free Trade Hall]]. The house was surrounded by a {{convert|52|acre|ha|0}} estate.<ref name="fls" /> Whitworth used The Firs mainly as a social, political and business base, entertaining radicals of the age such as [[John Bright]], [[Richard Cobden]], [[William Edward Forster|William Forster]] and [[Thomas Henry Huxley|T. H. Huxley]] at the time of the [[Reform Bill]] of 1867. Whitworth, credited with raising the art of [[Machine tool|machine-tool]] building to a previously unknown level, supported the new [[Mechanics Institute]] in [[Manchester]]&nbsp;–the birthplace of [[UMIST]]&nbsp;– and helped to found the Manchester School of Design. To the rear of Chancellors, on the site of the [[Firs Botanical Grounds|Firs Botanical Gardens]] belonging to The University of Manchester, Whitworth had a shooting range&nbsp;— now the site of the University's horticultural glasshouses&nbsp;— on which he tested his famous but unsuccessful Whitworth gun featuring a rifled barrel.
| name = Uttley House
⚫
| former_names = The Firs, Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre
| image = [[File:Chcc blue sky 2.jpg|Chcc blue sky 2|240px]]
| caption = The original Firs section
| location = [[Fallowfield Campus]]
| address = Chancellors Way, [[Fallowfield]], [[Manchester]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|53.443611|-2.213333}}
| status =
| completion_date = 1850
| architect = [[Edward Walters]]
| owner = [[University of Manchester]]
| mapframe-zoom = 15
| designations = {{Designation list
| embed = yes
| designation1 = Grade II Listed Building
| designation1_offname = The Firs and attached annex
| designation1_date = 2 October 1974
| designation1_number = {{NHLE|num=1270605|short=y|postscript=none}}
| designation2 = Grade II Listed Building
| designation2_offname = Lodge of The Firs, with attached gateway
| designation2_date = 2 October 1974
| designation2_number = {{NHLE|num=1254834|short=y|postscript=none}}
}}
}}


'''Uttley House''' (formerly named '''The Firs'''), is a [[Listed building|Grade II listed]] building and [[halls of residence]] in [[Fallowfield]], [[Manchester]], England. It was designed and built in 1850 by [[Edward Walters]], who was also responsible for Manchester's [[Free Trade Hall]]. The building is named after English writer [[Alison Uttley]]. It was originally built for [[Sir Joseph Whitworth]]; the house was later the home of [[C. P. Scott]], editor of the ''[[Manchester Guardian]]''. It is surrounded by {{convert|5.5|acres}} of gardens to the south and an environmental research institute to the north. The house has seen many past uses, including a private home, hotel, vaccination clinic and conference centre.
⚫
In 1882, having built a new house in [[Darley Dale]], Whitworth leased The Firs to his friend [[C.P. Scott]], editor of the [[Manchester Guardian]].<ref name="fls">[http://www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/facilities/botanicalgrounds/history/ History (Faculty of Life Sciences - The University of Manchester)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> After Scott's death the house became the property of the [[University of Manchester]], and was the Vice-Chancellor's residence until 1991.


== History ==
The house was converted into a hotel and re-opened as the western wing of Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre in 1997. Today the house is surrounded by five and a half acres of gardens.

=== The Firs ===
⚫
Whitworth used The Firs mainly as a social, political and business base, entertaining radicals of the age such as [[John Bright]], [[Richard Cobden]], [[William Edward Forster|William Forster]] and [[Thomas Henry Huxley|T. H. Huxley]] at the time of the [[Reform Bill]] of 1867. Whitworth, credited with raising the art of [[Machine tool|machine-tool]] building to a previously unknown level, supported the new [[Mechanics Institute]] in [[Manchester]]&nbsp;— the birthplace of [[UMIST]]&nbsp;— and helped to found the Manchester School of Design. To the rear, Whitworth had a shooting range&nbsp;— now the site of the University's horticultural glasshouses&nbsp;— on which he tested his famous, but commercially unsuccessful, Whitworth Rifle, which featured a revolutionary [[hexagon]]ally rifled barrel. The house was surrounded by a {{convert|52|acre|ha|0}} estate that now makes up the current [[Fallowfield Campus]].<ref name="fls" />

⚫
In 1882, having built a new house in [[Darley Dale]], Whitworth leased The Firs to his friend [[C.P. Scott]], editor of the ''[[Manchester Guardian]]''.<ref name="fls">[http://www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/facilities/botanicalgrounds/history/ History (Faculty of Life Sciences - The University of Manchester)<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007081910/http://www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/facilities/botanicalgrounds/history/ |date=7 October 2006}}</ref> After Scott's death the house became the property of the [[University of Manchester]], and was the vice-chancellor's residence until 1991. The house is a [[Listed building|Grade II listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1270605|desc=The Firs and attached annex|grade=II|access-date=19 August 2023}}</ref>

