Manchester Central railway station (now Manchester Central Convention Complex) built by Andrew Handyside 1880.

Andrew Handyside, who made Friargate bridge in Derby didn’t just make bridges, Fountains and Pilar boxes they also made hundreds of roofs for railway stations and buildings, here is one such example.

Manchester Central railway station was built between 1875 and 1880 by The Cheshire Lines Committee and was officially opened on 1st July 1880.

The massive wrought iron truss structure roof was made by Andrew Handyside & Co, it is 550 feet long with a span of 210 feet and 90 feet hight at the apex consisting of a total of 2400 tons!

It was Grade II* listed in 1963

The station finally closed on 5th May 1969 and the building fell into a dilapidated state and was damaged by a fire. 

It was then acquired by Greater Manchester County Council and in 1982, work started on repurposing the building into an exhibition centre called GMEX.

It was then rebranded in January 2007 as The Manchester Central Convention Complex (MCCC), I was fortunate to visit this structure when I went to Manchester Beer festival in 2020 and got my video footage.

It’s a very impressive building and it’s great to see Handyside's ironwork still around 146 years after it was made at the Britanna foundry in Derby.

Hope you enjoyed this post, please join my Andrew Handyside Facebook group if you would like to see more of Derby's Handyside work around the world.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/andrewhandyside

Thanks
Andy

Newstead former GNR railway bridge, Nottinghamshire made by Andrew Handyside in 1881

Andrew Handyside who made Friargate bridge in Derby made hundreds of different bridges around the world here is one such example located in Newstead, Nottinghamshire, UK.

The bridge is located to the east of Newstead village, it carries the former Kirkby to Bagthorpe GNR railway line over Station Avenue which was originally the main access route to Newstead Abbey.

The railway line here opened in April 1898 and closed in the 1930s?

The span of the bridge is 25 feet.

The bridge was Grade II listed 27th April 1987

As you can see it has pretty much the same decorative spandrel as Trent Bridge, not quite as ornate but the very same design : 

The simplest way to go and visit this bridge is to catch a train to Newstead railway station

and then walk north up Station Road to Tilford Road and turn right over the railway tracks and then right again down Station Avenue, around the left bend and you will see it ahead of you.

Cast iron and rockfaced ashlar. Chamfered plinth. Single segmental headed arch with pierced spandrels and dentillated sill.

Moulded iron balustrade with cusped lancet openings.

Here is a little video I made of the bridge : 

360 degree view of the bridge as seen from Station Avenue : 

360 degree view of the bridge from the top :

Hope you found this post of interest. 
Andy

Former Leeds Infirmary Winter Gardens made by Andrew Handyside 1868

Andrew Handyside Ltd of Derby who made Friargate bridge also made lots of roofs for buildings around the world, here is one such example.

The Former Leeds Infirmary Winter Gardens 1868

In this short video I have used A.I. to resurrect some old photographs and illustrations of the former Leeds infirmary winter gardens.

The Leeds General Infirmary Winter Garden was a magnificent, glass-roofed central courtyard built in 1868, inspired by London's Crystal Palace, featuring gothic-style arches, exotic plants, and a Andrew Handyside fountain.

Designed to be a therapeutic, airy space for patients, it also hosted the 1868 National Exhibition of Works of Art.

Known officially as the Central Court, it was a big part of the hospital’s early years, hosting the official opening of the building on 30 May 1869 by HRH The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII on 1901).

The impressive roof structure was 151 feet long, 63 feet wide and 60 feet high and featured 150 tons of ironwork, all made in Derby by Andrew Handyside Ltd.

The construction of this building is peculiar, involving no “thrust” upon the walls; the main roof, which is really carried by the four corner rafters, having its thrust taken by the parallelogram of lattice girders connecting the heads of the twelve columns.

Page 89 of the 1868 second edition "Works in Iron by Andrew Handyside & Co, Britannia Iron Works, Derby states that type N cast-iron capitals were used on the 12 support columns in Leeds Winter Gardens :

In 1911 the roof, which had created significant maintenance problems, was dismantled, but the space remained in use as an open-air tennis court as late as 1963

Today this area is known as Leeds Wellbeing Garden.

A real shame the roof only lasted 43 years before being demolished but I hope my video gives a sense of what it looked like at the time.

My source reference :
Page 91 of the 1868 second edition "Works in Iron by Andrew Handyside & Co, Britannia Iron Works, Derby and 32 Walkbrook, London. Published by E.&F.N. Spon 48 Charing Cross."

Hope you found this of interest, join my Facebook group to keep up to date with my latest Handyside finds around the world :

https://www.facebook.com/groups/andrewhandyside

Andy

Blacksmiths Forges at Underfall Yard workshop Bristol made by Andrew Handyside

Blacksmiths Forges at Underfall Yard workshop Bristol made late 1800's

Andrew Handyside Ltd of Derby who made Friargate bridge didnt just make bridges and fountains, they also made lots of stuff you may not know about such as forges !

