St. Bede’s College is located within the Whalley Range Conservation Area and is a grade II listed building in the Italian Renaissance style which was originally built as the Manchester Aquarium in 1874 and opened as the College in 1877. We have been appointed as St. Bede’s College Architects since 1991 when commissioned to undertake the College’s first main project, the Maher Library. The library utilises existing levels to form a split level interior, ensuring a well supervised study and reference area, IT room, careers advice and audio/video facilities. The front feature window to the main library incorporates a refurbished medieval stained glass panel. Flanked by the words SEMPER LEGIT (he was always reading), it depicts St. Bede on his death-bed at Jarrow in 735AD, dictating the final part of his translation of St. John’s Gospel. On the other side of the Chapel, the new classroom extension block to the Preparatory School integrates previously split departments providing a self contained identity with its own entrance, reception and administration suite and also includes seven new classrooms and music room with secured external play areas. The completed project was opened on 27 January 1995 by His Excellency Christopher Patten, the former Governor of Hong Kong. We have also been involved in the provision of CDT suite, IT suite, all weather floodlit hockey pitch and changing rooms and new external brickwork cladding to sports hall and have provided advice on facilities management including essential repairs to decorative ceilings and mosaic floor within the main listed building and external terracotta detailing. Quote: “The Library Building, which is an extension to the grade II listed Main College Vaughan Building is an excellent design which mixes traditional and sympathetic detailing with modern innovation and has given the College this much needed resource. As a testimony to TADW Architect’s work, the building and facility have stood the test of time and remain the College’s showpiece for open days, conferences and meeting facilities”. Leo Fletcher, Bursar, St. Bede’s College, Manchester Photograph by TADW