=== Hotel ===
The house was converted into a hotel and re-opened as the '''Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre''' in 1997. A large extension to the Grade II building was completed for the hotel, giving it a capacity of 72 rooms. The hotel was operated by the [[University of Manchester|university]]'s events venue arm as a conference centre and featured a restaurant, bar and conference facilities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 May 2022 |title=Details (The University of Manchester) |url=https://www.conference.manchester.ac.uk/venues/search/details/?property=9 |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=conference.manchester.ac.uk |publisher=The University of Manchester |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530010538/https://www.conference.manchester.ac.uk/venues/search/details/?property=9 |archive-date=30 May 2022 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Operations ceased in 2019, as the university prepared to repurpose the site as part of the university's redevelopment of the existing buildings on the campus.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 June 2015 |title=Contract out for Owens Park construction partner |url=https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/contract-out-for-owens-park-construction-partner/ |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=Place North West |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fallowfield residential development {{!}} Campus Masterplan {{!}} The University of Manchester |url=https://www.masterplan.manchester.ac.uk/projects/university-wide/fallowfield/ |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=masterplan.manchester.ac.uk |publisher=The University of Manchester}}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the former hotel site was used as a [[vaccination]] centre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=https://healthiermanchester.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Social-story-Chancellors-site.pdf |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=healthiermanchester.org |publisher=Healthier Manchester |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530011213/https://healthiermanchester.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Social-story-Chancellors-site.pdf?utm_name= |archive-date=30 May 2022 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Halls of residence ==
[[File:Uttley House road entrance.jpg|thumb|Entrance from Chancellors Way|240x240px]]

In 2021, as part of a redevelopment of the Fallowfield Campus, the hotel was converted into a student hall of residence and renamed Uttley House, after writer [[Alison Uttley]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Details (The University of Manchester) |url=https://www.accommodation.manchester.ac.uk/search/details/?property=64 |access-date=29 May 2022 |website=accommodation.manchester.ac.uk |publisher=The University of Manchester}}</ref> The halls of residence [[Junior Common Room]] is shared with Richmond Park, another hall of residence to the north.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official Richmond Park & Uttley House University of Manchester 2021 {{!}} Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/1020779495404785/about/ |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=facebook.com |language=en}}</ref>

== Firs Environmental Research Station ==
Included in the site formerly part of The Firs is the '''Firs Environmental Research Station''', a research institute of the [[Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester|Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Firs environmental research station - Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences - The University of Manchester |url=https://www.ees.manchester.ac.uk/research/facilities/firs-environmental-research-station/ |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=ees.manchester.ac.uk |publisher=The University of Manchester}}</ref> During World War I, various drugs were grown and developed at the station, including ''[[Atropa belladonna]]'' and ''[[Hyoscyamus niger]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 December 2020 |title=The fascinating history - and future - of FIRS Environmental Research Station |url=https://www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk/science-engineering/2020/12/03/the-fascinating-history-and-future-of-firs-environmental-research-station/ |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=eps.manchester.ac.uk |publisher=The University of Manchester |language=en-GB}}</ref> The facility houses an air quality monitoring station, greenhouses, climate controlled growing environments and remnants of the old botanical garden.

In 2020, as a result of a £2&nbsp;million endowment, the greenhouses were substantially upgraded.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 October 2020 |title=FIRS Environmental Research Centre gets £2m makeover |url=https://www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk/science-engineering/2020/10/15/firs-environmental-research-centre-gets-2m-makeover/ |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=eps.manchester.ac.uk |publisher=The University of Manchester |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Greater Manchester}}
*[[Fallowfield Campus]]
⚫
*[[Listed buildings in Manchester-M14]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|1}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.conference.manchester.ac.uk/chancellorshotelconferencecentre/ Chancellors Website]
* [https://www.accommodation.manchester.ac.uk/search/details/?property=64 Uttley House website]
* [https://www.ees.manchester.ac.uk/research/facilities/firs-environmental-research-station/ Firs Environmental Research Station website]
* {{IoE|458154}}
* {{IoE|458155}}
* {{NHLE |num=1270605}}
* {{NHLE |num=1254834}}
* [http://www.iknow-northwest.co.uk/accommodation/3326-chancellors_hotel_and_conference_centre-fallowfield.htm Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre, Fallowfield] - Profile on iKnow North West.


