History
Barton Arcade in Deansgate Manchester was built in 1871, and is a beautiful Victorian structure of iron and glass. The arcade was extensively restored in the 1980s and now houses exclusive shops, and a number of office suites. The original shop fronts have disappeared, as has the original decorative tiled floor, but Barton Arcade remains a beautifully restored piece of Victorian architecture.
Barton Arcade was built by Corbett, Raby & Sawyer and is hidden behind the facade of Barton's Buildings on Deansgate. There are two entrances from Deansgate and another reached from St Ann's Square, in a wonderful cast-iron and glass curtain wall. Inside everything is light and airy, with three tiers of balconies with ornamental balustrades curving around the U-shaped arcade, inside is a gorgeous glass and iron shopping arcade with two octagonal domes rising from glass pendentives, probably the best example of this type of cast-iron and glass-roofed arcade anywhere in the country.
The original ironwork came from Macfarlane's foundry in Glasgow, however the obvious influence was the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan.
Barton Arcade is a grade 2 listed historic building
