Images have been released from inside the former HQ of historic Manchester aviation firm A.V Roe & Co after it was transformed into 'Scandi' industrial-style apartments.
Regeneration company Urban Splash has completed its work at the Grade II-listed 'Avro' building, which has resulted in 31 of the city's "largest homes" being created in the Northern Quarter, overlooking the Rochdale canal.
Steeped in Manchester history, Brownsfield Mill was once used by the A.V. Roe aviation company - one of the world's first aeroplane manufacturers - to build warplanes, and was the one-time workplace of eminent artist LS Lowry who served as the building’s rent collector.
That heritage has been embraced throughout the new homes, which each feature the "best of the historical fabric" – including beams, brickwork and cast-iron columns.
Toby Gallagher of Urban Splash said: “We’ve created some of the biggest apartments in Manchester, offering vast living space, original features including exposed brickwork and access to a spacious and design-led residents’ garden. We’re pretty proud of them and cannot wait to show viewers around.
“At a time when hope is genuinely on the horizon – Avro is going to be a wonderful place to live and embrace life to the full in the heart of Manchester.”
Avro is the latest restoration project to be completed by Urban Splash in Manchester, following listed mills in Castlefield, and others in Ancoats – including Waulk Mill and Beehive Mill.
The homes at Avro have been designed by Manchester architect Roger Stephenson, who said: “I’m particularly fond of Avro – it’s an iconic building in one of my favourite cities – what’s not to love?
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"I’m so proud to see our designs come to life – and equally delighted that Urban Splash has worked so hard to celebrate and preserve the building’s aviation heritage.”
Brownsfield Mill first opened in 1825 as a 'Room and Power Mill' - offering floor space to rent which enabled entrepreneurs and small companies to get established.
The firm H.W. Everard & Co., owned by H.V. Roe, made elastic men's braces there under the trade name of 'Bulls-Eye'.
His brother, Alliot Verdon Roe, was then about to embark on an impressive career in aviation, which would soon see him become the first British man to fly in England.
In 1906, Alliot applied for the job of Secretary of the Royal Aero Club. Although there were better qualified candidates, Roe's enthusiasm impressed the interviewers and he was given the job.
He began to build a series of flying models, and won a Daily Mail competition with a prize of £75 for one of his designs in 1907. With the prize money and the use of stables at his brother's house in West Hill, Putney, he began to build a full-size aeroplane, the Roe I Biplane, based on his winning model.
He tested this at Brooklands in 1907-08, recording his first successful flight on June 8, 1908.
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Despite many setbacks, he persisted with his experiments and Alliot became successful enough for his brother to suggest they form a new company together.
A.V. Roe & Co. was formed on January 1, 1910, with the registered office in the basement of Brownsfield Mill. It was here that aircraft production commenced.
Its iconic designs include the Avro 504, used as a trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.
A.V Roe is now a part of BAE Systems.