Manchester, The history of the UMIST Building. The Sackville building

[@MartinZero]

Recorded five years ago. This video shows Manchester's UMIST building as it was when it belonged to the University. The building has now been sold to a developer. This is a unique view and history from half a decade ago. To interested parties. Let this stand as a unique insight and historic record for the people of Manchester and for those that studied from around the world. This is now history. Treat the video as a record of what was, not what is happening now !

[@mikehartley2592]

I didn't realise Sackville Street has been sold, as a graduate that's a real shame. I hope the listing covers all the architectural stuff but the sense of being of the building will be gone once the interesting but not historic stuff has been redeveloped. I can't see the ham station, lofts etc making it through but these areas are an integral part of the building as it stands. In the rooftop shots you can see a lot of older towers. It would be a great series if you could get access to as many of these as you can. (If this is the first request for this can I have a discoverer's fee of coming round one of them with you 😉)

[@BusterCapInYoAss]

Although it's sad that it has been sold, I have to consider that it was initiated by private interests, and eventually ended up in (in effect) State/Local Govt hands. Public sector have no interest in preserving local heritage. I hope the private interests that have purchased it continue to promote it's fine heritage and importance to the city and it's natives.

[@dh2032]

@@mikehartley2592 I think we all, would ?

[@fhwolthuis]

Ah, I thought Martin is looking young, did he have a holiday in Turkey? 😅😉

[@gavin9038]

Lewis had been in there 😊 didn't know you were buddies. You both produce absolutely top quality content. Two of my favorite KZbin channels!

[@SuperStargazer666]

Absolutely loved every second of this video. I was a student at UMIST from 1997-2003. I remember being carefree and happy. Yes I worked very hard, but I also had so much fun and had such great friends. Nostalgia is such a sweet and slightly melancholy emotion. Will always Love UMIST…. ❤

[@mickhoward3648]

Fascinating watch, so much of Manchester's History would be lost without your videos

[@lyntonprescott3412]

I worked at The University of Manchester for over fourteen years. When UMIST and The University Of Manchester merged some time ago one of my jobs was to visit every building on the Sackville campus. I had to find, log, and identify every piece of machinery and apparatus that had to be maintained by The Estates department (known as The Asset Register). It was also my job to write all the planned maintenance, and issue all the work sheets to the shift managers so the work was done on time. Most buildings I would only visit for a few days to gather the required information. Sackville street building (or main building as it was also known) took a bit longer!! I recognised all the places you visited apart from the radio room which I could never find. I am a practicing radio ham and I'm sure there would have been some useful bits in there. BTW one of the devices that appeared in the radio room was a controller for an aerial rotator. This would have controlled the direction N,S.E,+W or anything in between for the "3 element HF beam" which is very directional. (also seen on the roof in the video). An outstanding video Martin, but there was so much stuff in that building it would warrant a feature film. Great shame that the building has been sold. Best wishes Lynton G4XCQ

[@MartinZero]

Thanks Lynton, yes this was only a snapshot really

[@jmhunteruk]

Also spotted the 2003 CPC catalogue in there.. Now a reminder of a bygone age, really - as with the RS catalogue (probably also no longer published) we used to love flicking through these pages of wonder...

[@davidlyne8448]

Late summer 1991, I arrived on campus for a late application entrance interview. Wandering around, worrying that I might be late, and looking upward in awe at all the towering white 60's buildings around me, I asked a passing student which of these was the "main" building. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and turned his head slowly towards the brick colossus that i somehow hadn't yet noticed. I remember my initial impression vividly - it's a beautiful and fascinating building.

[@glenjones6980]

A cathedral to industry and science is the vibe I get from this.

[@MartinZero]

Yeah definitely 👍

[@kevinroche7433]

Thank you. This brought back a few memories. Maths exams in the gym and I was also a member of the radio society which meant I could go out on the roof to modify or change the antennas.

