75 CATHEDRAL COMMUNICATIONS THE BUILDING CONSERVATION DIRECTORY 2025 ROOFING 3.1 THE MACKIE MAYOR As a market building the Mackie Mayor in Manchester is a relatively modest example of these glass-roofed buildings, but it illustrates their potential for reuse and adaptation, having recently been brought back to life as part of the wider regeneration of Ancoats. Built in 1858, Mackie Mayor is the last surviving market building of Manchester’s once thriving, Smithfield Market complex which covered seven acres on the north side of the city centre. The area went into a steep decline following the demise of the cotton industry and the market closed in the 1970s. In 2015 when the area was beginning to be regenerated, the building was repaired by Muse Developments with the aim of making it secure, wind and weather tight, so it could be marketed for a variety of end uses. The lease was taken on by Market Operations, a company which had already succeeded in bringing Altrincham Market back to life as a food hall, kick-starting a wider regeneration of this south Manchester town. At Mackie Mayor the central atrium rises through two floors and is lit by a drum with clerestory windows and a central rooflight. This is surrounded by galleries lit by a ribbon of glazing, and the drum is supported on fine, classical columns. Outside, the solid masonry walls are classically detailed with richly carved pediments and pilasters. The quality of the original architecture was superb, and the existing fabric has been retained unaltered wherever possible by conservation architects Buttress. New details are honestly incorporated so it is clear which elements are new, giving the impression of a building that has evolved. Independent restaurants and bars now surround the atrium, with the emphasis on quality and originality. There are no chains. The Mackie Mayor market building in Manchester: the central atrium is illuminated by a drum with clerestory windows and a central rooflight, surrounded by a perimeter of patent glazing. Outside, the canopy has been replaced by modern glazing with minimal detailing – one of many ‘honest’ repairs using high quality materials. (Photo: Jonathan Taylor) Ridge and furrow glazing on one of the flat-roof sections of the Crystal Palace in 1851, flooding the building with light.
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