Helping Maintain Our Ageing Assets
Simon Bladon
14/04/25
1 of 10 - Aerial View
The structure was designed with a capacity of one hundred double-decker buses, but on completion was commandeered by the Ministry of Aircraft Production for the construction and repair of Lancaster Bombers.
The structure was returned to Manchester Corporation in 1946, remaining as a bus garage until the deregulation of the public transport sector in the 1980s. Such a large structure consequently became redundant and was subsequently purchased for use as airport parking.
The structure was Grade II Listed in 2001.
The structure was returned to Manchester Corporation in 1946, remaining as a bus garage until the deregulation of the public transport sector in the 1980s. Such a large structure consequently became redundant and was subsequently purchased for use as airport parking.
The structure was Grade II Listed in 2001.
Wythenshawe Bus Depot was designed by Manchester City Architects Department and architect George Noel Hill, and constructed during WW2, completed in 1942. The building was a pioneering example of an arched or barrel-vaulted structure and at the time was the second-largest reinforced concrete shell roof structure in England.
The in-situ cast concrete arches are 50m (165ft) span, 13m (42ft) high and at 13m (42ft) centres. The tensile concrete shell roof between the arches was designed to be 64mm (2.5in) thick and was cast with large rooflight penetrations along the apex of the roof.
The in-situ cast concrete arches are 50m (165ft) span, 13m (42ft) high and at 13m (42ft) centres. The tensile concrete shell roof between the arches was designed to be 64mm (2.5in) thick and was cast with large rooflight penetrations along the apex of the roof.