[@MartinZero]

Thanks Kevin

[@TalesOfWar]

Seeing grand old buildings like this shows you how important and rich a place once was

[@ffrancrogowski2192]

Many thanks for doing a video on this amazing building, Martin. It's so massive, and it needs to be preserved as an extra special icon of Manchester's industrial history,.

[@johnmurphy1466]

Brilliant video, the architecture and craftsmanship of these old buildings are phenomenal, I’m sure they built like this to slow you down and take in the splendour! Not like modern building you get now 👍

[@Fred-Alpine]

Best building in the centre of Manchester

[@TheDaern]

I was a student at UMIST in the mid-90s. My abiding memory was the day when someone wrote "I UMIST" in weedkiller on the bowling green outside the student union. Except that they couldn't spell, so it said "I UMST" instead. And, for years after, every time it snowed, or there was a drought, you could clearly see "I UMST" clearly written on the ground. To this day, I am proud to have been a student at UMST.

[@SuperStargazer666]

I have great memories of UMIST, was there from 1997 until 2003. Those years were so carefree and happy…. If only time machines were real .

[@davidlyne8448]

I was living high up in Chandos Hall at the time, so got a good view of the 'graffiti' (plus some photos). 1994, I think. Absolutely adored the main building - remember working in the labs alone late one night, and having a break to walk around the building - amazingly atmospheric (and quite creepy)

[@endorfun22]

I worked for Umist for around 6 years, it was an honour, I worked in The Mill building, would be amazing a similar tour of that building to remember and never forget.

[@delzworld2007]

Loved this video. I worked for Earnest Scraggs in Macclesfield in the 1960's and 70's and witnessed the slow demise of of the polymer spinning machine industry. Not only that, the silk weaving industry in Macclesfield (Silktown) also folded around the same period of time.

[@peterking2794]

Those boilers are 'three pass water tube boilers' similar to ones I worked with in a large hospital on the Wirral back in the 70s. The oil burner has a spinning cup that runs at about 7000 rpm and atomises the oil which is ignited by a gas flame on start up that is, in turn, ignited via an electric spark. Once lit, the hot gases pass along the furnace tube, then back along the small tubes before entering the flue. Steam is thus generated and passes to calorifier systems, for heating and for domestic hot water. There will be a boiler water treatment system and feed pumps to automatically maintain the correct water level. Loved working in the boiler house at the hospital and, in later years moved on to much larger plant in a power station. Happy days! Cheers!

[@alanjones4622]

Fascinating to see inside this building and some of the detail. Working in the city centre from 1972 until 1994 and cycling past this building every day I never had the chance to see the inside. As a mechanical and electrical services quantity surveyor I spent many working hours delving into the depths of the services in plantrooms the process of doing monthly valuations of work completed in order to make payments to the relevant contractors. The firm of architects, engineers and surveyors I worked for occupied floors in Sunlight House on Quay Street for number of years. That building was built around a central lightwell space clad with white tiles for the same purpose as the Umist Building, to provide reflected light to the floors overlooking that void. Thanks once again Martin for another interesting video with exemplary camera work. Too many people who post videos on KZbin do not seem to understand that the camera should be kept fairly static rom shot to shot and not hosing the scene down

[@katypreen9588]

Wow, fantastic video - showing a lot of things that I never got to see as a student there. I remember having exams in the gymnasium and Great Hall, although when I was a student in the early 2000s we called this building the Main Building. Studying at UMIST towards the end of its lifespan, it seems that just like the technologies taught here that got exported to elsewhere, the university no longer had the uniqueness and relevance that made it a success in the first place. Maybe that's a metaphor for Britain's story; we used to be great but everyone else learnt from us and figured out how to do things better.

[@PelicanIslandLabs]

Indeed............... cue up The Kinks: Living on a Thin Line and lift a glass in celebration.

[@paulwarren3106]

I don’t think knowledge is to be hoarded - Britain (and particularly Manchester) were “Ground Zero” (no relation!) for the Industrial Revolution, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing that that knowledge was then disseminated around the world…(a “Thank you!” might have been nice though… 😂)

[@robertTmojo]

The Saturday nite discos attended at the UMIST student union in the early Seventies, cider 10pence a pint, and a barmcake sandwich for not much more. Still rate with me as some of the best nights out I have ever had. Crazy music, strobes, Ear bending volume. Mad dancing. Bloody amazing.

