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When ABPT first became involved
in Ancoats in 1995, Murrays' Mills had been
a 'cause celèbre' in Manchester's conservation
circles for over twenty years due to the buildings'
historic importance and their desperate structural
condition. St Peter's had been a sad sight since
the 1960s when it closed for worship and then
experienced inappropriate temporary uses followed
by vandalism and an outbreak of rampant dry
rot.
In 2000-03, £655,000 (£488,000
from the HLF and the remainder 'cocktailed'
from English Heritage, Architectural Heritage
Fund and Northwest Development Agency grants)
enabled ABPT to work up proposals for the repair
of the Murrays' Mill complex and restoration
of St Peter's to a stage where the funders could
assess major grant applications. This led to
the following major grant awards:
- £905,000 from the HLF
funding to complete the restoration of St.
Peter's
- Gap funding grant of £704,000
for St Peter's from the Northwest Development
Agency (NWDA)
- £7.164 million from the
HLF for the repair of Murrays' Mills
- £4.724m in gap funding
from the NWDA for the shell repair of Murrays'
Mills
- An NWDA Project Management
award to ABPT to help with the staff and office
costs associated with managing these projects
 ABPT's
restoration of the shell and tower of St
Peter's, undertaken in 1998-99 with English
Heritage and Eastside Regeneration (SRB) grants
of nearly £500,000, gave rise to the building
being nick-named the 'Beacon of Hope' for the
regeneration of Ancoats. It was seen as a catalyst
for other building refurbishment projects, encouraging
developers to become interested in the area,
and engendered civic pride in the local resident
and business community. The £1.5 million
second phase restoration involved repairs to
the external fabric of the church, re-roofing
of the aisles which received only temporary
coverings in 1999, insertion of a new structural
ground floor, reinstatement of original windows
and doors, recreation of the lost nave and aisle
ceilings and reinstatement of the former external
paving and railings. This work started on site
in July 2004 and was completed in June 2006.
More information about the
St Peter's Project
 As
the oldest mill complex standing in Manchester,
associated with the development of the use steam
engines to power spinning mules and the urbanisation
of the industrial revolution, the Murrays'
Mills buildings are of international significance.
ABPT's HLF project has returned the mills to
a structurally sound and watertight condition,
and involved re-roofing, masonry repairs and
cleaning, truss and beam end repairs, below
ground stabilisation and the installation of
over 700 new windows. Finally the extensive
canal basin has been re-excavated in the mill
courtyard. The buildings are now ready for conversion
to viable new uses, hopefully permitting a good
deal of public access. A private sector partner
for the fit out works has being selected through
a widely-advertised quality-assessment competition
and is currently in the process of developing
a scheme to be submitted for Listed Building
Consent. ABPT's project started on site in September
2004 and was completed in August 2006. The developer's
conversion will be phased over three years.
More information about the
Murrays' Mills Project
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