Barton Arcade Undercroft, Manchester.
Barton Arcade is a four storey cast iron and glass conservatory-like structure and was erected by Corbett, Raby and Sawyer in 1874, with the iron from Macfarlane Saracen Glass Factory in Glasgow.
The name comes from the Barton family who once owned extensive estates in Manchester.
The building was one of the first to be built on the newly-widened Deansgate road. It was listed as a Grade II building of special architectural interest on 25 January 1972.
The arcade was extensively restored in the 1980s and now houses exclusive shops, and office space. The original shop fronts have disappeared, as has the original decorative tiled floor, but Barton Arcade remains a beautifully restored piece of Victorian architecture.
Below this magnificent structure is a large undercroft which is hundreds of years old, originally cut through the sandstone & Bedrock, it was later faced with brick when the whole sub-basement was expanded in the 1870s.
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Having read about this place a couple of years ago I just assumed it would be used as storage and never really gave it a second thought until I read recently that there had been an organised ghost tour down
there.
I wasn't for taking part in any tours, let alone paying for the pleasure!
Stepping Lightly had mentioned a possible route when we discussed it recently and with curiosity getting the better of me I decided to go and take a closer look.
After 2 seperate recces of the place I managed to find a way, suffice to say that the cripp stix provided a good decoy
The place is vast, much of it dis-used, but there was a lit section that appears to be used as storage for the business above, but I didn't poke around there for too long as I could hear voices, however I did take a couple of shots which I haven't posted.
There was lighting down there, but I thought it wise not to mess about just in-case someone came down and spotted me mooching about, besides it was much more realistic in the dark.
I wish I had taken my flouros with me, but hey the trusty Cree & Petzl headtorch served me well in the end.
The whole place was almost crypt like comprising a labyrinthe of passageways, chambers, tunnels and old arches.
I spotted a couple of bricked arches that went beyond the boundary of the building, which were most certainly linked into other much rumoured tunnels at some point, providing another piece of the jigsaw in the mystery of
Underground Manchester....