[@MartinZero]

Sounds great 👍

[@kakprat]

When I saw the gymnasium with all those desks, " Another brick in the wall" started playing in my head.

[@yorkie2789]

Martin, said it before but You Are The Light That Never Goes Out!

[@MartinZero]

😄👍

[@TheRattyBiker]

You know you've hit YT Gold when fans hit like before the 1st 2 seconds of video play, I already know this is going to be good!

[@virginiaorganbuilder]

Martin! LOVE your channel. I am a pipe organ builder, and yes, organ pipes are made of tin and lead. So amazing that they had an organ in there!

[@MartinZero]

Yes I hope it gets refurbished

[@jetsons101]

Funny how the basement is the most important part of any building BUT is the most forgotten and overlooked. people say "Oh, look at the pretty building" but take for granted how its great weight is supported, how it is heated and cooled, where does the water come from, after a flush -- where does the sewer go, where does the electricity come from and how is it "safely" distributed. As a Licensed Mechanic I found this watch very enjoyable. Outstanding work by you and your team.

[@henrylowe7969]

My grandfather studied in there and so did I. Did exams up in that old gymnasium. Loved it. The smell and the feel of the place was so atmospheric. Must be the biggest building in Manchester. My grandfather went on to run his family boiler manufacturers in Heaton Norris

[@_SurferGeek_]

Mac... reliably doing work for the long-term! It's amazing how many places still have them in use. As a part-time job, while in college, I worked as a night security man. We had the same type of checkpoint system. 😁

[@markavis7232]

The Bloom St CHP (combined heat and power) thing was still going on after the 'P' (power - electrical generation) was finished. They kept the power station generating steam to supply district heating, just as you point out. Even now if you walk along the canal between the back of the Ritz and the power station you can see brackets with rollers on them poking out of the walls, which is what the steam pipes rested on. They had big 'U' shapes bent in them as you went along, from time to time, because the pipes changed length quite a lot between cold and hot, and the pipe brackets and pipework had to be able to accommodate that without breaking. Before the plot on the corner of Oxford St and the road running down to the Ritz was redeveloped, the back wall (which was a ruin) was left standing up just enough to support the pipework :-) It used to be great in the middle of town - the land that time forgot.

[@EATSLEEPDRIVE2002]

As a long time viewer, I've been looking for this video for years! I knew I had seen it at one point, but I was starting to think that I had dreamed you recording it. Thank you for re-uploading!

[@MartinZero]

Yeah it was only originally out for about 36 hours 😀

[@sergeant5848]

Though Fred's long gone, it's nice to see some of his legacy still around. Absolute legend.

[@chucky2316]

Fascinating martin britain really was the workshop of the world we gave everything to the world

[@roberthorwat6747]

Blisteringly fantastic video thank you so very much for creating this recording. I was at OU summer school here in 1994. There was this one room I only got a view through a crack in the door while waiting for a lecture. I sincerely regret not stepping inside for a moment and soaking up the incandescent magnificence of its splendour. Just the view through the crack in the door blew my mind. Very much in the style of the grand hall as shown here but it was on an upper floor, all set out for examinations like the gymnasium if I recall. Why didn't I just go in and soak up the glory and the wonder? Well, the lecturer had turned up and we all rushed in to class. I've long since forgotten the lecture but that little peek is indelibly imprinted on my memory. ❤

[@shirleylynch7529]

Amazing. What a building. Thank you Martin for taking us round with you. What a privilege for you to have the place to yourself to explore. What an experience.

[@kylecmurphy]

I am a graduate of Univeristy of Manchester. Very few international students attended the school to take the knowledge back to other countries pre-WW2. The school was started and run to ensure the local factories had enough skilled labor. The demise of Manchester manufacturing was primarily due to geopolitical and economic factors. 9:59

[@chrisbury4635]

I have driven trains past there for years and have always been amazed by the beauty of that building, awesome 😎

[@krnlg]

The viaduct from Oxford Road to Piccadilly has to offer one of the best city views of anywhere in the country!

