The ‘hidden village’ on top of Manchester’s Arndale Center many didn’t know existed

Manchester’s Arndale Center has been the heart of the city’s retail since it was built in the 1970s. But many still don’t know about the lost housing estate that has stood at the top of the shopping scene for over 20 years.

A pioneer of rooftop and inner-city living, Cromford Court takes its name from a Victorian lane that was demolished to make way for the shopping centre. Before the IRA bomb in 1996 only around 1,000 people lived in Manchester city centre.

Residential buildings were small and scattered around the center. There was Smithfield in the Northern Quarter, St John’s Gardens near Deansgate, India House on Whitworth Street and Cromford Court above the Arndale.

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Their residents were pioneers, with over 60,000 now living in the city. But by the time Cromford Court was completed in 1981, the council was actively encouraging people to move to an area where they could shop or work.

Houses at Cromford Court consist of bedsits, one and two bed flats and two bed cottages with private balconies. Below was a floor of shops, Arndale bus station and the buried embers of Manchester’s lost Soho district.

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In the mid-20th century, the area where the shopping center now stands, between Market Street and Withy Grove, was still a hodgepodge of largely Victorian buildings and warehouses along winding streets and lanes. During the 1950s and 1960s a number of “beat clubs”, off-licence cafes and at least one pornographic cinema appeared in the area, earning the area the nickname “Manchester’s Soho”.

Just off Market Street, at the northern end, Cromford Court was at the epicenter of this scene. Along with the surrounding streets, it was later bought by the council and demolished to make way for the Arndale.

Designed by Wilson & Womersley – the same architects behind Hulme Crescents – the Arndale was built between 1972 and 1979 and was intended to be Britain’s largest shopping centre, bringing American-style shopping to Manchester.

Access to the rooftop property was via a private lift and staircase from street level at the main entrance to Withy Grove. There was also direct access from the fifth level of the adjacent High Street multi-storey car park, to which Cromford Court residents had 24-hour access.

Between the houses were landscaped roof gardens with trees and shrubs – a rare oasis of greenery overlooking the city streets. More than 10 years after the first residents moved into Cromford Court, Manchester Evening News he spoke to Hugh Dent, who had lived there for over a decade.

Published in the MEN on 30 July 1994, journalist Rosemary Barratt wrote: ‘As the last bus pulls out of Arndale Terminal in Manchester city centre, Hugh Dent breathes a sigh of relief. Finally, it’s all still at Cromford Court, the cleverly hidden housing village that sits above the Arndale shopping centre.

“Almost nobody knows it’s there. Walking down Withy Grove to the steps that lead to another world away from the hustle and bustle of the commercial town, I hear a young man say to his friend, “Hey, you knew there were houses up there. on the roof?’

“‘None! Who would want to live up there!’ is the incredulous response.”

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After taking the short elevator ride up, Barratt was surprised by the contrasting world she found hidden on Arndale’s roof. “Nothing prepares me for the sense of tranquility that emanates from the rooftop gardens, all carefully tended,” she wrote.

“There is something quite therapeutic about seeing so much fertile greenery after just experiencing the plastic palm tree environment of the Arndale Centre. Wandering around the perimeter of the roof, where modern-looking apartments are arranged in small identical blocks, I look down. a huge domed skylight just to see shoppers hurrying down the stiflingly humid Arndale catwalk, so close I could almost reach out and touch them.”

Barratt spoke to long-term resident Hugh, who said he felt “so comfortable” living at Cromford Court. “It’s quite refreshing when you come home from work, get out of the lift and the greenery seems to jump up at you,” he told the MEN journalist.

“I like the convenience of being downtown, in the center of things,” he added. “It’s often dark when I come home, but I think all cities look very attractive at night. It’s quite romantic with all the twinkling lights, especially if you’re up high.”

The only things that seemed to bother Hugh about his living space were the ‘tremors’ of buses from the old Arndale bus station and the occasional sound of doors slamming. Another concern was a series of firebomb attacks on the Arndale Center by the IRA.

Highlighting his concerns about the Arndale firebomb attacks, Hugh added: “The incendiary devices were set to go off at night and I’m ashamed to say that on both occasions I slept right through them. However, I didn’t feel threatened enough by such things to want to move.”

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Hugh’s words now seem particularly prophetic as just two years later the IRA carried out its most devastating attack in Manchester city center – an event that would change the city forever and signal the beginning of the end for the Cromford Court rooftop dwelling.

On 15 June 1996, the IRA identified Manchester as the target of the largest bomb ever to explode on the British mainland. On that day, a van full of explosives was parked on Corporation Street, close to the Arndale Centre.

Just after 9:38 a.m., the warning of the impending bomb attack was sent to media outlets, which triggered a massive police operation to evacuate the city. By 11.10am, the heart of Manchester city center was almost deserted.

Minutes later, the explosion from the 3,300 lb bomb tore through the heart of the city. Miraculously, no one was killed in the blast which injured hundreds and left no buildings for half a mile unscathed.

Before the blast, crews rushed to evacuate city workers and residents, including those living at Cromford Court – but several decided to stay put.

One resident who defied warnings to leave was 77-year-old Dan O’Neill. The ex-RAF man was suffering from flu that day when someone knocked on his door to warn him just before the bomb went off.

Incredibly, a “groggy” Dan thanked them and went back to bed. A few days later, Dan told the MEN: “I’ve lived in Cromford Court for 10 years – I think it’s wonderful. When the bomb went off, I dived for the carpet.

“My apartment door opened even though I had it bolted shut. Things flew in all directions. Then I went to bed.”

Asked what he thought when he saw the extent of the damage, the Second World War veteran said: “Any normal person would have been devastated by what they saw. But you can overdo it with this dangerous business.”

Another person who stayed at her flat in Cromford Court was mother-of-two Vera Featherstone. Not having the order to evacuate early, she decided it was too late to leave and didn’t want to be caught in any explosions. She was still in her home when the explosion blew open her front door, tore down the curtains and threw her down the hall.

Vera told the MEN: “I didn’t see any point in going out in all that mess, so I decided to wait. I thought it would be a good idea to wash the curtains – they really needed work.”

Residents at Cromford Court were relocated to temporary housing, but only after a week were they allowed to return to retrieve any salvageable possessions. But now the future of the flats was in doubt as structural engineers still had to examine the safety of the buildings below.

And while the flats above the Arndale lasted a few more years, they no longer held up against the wave of Manchester city center regeneration that followed. Cromford Court was finally demolished in 2003 as part of a £150m redevelopment of the Arndale.

Previously, when the MEN ran stories on the Cromford Court flats, readers took to Facebook comments to reminisce about life there. Others, however, say they were completely ignorant of their existence.

Earlier posting in the story’s comments, Zachary Watson said: “Never knew I was there.” Also ignorant was Karen Gilbody, who posted: “Never heard of these apartments before but what a great idea. Great use of space!”

Ruth Rhodes, said: “I had no idea these houses existed but I remember people living in the Parker Hotel building at the same time.” While a surprised Chezza Baybut posted: “I never knew there was a whole estate up there.”

Have you lived in the apartments at the top of Arndale – or have photos of what they looked like inside? If so, email MEN’s nostalgia writer [email protected]