Built between 1875 and 1880, the station was one of Manchester’s main railway terminals, alongside Manchester London Railway Station – the now Piccadilly Railway Station. From Manchester Central passengers could travel to many destinations including: London St. Pancras, Marylebone and Kings Cross, Nottingham, Liverpool Central, Buxton, Chester and Southport. The station closed its doors to rail passengers in 1969 with Piccadilly Railway Station taking over the key express routes to London.

The station’s architecture is similar to many stations that were built in the nineteenth-century designed with an arched roof, however the Manchester Central arched roof was the second widest unsupported iron arched structure in Britain, after that of the Barlow train shed at London St. Pancras. The Manchester Central’s arched roof spans 210 feet, is 550 feet long and is 90 feet high. At its peak, Manchester Central had over 400 trains passing through everyday. Due…