[@christophermatthews6972]

I was at UMIST from 1974 to 1977, although as a chemistry student spent most of time in other buildings. I remember some parts of the building from the video, but others are new to me.

[@susansmiles2242]

My uncle Frank worked at UMIST during that period but I’m not sure what he did

[@christophermatthews6972]

I remember an electrician and projectionist named Frank. I don't remember his surname.@@susansmiles2242

[@simonmcowan6874]

Wow Martin, that was superb such important history has passed through those rooms, that probably most watchers, and I, never knew about, thank you for bringing it to us in your inimitable way. 👍👍

[@MartinZero]

Yeah it was an incredible building 👌

[@carolynfield1177]

Wonderful video. When I was a maths student at UMIST in the late 1960’s, it was known to all as the Main Building. It was considered to be a bit of a relic even then!

[@lupinpooter7718]

I enjoyed my time there as a student and your video brought back some happy memories. Thanks 👍

[@lindamccaughey6669]

Fantastic video thanks Martin. Loved the organ would love to play it. I’m loving the history, you have so much of it. Thanks for taking me along. Please take care

[@philreed1605]

So glad you could film this and share! I had a music theory exam in the great hall in 1999, got lost leaving and trapped in the basement for a bit! I never found that area again despite working in the building 20 years later.

[@Parianparlay]

Brilliant! So wonderful to be able to see the most historic places of Manchester. Such craftwork and I do hope they continue to look after these buildings.

[@LeslieGilpinRailways]

I remember the gymnasium on the 17th floor - had exams up there in the late 70s and there wasn't a lift (that we could find) all the way up - apart from the goods lift. As you say a marvellous building

[@mikehartley2592]

The gym and main hall shots gave me bad memories of exams which I did really badly! From memory in the mid/late 80s there was an old passenger lift in the older part with manually closing gate doors which wasn't much fun when hungover in a hurry for the 9am lecture...

[@LeslieGilpinRailways]

@@mikehartley2592 I was pretty crap at exams lol. Probably the same lift!

[@donvito1973]

The floors had letters rather than numbers.. J was either the gymnasium, or the highest the lift went, I can't remember now, but it certainly wasn't 17th floor.. It just felt like it when you ascended that many stairs :-) When you got as far as that winching I-beam (13:27) you know you'd gone too far :-)

[@LeslieGilpinRailways]

@@donvito1973 it was a long time ago! Hence getting the floor wrong. I seemed much higher than J but you're probably right. Just have that memory of walking up all those stairs for exams.

[@davidhowe6905]

I worked in this building for many years; I often had nervous students asking me how to get to K-floor for exams!

[@Michael75579]

As a physics student at UMIST from 1985 to 1988 I spent a fair amount of time in the Sackville Building, but this video still had a lot of interesting stuff I didn't know about. Sorry to hear it's been sold, presumably for conversion into flats or offices. The halls I lived in for a couple of years on Grosevnor Street have now been demolished, but at least they've been replaced by new University of Manchester buildings. While in halls my walk into classes in the morning would take me from Grosevnor Street, under the Mancunian Way, along Sackville Street, then right to go in the Granby Row entrance to the building. At least our favourite pub, The Lass O'Gowrie, is still there and looks relatively unchanged.

[@Misstree62]

Wonder if the Lass still brews its own beer and serves marvellous ploughman’s lunch ?

[@Misstree62]

Hacienda close by, in the 80s joy division and new order started out there.

[@KirillGomozov]

Sweet Martin, I would like to personally thank you for recommending A Taste of Honey, what a great flick that I have only recently discovered all thanks to you and your journeys into the sands of time. A pint high to you good sir and please, never stop.

[@MartinZero]

Ive just recently watched it again 😀

[@visuals0und]

Another brilliant video Martin - have been in a few times but never to these levels - a great document as sure most of the infrastucture will have been stripped out by now...

