Work completes on Unitarian Chapel conversion

New residents have settled into the former Unitarian Chapel on Upper Brook Street, after a significant restoration and redevelopment project to save the building.

The Grade II* listed neo-gothic structure was built in 1830s by the architect Charles Barry, who was later knighted for his work on the Palace of Westminster. After being vacated by the Unitarians, the building had been used by different religious groups including the Welsh Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Islamic Academy of Manchester.

The chapel fell into serious disrepair in the 1970s and in 2006 its roof was removed on safety grounds. Since 2010, it has been listed as one of the ten most threatened building in England and Wales. It has also spent several years on Historic England’s At Risk Register.

The project has involved the reinstatement of the chapel’s original form and the conversion of the building and its adjacent Sunday School into a student development.

Wherever possible, surviving features such as the chapel’s corbels and vaulted springers have been repaired and retained within their original location. The chapel’s rose window has also undergone a sensitive restoration while surviving timbers have been saved to showcase the detailed woodwork that once existed within the original building.

A new build element comprising nine one-bedroom maisonettes has also been created within the former churchyard and a residents’ lounge, gym and cinema room has been added at basement level.

Samantha Gill, architect at Buttress, said: “The Unitarian Chapel represents an important part of Manchester’s architectural history, yet had faced an uncertain future for some time. It has been truly rewarding to have been involved in its restoration, and see it evolve from a dilapidated shell into a building with a renewed, modern purpose.”

Buttress worked with contractor HH Smith and Sons Ltd to deliver the scheme.