Fire-hit Hotspur Press building was centre of preservation campaign

A landmark building that burned down in a fierce blaze was at the centre of a long-running preservation battle.

The Hotspur Press in central Manchester was the scene of a major fire on Monday, and the damage was so extensive the part of it collapsed.

Heritage groups have long campaigned for the Hotspur Press building – which was built on the site of one of Manchester’s oldest mills – to be saved, but earlier this year the government rejected a bid to have part of it Grade II-listed.

Heritage groups said they were “deeply shocked and appalled” at the loss of the building.

The building, which was originally called Medlock Mill, was built on the site of a cotton mill that burned down in January 1801.

The building that replaced it was rectangular, had six floors and a loft, and was built of red handmade brick.

Three more buildings were added to the site in the 1880s before the complex was bought by a printing firm called Percy Brothers, who would later rename the building The Hotspur Press.

From 1933 to 1981, more than 1,100 editions of the boys comic The Hotspur were printed there.

World War Two saw the building damaged by Luftwaffe bombs, meaning the original slate and glass roofs were replaced with asbestos.

The building ceased to be used for printing in 1996, and while the main warehouse was turned into offices, they were last used in 2014.

Ian Miller, director of the University of Salford’s Archaeological Advisory Service, said the building was “up there among the earliest generation of mills” that made Manchester become “internationally renowned for its textile industry and mills”.

But he said that even 20 years ago, when it was last used as office space and studios, it was in a very dilapidated state and “parts of the building were not accessible because of structural issues or problems”.

In 2018, developer Elmloch Ltd bought the building and submitted plans for a 28-storey apartment block.

The scheme included 171 flats, shops, offices and potentially a gym or bowling alley, but the project never came to fruition.

After the coronavirus pandemic, the site was taken over by developer Manner, which submitted plans for a 37-storey tower in December 2023.

In January this year, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Wigan MP Lisa Nandy, rejected a bid to have the building listed.

Oliver Flory, from the Georgian Group heritage campaign, said it had submitted a request for a review of the decision in February.

Three months later, in May, developer Manner submitted new plans that would include a 35-storey tower, and its brickwork replaced with aluminium cladding.

Mr Miller said while Manchester was a “spectacular example of a historic industrial townscape”, it was impossible to preserve everything as it was.

“That’s just not practical in the modern world. A city evolves,” he added.

A Historic England spokesperson said: “Medlock Mill holds a special place in the heart of Mancunians.

“We are saddened to hear of the substantial fire that has occurred and will be waiting to understand the extent of the damage.”

Mr Flory, from the Georgian Group, added: “Following a setback in January in which the Secretary of State went against Historic England’s recommendation to list the historic core of the building at Grade II, we submitted a Listing Review Request to DCMS in February.”

“We were anxiously awaiting the outcome of the review,” he added.

More than 20 fire crews fought the blaze on Monday night, embers from which spread to a neighbouring tower block, prompting its evacuation.

Trains through Manchester Oxford Road station were cancelled, and more than two dozen people from neighbouring properties had to leave their homes, some of them having to stay in emergency accommodation provided by Manchester City Council.

Developer Manner has been approached for comment by the BBC, but has so far made no comment other than that it was “aware” of the fire.