[@MartinZero]

I dread to think what they will do with it

[@wladniem]

This is so interesting Martin, thank you for uploading it. And hats off to all those men that built this wonderful building

[@billfunk1219]

Fantastic tour of a fantastic building--! thanks for taking us along! Regards from Utah, USA.

[@MartinZero]

Thank you 👍

[@spitfire1962]

Thanks Martin. Certainly bought back some memories for me. I use to maintain the electrical side of SAACKE boilers at Kings College Hospital, where there was very similar underground ducts and all the pipes were lagged with asbestos at the time. Our fitters had to climb inside the boilers periodically to clean them out.

[@andyhill242]

This was brilliant, thank you Martin. I find the workings of big buildings, especially old ones really fascinating.

[@MrTallwilly]

Thats a fire tube boiler the big tube at the back you stuck the camera into is called a morrison tube that where the fire is blown into. The heat then makes a turn into the lower tubes goes to the front then turns again to the upper tubes then out the stack.

[@OrbitalStereo]

The top gym room was used for a heavy metal rock night every Saturday through the 70’s and 80’s. You could not get in if you didn’t pick up a ticket from the previous week, so people would post the correct ticket through a side window on the ground floor, and we would run round and get in. A bottle of Merrydown cider and a plastic pint glass was all you needed to set you up for the night. It was also used for gigs and I watched Diamond Head there around 1983-4.

[@MauriceHotblack]

That was in the more modern student union, the Renold Building. Some of my favourite nights out were spent there.

[@followthetrawler]

This and the Refuge are 2 of my favourite buildings in my home town - thanks Martin!

[@jayd1974]

What a lovely old grand building 👍

[@MartinZero]

It was amazing 👌

[@AidanEyewitness]

Fascinating from beginning to end. I've been inside this building quite a few times. The hall is magnificent and I love the semi-circular stained glass window above the door. The sheer size of the building gives you a sense of awe, that exam hall at the top is an incredible piece of architecture. It's a shame it was so run down. I've photographed it and videoed it many times from the oustide. Many thanks!

[@ashpalmermusic]

I live in the building next door to this on Cobourg street! I’ve always wanted to know what it was like inside so I found this really interesting!

[@nigelblair2182]

Loved that video. Such a pity it has been sold on. Three things in the video I have a connection with. I worked at Bloom Street power station when it was supplying steam to the university. It also supplied it to the Palace Theatre. My dad worked at Sir James Farmer Norton in the sixties. I also visited the observatory with the late great Fred Fielder. Brought back some great memories and will be a reminder of this great building in years to come.

[@philippabaker1078]

Another magnificent video Martin. Thanks for showing us around. Such high quality craftsmanship is apparent in all the back of house areas too. What a treasure of a building!

[@MartinZero]

Its a beautiful building full of history

[@jeffjones6107]

Thanks for sharing your fascinating trip around Umist Martin 👍 Always wondered what it was like inside,it is one grand structure.

[@gbcb8853]

Heard ‘computer generated music’ there in 1975. Punched card readers (aka read only memory) made a sound which varied in pitch with the number of holes in them. The sequence of cards being read played ‘Daisy, Daisy’ as in 2001 A Space Odyssey.

[@martinjames9250]

Fascinating. What a wonderful building.

[@chrish5319]

Thank you, that was so fascinating. I hope they keep as much as possible.

[@steverobertsbbc]

Looking forward to this. I was a student at UMIST between 1984 and 1987 and had many lectures and my finals in the old building. We went up there a few weeks ago to have a look around and made my first return visit to the site since 1987. Very sad to see the state of the site, with so much abandoned and boarded up, but I'm glad the old building is still standing and hopefully has a secure future.

