The two unusual Greater Manchester places made heritage gems of national importance by Historic England

A striking Manchester school has been made a listed building. 

Cavendish Community Primary School in West Didsbury has been added to Historic England’s National Heritage List recognising its Jacobean revival style. The unusually long decorative Deep Pit Railway Footbridge in Hindley is among the others that have also been handed Grade II-listed status. 

Listing buildings, sites and landscapes shows they are of special architectural or historic interest and considered to be of national importance. Cavendish Primary School has colourful Art Nouveau tiling and a cookery block which was unusual in the early 1900s. 

The Historic England report said: “This architecturally striking primary school with its terracotta decoration was built in 1904 in a Jacobean revival style by Ernest Woodhouse. The forward-thinking education committee included a detached block for teaching cookery and manual crafts, which was shared by other schools – and the school was also designed so that it could easily be extended, as it eventually was.

“The survival of original features is good throughout, including glazed timber partitions and doors, fireplaces, one real slate blackboard and a service lift as well as original parquet flooring and wall tiling. But the halls on each floor are the showstoppers, with their attractive green and yellow Art Nouveau flower-pattern tiling, and remarkable fireplaces at each end, complete with their original grates.” 

The Deep Pit Railway Footbridge is an even more unusual listing, with Historic England noting its elegant design.

“This unusually long, single-span, wrought-iron pedestrian railway footbridge dates from 1887,” the heritage body said. “It was built during the peak period of railway bridge construction and spanned nine tracks, with an unusually large ramp on the south side rather than steps leading up to it. It has survived with very little alteration and its architectural interest lies in its elegant design.”

In total, 39 historic places have been added to the National Heritage List for England in the North West in 2023. Nationally, 227 historic buildings and sites have been added to the list over the past year.