Redfern Building

The Redfern Building is a Grade II listed building which was completed in 1936 in Manchester, England. The building is situated on Dantzic Street and meets the junction of Mayes Street and Hanover Street. It overlooks Sadler's Yard, a public square and event space. Redfern was originally built for office and warehouse use.^[1]

Redfern Building
The Redfern Building
General information
Type	Office
Location	Manchester, Greater Manchester, England
Address	30 Hanover St, M4 4AH
Current tenants	National Probation Service
Completed	1936
Technical details
Floor count	7
Floor area	32,195 sq ft (2,991.0 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	W. A. Johnson and J. W. Cooper
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Cooperative Society Building
Designated	6 June 1994
Reference no.	1247472

The seven-storey building has a flat roof and consists of pale brown brick. A noticeable service tower exists to the north of the building. Architecture critic Clare Hartwell wrote in Pevsner in 2001, "It is a pity that this [building] does not enjoy a better site - its impact is partly lost due to its towering neighbours and its relationship with the adjoining Holyoake House."^[2]

History

Redfern was built for the Co-operative Wholesale Society and is now part of the Co-operative Estate in Manchester which includes a number of listed 20th-century buildings such as the CIS Tower and Hanover Building. The building bears resemblance to the prominent 1930s art deco movement and is inspired by Dutch Brick modernism, according to Nikolaus Pevsner.^[3] Redfern was designed by W. A. Johnson and J. W. Cooper.

On 6 June 1994, Refern was designated as a Grade II listed building.^[4]

From April 2017 until November 2018, Redfern housed PLANT, an open design studio and workshop for Manchester.^[5]

2019 refurbishment

The building was comprehensively refurbished during 2018–2019 by Sheppard Robson architects.^[6]

Occupancy

In 2020, it was announced that Redfern would become the flagship office for the Ministry of Justice's National Probation Service, under a 10-year lease.^[7][8]