[@jw3580]

What a pearler of a video, Martin. Such a shame it’s been sold and I hope they don’t rip the guts out of this beautiful old building. If it wasn’t for people like you making these videos, us normal Mancs wouldn’t have a clue what it was like in there. Thank you and keep em coming 👍👍

[@martinclemesha4794]

Great video Martin. I imagine any student would have that feeling of being part of a very special place, just walking into the main entrance hall

[@michaeltrotman6960]

That is one stunning building it is well beyond belief thank you for showing it enjoyed it immensely thank you

[@MartinZero]

Thank you

[@Robert-sd1iz]

As a UMIST graduate, I sat my finals in that building. Great to see its interior again.

[@Hairnicks]

That ventilation shaft from above gave me a fizzy willy, I'm not good with heights, even on film. Really interesting explore Martin, different and outside the box.

[@MartinZero]

Yeah it was a tad scary 😄

[@philhumphreys5096]

Wow. Brilliant video. Took many of my professional exams at the top of this iconic structure. Thanks Martin, as usual, I applaud your detailed exploration. Keep up the great work. Phil

[@MartinZero]

Thanks Phil

[@Urbexy]

This is an incredible building. It shows us snapshots of history. When you think about it, they have the spinning and bleaching machines, yet someone made the decision to keep them even when the industry is no longer relevant. Whatever the reason was, we should be extremely glad. These days when something is no longer useful it is simply replaced. I just hope the future development is mindful of history and do not allow it to be lost. Great video as always!

[@garethparr9482]

Hi Martin. Been watching your videos for a good number of years now but I missed this one. Blown away!! Your right they don’t build em like that no more. Grand on every level absolutely fabulous and to top it off the great man himself mr Fred dibnah did the iron bands on the chimney. I wonder if Fred was privileged like you to have been able to take a look around? He sure would have been in his element. A truly beautiful building!

[@rogerwilliams2902]

Cracking video !.

[@antonyspence5075]

Absolutely loved this Martin, well done 👏🏻👏🏻

[@MartinZero]

Cheers pal 👍

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Really fasciniating tour of an iconic building and of the history of what was cutting edge technology. Thank you.

[@daviespaulaann8913]

What an outstanding video martin...I could feel your energy and passion for this iconic building. all the way through...well done and thank you for sharing this magnificent building with us ❤

[@SteveAndAlexBuild]

Thanks for this video Martin For documenting this beautiful building before who knows what will happen to it . 🙏🏽😍🧱👍🏽

[@philmaxwell6981]

What an excellent & historic building & a buzz to watch someone talk about it with such passion & interest, wouldnt it just be great to know the ins & outs of the whole place machines, history, etc etc if only walls could speak

[@steverobertsbbc]

Great stuff Martin, thoroughly enjoyed seeing inside the building again. Great to see the halls where I took my finals 37 years ago. I studied for my radio amateur's licence in my second year and so it was fantastic to see inside the radio shack, although it was much tidier in my day when we were operating from there. :)

[@mikerogers5043]

Love this. That gym/exam room is really impressive, has a very Art Deco/Industrial look to it, which I love. The attic area is great too. There's so many buildings I'd love to explore, all the hidden, behind the scene places and voids.

[@MartinZero]

Yeah there is even more Mike

[@familylife3624]

You get some really good permission explores martin , beautiful building seen that the other day when was collecting daughter from Manchester

[@NuttyAboutOldMGCars]

Wonderful building Great Video thanks Martin

[@russellb1212]

What a video, amazing to see, hope one day the organ is restored

[@MrTomatoAloo]

What a fantastic video. Thank Martin. I was a student there in the late 60’s, studying physics on G floor. It was a very interesting building. I look forward to seeing your video on the observatory. Thanks again, you now have a new subscriber.

[@MartinZero]

Thank you 👍

[@PavlosE]

Even the thought of demolishing this magnificent, historical building is an hubris.

[@tangerinedream7211]

Had an interview in that building in spring 1979 to do teacher training for art. Although I had a place I decided on industry instead. When there was a middle management clear out 18 years later to save money, I finally did my teaching post grad qualification, MMU Crewe campus for DT teaching, full circle 😉

[@lancemumford3106]

Very interesting, such a beautiful building.

[@garryseville]

I studied computation there 1990-93 and sat many exams in the top floor (gymnasium) of that building. Excellent video.

