The Hotspur Press Fire: A Wake-Up Call for Manchester's Heritage
Could the Toast Rack be next?
The devastating blaze that consumed Manchester's Hotspur Press building this week should serve as a stark warning to absent property owners across the city. As thick black smoke billowed across the skyline and twenty fire engines battled to contain the flames, another piece of Manchester's industrial heritage was lost forever. The fire, which led to the partial collapse of the former cotton mill and printing press, offers a sobering reminder of what happens when historic buildings are left to decay without proper stewardship.
The Hotspur Press had stood vacant since the mid-2010's, a casualty of neglect that was once all too familiar in Manchester. The building was earmarked for residential redevelopment but had long been only the home to dead pigeons and detritus. This transformation from productive use to urban decay represents a pattern that threatens other Manchester heritage assets.
This disaster should serve as an urgent wake-up call for owners of other at-risk heritage buildings in Manchester, particularly those responsible for landmark structures like the Toast Rack. The Grade II-listed Hollings Building, with its distinctive triangular frame, has already found itself on conservation charity SAVE Britain's Heritage at-risk register. Sold by Manchester Metropolitan University for £5 million in 2014, the building has since remained largely unused despite plans for conversion into apartments and leisure facilities.
The Toast Rack represents everything that the Hotspur Press fire warns against. English Heritage recognised its significance when granting it Grade II listing status in 1998. Yet, like the Hotspur Press before its destruction, the Toast Rack now sits idle, vulnerable to the same forces of decay and neglect that claimed its industrial predecessor.
Recent photographs taken by urban explorers reveal the building's interior in an alarming state of dilapidation. These images show the deterioration that occurs when heritage buildings are left without proper maintenance – broken windows, water damage, and the general decay that makes structures increasingly vulnerable to fire and further damage.
The responsibility lies squarely with property owners who acquire heritage buildings and then fail to maintain them adequately. Too often, these structures are seen as investment opportunities rather than cultural assets requiring active stewardship. The Hotspur Press fire demonstrates the ultimate cost of this approach – not just the loss of the building itself, but the disruption to surrounding communities and the erasure of irreplaceable architectural heritage.
Following the fire, surely authorities should mandate minimum safety measures for disused older buildings, including sprinkler systems and fire sensors connected to emergency services. While such technology exists and could prevent disasters like this, the responsibility ultimately rests with owners to implement proper security and maintenance regimes. Buildings left to deteriorate become magnets for the kind of behaviour, which increases fire risk exponentially.
The lesson from Hotspur Press is clear: heritage buildings cannot survive on listing status alone. They require active, responsible ownership and ongoing investment in their preservation. The Toast Rack's current situation should alarm anyone who cares about Manchester's architectural legacy. Its concrete frame may seem sound, but fire shows no respect for architectural significance or structural strength.
Manchester City Council and other authorities must consider whether current regulations adequately protect heritage assets from negligent ownership. The technology exists to monitor and protect these buildings – the question is whether the political will exists to mandate such measures before more irreplaceable structures are lost.
For owners of heritage buildings across Manchester, the message from the Hotspur Press fire is unambiguous: act now or risk losing everything. The Toast Rack and other at-risk buildings represent not just property investments but cultural assets belonging to the entire city. Their preservation requires more than good intentions – it demands immediate, action to prevent Manchester's architectural heritage from literally going up in smoke.
The charred shell of the Hotspur Press stands as a warning. Heritage building owners must heed this call before Manchester loses more of its irreplaceable architectural legacy to preventable disasters. The Toast Rack could be next.