The Towers (later known as the Shirley Institute, and then the BTTG)[1] is a research establishment for new technologies in cotton production. The Shirley Institute was established in 1920 at a cost of £10,000 to accommodate the newly formed British Cotton Industry Research Association.[2] It is a Grade II*listed building in the suburb of Didsbury, located 6 miles (10 km) south of the centre of Manchester, England.[1]
History
The building was constructed in the period 1868–72, for an estimated cost of £50,000.[1] The house was designed by Thomas Worthington, for the editor and proprietor of the Manchester Guardian, John Edward Taylor. The building was described by Pevsner as "grossly picturesque in red brick and red terra cotta."[3]
Manchester Ship Canal
Blue plaque on the Lodge of the Towers commemorating the conception of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1882
The Towers was once the home of the notable engineer Daniel Adamson – whose idea for the canalisation of the Rivers Irwell and Mersey resulted in the creation of the Manchester Ship Canal project which made the rivers into Manchester navigable for sea-going ships.
He invited representatives of several Lancashire towns, local businessmen and politicians, and two civil engineers, Hamilton Fulton and Edward Leader Williams. Fulton proposed a tidal canal, with no locks and a deepened channel into Manchester; Williams was in favour of a series of locks. Both engineers were invited to submit proposals, and Williams' plans were selected to form the basis of a bill submitted to Parliament in November 1882.[4] Due to the intense opposition by Liverpool and the railway companies, the necessary enabling Act of Parliament was not passed until 6 August 1885. Certain conditions were attached: £5 million had to be raised, and the ship canal company had to buy both the Bridgewater Canal and the Mersey & Irwell Navigation within two years.[5]
Shirley Institute
In 1920 it became the base of the Shirley Institute of the British Cotton Industry Research Association as a research centre dedicated to cotton production technologies.[6]
A significant contribution to the purchase price of £10,000 was made by William Greenwood, the MP for Stockport, who asked that the building be named after his daughter, Shirley.[3]
Business Park
The entrance to the Towers business park
In the early 21st century, the estate land of the Shirley Institute was redeveloped and a new business park was constructed.[7]
^"Technologies of work". Manchester University, Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Archived from the original on 19 November 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
^"The Towers". Didsbury Civic Society. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
Bibliography
Owen, David (1983). The Manchester Ship Canal. Manchester University Press. ISBN0-7190-0864-6.