[@MartinZero]

Cheers Garry

[@andrewpearson3365]

Well, that takes me back! I studied for my final professional qualifications in the building but never got further up than the first floor as I have no great love of heights. Having said that, I gather from previous videos that you're not a fan either which adds to my admiration of your exploration of vertical shafts and rooftop views. Truth to tell I nearly had to bale out from this presentation on a couple of occasions but I'm glad I didn't. You're a better man than I, Mr Zero.

[@dieselbushcraft1299]

Tell you what Martin, that was an amazing experience to visit that place but you wouldn’t have got me up on that roof. An amazing building.

[@jhonbus]

Beautiful building. I was based here when I did a foundation year in 2010 and I came in through that grand staircase every day. You don't really appreciate these things at the time. Had lectures in those inward-facing rooms with the fancy windows, and many exams in the "swimming pool" right at the top. I only ever had one exam in that grand hall and I did absolutely terribly because I was so distracted by all the ornamentation!

[@MattBrownbill]

I've visited the Goethe house in Germany in the 80's. My parents met at UMIST in the 60s.

[@pbartmess]

Thank you for sharing this fascinating document of a beautiful old building! The tiles, bricks and ornate windows are lovely. It was a thrill to see that little Archer antenna rotator in the ham room.

[@MartinZero]

Thank you 👍

[@mikecawood]

I recall going to a computer fair there in the late 1980s, I especially recall being guided to the Sackville Street entrance.

[@frubert123]

I went to a computer fair there as well, in the late 80s, but it was in the Renold Building just down the steps from the main building. A few years later I studied at UMIST and almost all my lectures were in the main building in this video.

[@malcbury9739]

Absolutely fascinating. What a beautiful building. I'm sure you mentioned that it was listed, so I do hope whichever developers it has been sold to, do the building justice.

[@daveparsons6956]

Studied for my finals there back in 2005. It's an amazing place.

[@carld9451]

What an incredible building I was lucky enough to go under st gorges hall in Liverpool and in the roof spaces it was the same there shaffs vents pipes it was unreal st gorges hall was apparently one of the first buildings to have central heating back in 1855 brilliant video thanks Martin lad sound

[@MartinZero]

Thanks very much

[@timwy]

Absolutely brilliant video Martin ! First Class !

[@MartinZero]

Thank you

[@SimonKealu]

I remember playing 5 aside in the gymnasium at lunch times as well as sitting my finals there (and in the Great Hall) back in the 1980s

[@Andy-From-England]

What a great awesome video Martin really enjoyed that 😊

[@MartinZero]

Cheers Andy

[@prillewitz]

Very interesting Martin. Never knew that Mr. Whitworth had such roots in Englands technical history. I knew the difference in threads between metric, witworth and unc but that was about it.

[@MartinZero]

Same here 😀👍

[@Croz89]

I worked in this building from 2013-2018, only about a year before it closed. By then it was mostly empty, I didn't really explore much of the building but I did go up to the gymnasium once when somebody forgot to shut the goods lift door! The furthest I got was the roof above the MTRL where my office was (you walk right past it at 10:08, it was on the left just up the stairs), we had some heat exchangers up there we needed to look at once in a blue moon, these were for cooling the 16 KW welding laser. It was very expensive to maintain, about a million a year just on the heating I was told. The new building we're in now is nowhere near as pretty, in fact it's fairly utilitarian and it's also a lot more crowded now most of north campus have been packed into it. But it is far more modern and probably costs a lot less to maintain.

[@elizabethannferrario7113]

Hi Martin i worked as a young nurse just qualified at the MRI , 1972 ,and i achieved my degree , many years later . my gosh if walls could talk . its just metres away from sackville street and young doctors educated from the university. i believe originally the hospital was built in the centre of manchester. it was nice when it was moved it was moved by stone by stone and kept the facade and to this day its looks reminds me of many years ago. sorry going off subject.

[@juleswilko]

What an amazing video … so many interesting things! What greatness overlooked… and to think that organ will probably never “sing” again… :-/