There’s more to the Corn Exchange than meets the eye. This iconic building has been a film location for Brideshead Revisited, home for The Royal Exchange Theatre and a survivor of the Blitz. But if you delve a little deeper, you’ll uncover a building with a rich history deeply rooted into its soul. The Corn Exchange is located in the part of medieval Manchester that was known as Hanging Ditch. Its name comes from the bridge over the Roman moat where fullers – people who cleaned newly woven cloth – hung out their sheets to dry. The first Corn Exchange was built in 1837 and was designed by Richard Lane – widely regarded at the time as Manchester’s most prominent architect. In the same year, he was made the first president of the Manchester Architectural Society. The Corn Exchange was built to replace the old corn market that took place in a courtyard in Fennel Street. Trading began with the ringing of the market bell outside the Dog and Partridge Pub, which was located where the National Football Museum stands today. The Corn Exchange’s glass atrium is an impressive architectural feature that also had an important role to play in 19th c. trade. The good light allowed merchants to check the corn’s colour and quality, they threw the corn up in the air to check for mould, the light illuminating the grain. It now provides an amazing source of light which fills the atrium and provides an amazing dining experience for some of the Best Restaurants in Manchester. The Corn Exchange was the venue for meetings of the Anti-Corn Law League – a group of Manchester manufacturers opposed to the Corn Laws. The laws meant higher taxes on imported corn, which had led to dramatic increases in the price of bread. One of Manchester’s wonderfully colourful characters, Avril the clairvoyant, worked in the Corn Exchange for many years. The accuracy of her consultations earned her a dedicated following and a client list that included the public, celebrities and businesses.
