Manchester Reform Club
The Reform Club in Manchester, England, is a former gentlemen's club dating from the Victorian era. Built in 1870–71 in the Venetian Gothic style, it was designed by Edward Salomons in collaboration with the Irish architect John Philpot Jones. The building stands on the corner of King Street and Spring Gardens. Clare Hartwell, in her Manchester Pevsner City Guide, considers the club Salomons' "best city-centre building", and it is Grade II* listed. The construction contract was awarded to Mr. Nield, a Manchester builder, for £20,000. The Reform was built as the club house for Manchester's Liberal Party and was opened by Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville and Liberal Foreign Secretary, on 19 October 1871.
The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar with polychrome dressings and a hipped slate roof. It has three storeys, with elaborate corner turrets, oriel windows, and balconies. The main entrance features extensive masonry carving, including gargoyles and "winged beasts". Inside, there is a "fine" staircase, a two-storey main dining room, and a very large billiard room on the third floor that runs the entire length of the building. The hall and staircase have linenfold panelling.
Declining membership in the late 20th century led the club to merge with the Engineers' Club in 1967 to form the Manchester Club, but this also failed to prove financially viable and was wound up in 1988. The club's archives are held at the John Rylands Library on Deansgate. The building was later used as a restaurant and bar.
In December 2022, the building became home to House of Books & Friends, an independent bookshop, café, and events space. Funded and founded by the law firm gunnercooke, the bookshop aims to address loneliness and social isolation in the community.