{{University of Manchester}}
{{University of Manchester}}
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{{Coord|53|26|37|N|2|12|48|W|type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Coord|53|26|37|N|2|12|48|W|type:landmark|display=title}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Chancellors Hotel and Conference Centre}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uttley House}}
[[Category:Buildings at the University of Manchester]]
[[Category:Buildings at the University of Manchester]]
⚫
[[Category:Hotels in Manchester]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in Manchester]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in Manchester]]
[[Category:Houses in Manchester]]
[[Category:Houses in Manchester]]

Latest revision as of 08:15, 25 February 2024

Uttley House
Chcc blue sky 2
The original Firs section
Map
Former namesThe Firs, Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre
General information
LocationFallowfield Campus
AddressChancellors Way, Fallowfield, Manchester
Coordinates53°26′37″N 2°12′48″W / 53.443611°N 2.213333°W / 53.443611; -2.213333
Completed1850
OwnerUniversity of Manchester
Design and construction
Architect(s)Edward Walters
Designations
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameThe Firs and attached annex
Designated2 October 1974
Reference no.1270605
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameLodge of The Firs, with attached gateway
Designated2 October 1974
Reference no.1254834

Uttley House (formerly named The Firs), is a Grade II listed building and halls of residence in Fallowfield, Manchester, England. It was designed and built in 1850 by Edward Walters, who was also responsible for Manchester's Free Trade Hall. The building is named after English writer Alison Uttley. It was originally built for Sir Joseph Whitworth; the house was later the home of C. P. Scott, editor of the Manchester Guardian. It is surrounded by 5.5 acres (2.2 ha) of gardens to the south and an environmental research institute to the north. The house has seen many past uses, including a private home, hotel, vaccination clinic and conference centre.

History

[edit]

The Firs

[edit]

Whitworth used The Firs mainly as a social, political and business base, entertaining radicals of the age such as John Bright, Richard Cobden, William Forster and T. H. Huxley at the time of the Reform Bill of 1867. Whitworth, credited with raising the art of machine-tool building to a previously unknown level, supported the new Mechanics Institute in Manchester — the birthplace of UMIST — and helped to found the Manchester School of Design. To the rear, Whitworth had a shooting range — now the site of the University's horticultural glasshouses — on which he tested his famous, but commercially unsuccessful, Whitworth Rifle, which featured a revolutionary hexagonally rifled barrel. The house was surrounded by a 52 acres (21 ha) estate that now makes up the current Fallowfield Campus.[1]

In 1882, having built a new house in Darley Dale, Whitworth leased The Firs to his friend C.P. Scott, editor of the Manchester Guardian.[1] After Scott's death the house became the property of the University of Manchester, and was the vice-chancellor's residence until 1991. The house is a Grade II listed building.[2]

Hotel

[edit]

The house was converted into a hotel and re-opened as the Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre in 1997. A large extension to the Grade II building was completed for the hotel, giving it a capacity of 72 rooms. The hotel was operated by the university's events venue arm as a conference centre and featured a restaurant, bar and conference facilities.[3] Operations ceased in 2019, as the university prepared to repurpose the site as part of the university's redevelopment of the existing buildings on the campus.[4][5]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the former hotel site was used as a vaccination centre.[6]

Halls of residence

[edit]
Entrance from Chancellors Way

In 2021, as part of a redevelopment of the Fallowfield Campus, the hotel was converted into a student hall of residence and renamed Uttley House, after writer Alison Uttley.[7] The halls of residence Junior Common Room is shared with Richmond Park, another hall of residence to the north.[8]

Firs Environmental Research Station

[edit]

Included in the site formerly part of The Firs is the Firs Environmental Research Station, a research institute of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.[9] During World War I, various drugs were grown and developed at the station, including Atropa belladonna and Hyoscyamus niger.[10] The facility houses an air quality monitoring station, greenhouses, climate controlled growing environments and remnants of the old botanical garden.

In 2020, as a result of a £2 million endowment, the greenhouses were substantially upgraded.[11]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b History (Faculty of Life Sciences - The University of Manchester) Archived 7 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Historic England. "The Firs and attached annex (Grade II) (1270605)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Details (The University of Manchester)". conference.manchester.ac.uk. The University of Manchester. 30 May 2022. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Contract out for Owens Park construction partner". Place North West. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Fallowfield residential development | Campus Masterplan | The University of Manchester". masterplan.manchester.ac.uk. The University of Manchester. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). healthiermanchester.org. Healthier Manchester. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Details (The University of Manchester)". accommodation.manchester.ac.uk. The University of Manchester. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Official Richmond Park & Uttley House University of Manchester 2021 | Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  9. ^ "The Firs environmental research station - Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences - The University of Manchester". ees.manchester.ac.uk. The University of Manchester. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  10. ^ "The fascinating history - and future - of FIRS Environmental Research Station". eps.manchester.ac.uk. The University of Manchester. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  11. ^ "FIRS Environmental Research Centre gets £2m makeover". eps.manchester.ac.uk. The University of Manchester. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
[edit]

53°26′37″N 2°12′48″W / 53.44361°N 2.21333°W / 53.44361; -2.21333

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