Manchester Central railway station

(1910-11, Manchester Art Gallery).]] The station was built between 1875 and 1880 by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC), and was opened officially on 1 July 1880. The architect was Sir John Fowler and the engineers were Richard Johnson, Andrew Johnston and Charles Sacré for the three companies which formed the CLC. While it was being built, a temporary facility, Manchester Free Trade Hall station (after the Free Trade Hall, a landmark building nearby) was in use from 9 September 1877. It had two wooden platforms serving four tracks. When the station opened, the temporary station became Manchester Central Goods. In 1963, the building was Grade II* listed for its special architectural or…

The station's roof is a single span wrought iron truss structure 550 ft long with a span of 210 ft, and was 90 ft high at its apex above the railtracks. Glass covered the middle section, timber (inside) and slate (outside) covered the outer quarters. The end screens were glazed with timber boarding surrounding the outer edges. It was constructed by Andrew Handyside and Co. The substructure and masonry partition were provided by Robert Neill and Sons of Manchester. Underneath the train shed is a large brick undercroft with intersecting tunnel vaults, above which were six platforms above street level which exited the station onto viaducts and bridges. The undercroft was used for storage and…