Manchester Central (Conference Centre)

Manchester Central Arena
Former names	Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre (1986-2006)
General information
Status	Grade II*
Architectural style	19th Century railway terminus, cast iron and red brick
Location	Manchester City Centre
Address	Windmill Street Manchester M2 3GX England
Construction started	1982
Completed	1986
Opened	21 March 1986
Renovated	2008–09
Cost	£20 million ($63.7 million in 2017 dollars)
Renovation cost	£30 million ($36.1 million in 2017 dollars)
Owner	Manchester City Council
Height	90 feet (27 m)
Dimensions
Other dimensions	Arch span: 210 feet (64 m) Hall length: 550 feet (168 m) long
Technical details
Structural system	2-storey brick building with single-span segmental iron and glass arched roof
Design and construction
Architecture firm	EGS Design
Main contractor	Alfred McAlpine
Renovating team
Renovating firm	Stephenson Bell
Website
Venue Website
Manchester Central Convention Complex Operator Manchester Central Convention Complex Ltd. Banquet/ballroom 1,200 (Exchange Hall) Theatre seating 9,000 (Central Hall) 804 (Exchange Auditorium) Enclosed space  • Total space 17,776.71 square metres (191,346.9 sq ft)  • Exhibit hall floor 11,834.56 square metres (127,386.1 sq ft)  • Breakout/meeting 2,820.15 square metres (30,355.8 sq ft)

Manchester Central Convention Complex
Operator	Manchester Central Convention Complex Ltd.
Banquet/ballroom	1,200 (Exchange Hall)
Theatre seating	9,000 (Central Hall) 804 (Exchange Auditorium)
Enclosed space
• Total space	17,776.71 square metres (191,346.9 sq ft)
• Exhibit hall floor	11,834.56 square metres (127,386.1 sq ft)
• Breakout/meeting	2,820.15 square metres (30,355.8 sq ft)

Manchester Central Convention Complex (commonly known as Manchester Central) is an exhibition and conference centre converted from the former Manchester Central railway station in Manchester, England. Designed by Sir John Fowler, the station, the northern terminus for services to London St Pancras, was opened in July 1880 by the Cheshire Lines Committee. The structure has a distinctive arched roof with a 64-metre span - the second-largest railway station roof span in the United Kingdom, and was granted Grade II* listed building status in 1963.

After 89 years as a railway terminus, it closed to passengers in May 1969 and became an abandoned railway station. It was renovated as an exhibition centre formerly known as the G-MEX Centre in 1982. From 1986 to 1995 it was Manchester's primary music concert venue until the construction of the Manchester Arena. The venue was refitted in 2008 to host conferences, exhibitions and is Manchester's secondary large concert venue.

The complex was originally Manchester Central railway station, one of the city's main railway terminals. It was built between 1875 and 1880 and was closed to passengers on 5 May 1969. The station served as the terminus for Midland Railway express trains to London St Pancras. The station's large arched roof – a huge wrought-iron single-span arched roof, spanning 210 feet (64 m), 550 feet (168 m) long and 90 feet (27 m) high – was a noted piece of railway engineering and is the widest unsupported iron arch in Britain after the Barlow train shed at London St Pancras.

At its height, in the 1930s, more than 400 trains passed through the station every day. The station operated for 89 years, before closing in May 1969. It became derelict and the train shed was initially used as an indoor car park.

In 1978, the structure was acquired by the Greater Manchester County Council to redevelop as a concert venue. In 1982 construction work undertaken by Alfred McAlpine It was the centrepiece of the regeneration plan for the area and wider Castlefield district. The hall covered 10,000 square metres and could be partitioned into various sized units for different exhibitions. Initial construction work concentrated on repairing the derelict structure and re-pointing brickwork which took 18 months. The Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre or G-Mex Centre was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1986 after four years of renovation.

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