Old Wellington Inn, Cateaton Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester
This is a mid-16th century timber framed house which was recently raised up some 30 feet to meet the new street level of the surrounding 20th century redevelopment. The building had three floors and three structural bays. The ground floor was altered in the 20th century with new windows and doorways, probably during its conversion to a public house. Following the IRA bombing of central Manchester on 15th June 1996 new development plans put forward the proposal that the pub, with its neighbour Sinclair's Oyster Bar, should be moved to a new site on the corner of Cateaton Street and Cathedral Street. The dismantling of the pub was completed in March 1998, and its rebuilding was completed in late 1999. Every brick, piece of timber, seat, staircase and piece of pannelling was carefully taken apart. Every item was colour and letter-coded, numbered, photographed and stored on computer before removal started. Four carpenters worked constantly on the reconstruction of the two pubs, with Richard Bannister, project manager overseeing the 2.5 million pound removal. The reconstruction and renovation was carried out by William Anelay, a 250 year old specialist company from York. This building is the only surviving example of timber framing typical of Manchester in the 16th and 17th centuries.
