Report - The Hotspur Press, Percy Brothers Ltd (Manchester, Dec, 2019)

[urbanchemist]

I don’t know Manchester at all well, but this seems to be one the few remaining bits of crumbling red brick Victoriana left in the city centre.
It didn’t look promising because of the graffiti visible in the top windows but I had a look anyway, just in case there was some printing machinery left (there wasn’t).
It’s basically an empty, soggy dump.

Background. The building was originally a cotton mill (Medlock Mill, 1801), then used as a printing press by Percy Brothers from ca 1900 - 1996.
Some firms, including John Sherratt Publishers and Activideo Post Production used the place up to about 2011.
Squatters subsequently moved in and were evicted in 2017.
The graffiti seems to come from the squatters who also had a little vegetable garden on the roof near the mobile phone mast.

Interior pictures are ordered from the top down.
Up on the roof waiting for the sun - the chimney on the left belongs to another old cotton mill (Chorlton Mill).

There are a few structural problems - the floors are not level and the beams are not straight.

When you start taking pictures of graffiti you know things are bad..

Remains of workshops.

 

[UrbandonedTeam]

Nice report mate - was wondering what it was like in there when I was coming back from the uni open day recently.

 

[Bikin Glynn]

Ooh I like that, the basement stuff looks pretty cool!

 

[albino-jay]

Nicely done mate. It’s one I’ve always wanted to do with it being local. Never got round to having a look.

 

[Speed]

To be fair I've seen worse. It's better than Eye Witness Works!

 

[host]

Nice report. I always thought it would be in worse state looking from the outside and all the squatters that we’re in their. Might have to have a nosey now.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Nicely done. Some really nice bits left. And great angles from the building.

 

[urbanchemist]

Nicely done mate. It’s one I’ve always wanted to do with it being local. Never got round to having a look.

Dozy bunch over in Manc-land - the place has obviously been doable for years, although having seen what's in there I wouldn't bother unless it's easy on the day.

 

[Baggy trousers]

Excellent that fella, I wanted to have a look at this for ages now, just never got round to it, love the little details.
Top notch report that.

 

[dweeb]

FINALLY! Photos from here worth looking at!!
Great work, not epic but it wasn't totally devoid of older interesting stuff...

 

[Dmc68]

Nice place to roam, I went at Easter time spent ages there .this was one of my favourite pictures

 

[urbanchemist]

Nice place to roam, I went at Easter time spent ages there .this was one of my favourite pictures

If you've got enough pics then why not stick up a report - always good to see another view and there's plenty of things I didn't include.

 

[Airfix]

Very interesting report and photographs.

 

[dave]

Thanks for the update i had forgotten about this place may have a wander over there now. It needed someone with your photographic skills to show it off at its best in my opinion.

 

[RJMmcr]

great report mate, always wondered what this place was like inside