The Britannia foundry in Derby had many forges at the time and I guess it was inevitable that they would also sell them but not many examples of them have survived the 130 years since they made them so it was really good to see these three forges in Bristol. 

I would like to say a massive thankyou to the staff at Underfall Yard for opening up the workshop for me to see them as it was closed when I visited.

In 19 years of researching Handyside stuff I have only found two places that still have intact Handyside Forges, the other place is Combe Mill in Oxfordshire, the forges at Underfall are in excellent condition as you can see below. If you know of any other forges made by Handyside around the world then please get in touch.

The three Andrew Handyside forges in a line : 

Andrew Handyside makers badge on the hood of the forge : 

Here is a little video I made in 2025 of the forges at Underfall Yard :

Here are examples of forges and hearths that Andrew Handyside used to sell, from their sales brochure of the time : 

Here is a 360 degree photograph I took for Google Streetview in front of one of the forges : 

I can highly recommend a visit to Underfall Yard if you are down that way, see their website for more information : https://underfallyard.co.uk/

Click here for a map location for Underfall Yard, Bristol, UK

Hope you enjoyed this post.

Andy

The Royal Drill Hall Derby built 1869, Roof by Andrew Handyside.

The Royal Drill Hall in Derby was built in 1869 Built for the 1st V.B. Sherwood Foresters (Notts. and Derbyshire Regiment), It had an impressive roof of 150 feet length by 75 feet span made from 72 tons of steel fabricated by Andrew Handyside . The Engineer was R.M. Ordish

This drill hall was demolished in 1969 to build Forester House.
Here is a video of where it was located and of the amazing roof made by Handyside.

Best viewed on a large computer screen or smart TV as this is recorded in 4K resolution with great music so a real waste watching it on a small phone screen. Did you know you can cast it to your smart tv from the YouTube app?

Wright’s 1874 directory of Derby lists the Beckett street premises thus:

THE ROYAL DRILL HALL well deserves a favourable notice. It occupies a site beyond the Convenient Poor Law offices and the Chapel of the United Free Methodists, in Beckett street, on the opposite side, and, with its suite of apartments, officers mess-rooms, stabling, and residences for those who have the care of the premises, extends along the greater part of Newland street. It was erected by voluntary subscription, for the special use of the Derbyshire Rifle Volunteers, and was built from the plans, and under the supervision of Mr. Robinson, architect, Derby, an officer of the force.

Kelly, 1891, describes:

The Royal Drill Hall, Becket street, built in 1869 by a limited liability Company, for the use of the 1st Volunteer Battalion, Sherwood Foresters, comprises a hall 150 feet by 75 feet, with an and retiring rooms in addition there are orderly rooms, sergeants’ quarters, armoury and stabling.

My source "Steel & Iron structures made and erected by Andrew Handyside & Co Ltd Derby and London reproduced from photos taken on the spot."

A map showing where the Derby drill hall was located : 

Hope you find my video of interest, if you do then please leave a comment.

The massive steel roof structure in this drill hall was made in Derby by Andrew Handyside Ltd,  join my Andrew Handyside Facebook group to learn more :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/andrewhandyside

Thanks
Andy

My 1873 book "Works in Iron" by Andrew Handyside Ltd brought to life using A.I.

 I bought this 1873 book from an antique shop, it lists lots of stuff around the world made by the Derby firm Andrew Handyside who made Friar Gate bridge. It has full details on lots of their bridges such as Trent Bridge in Nottingham and I thought I would have a go at bringing the book to life. 

Hope you enjoy.

The book is a first edition of "Works in Iron - Bridge and Roof Structures" by Ewing Matheson of the firm Andrew Handyside And Co., Engineers, Derby and London. Published by E & F.N. Spon 1873.

It lists 60 examples of bridges and roofs they have made around the world.

I also have the 1877 Second edition.

Rigmaden Bridge, Mansergh Civil Parish, Cumbia, North West England built in 1872 by Andrew Handyside.

Andrew Handyside Ltd of Derby who made Friargate bridge made hundreds of bridges around the world of all sizes and styles, this is one such bridge which was made 5 years before Friargate bridge.

Rigmaden Bridge, Cumbria, UK built 1872

This is a single lane road bridge over the river Lune, west of Rigmaden in Cumbria and is Grade II listed. This bridge was built for the Rigmaden estate around 1872.

A total of 52 1/2 Tons of ironwork was shipped from Derby's Britannia foundry to the banks of the river Lune for assembly of this bridge.

It carried people and vehicles for almost 150 years but was closed in December 2021 after a structural assessment found it to be unsafe for pedestrians and vehicles.

In August 2025 the Department of transport committed £370,000 to the repair and strengthening of the Rigmaden bridge but apparently this is a tenth of what is needed to carry out the work.

I think its still not been repaired yet as of March 2026.

My sources :
Page 159 Example No 27 Works in Iron - Bridge and Roof Structures by Ewing Matheson of the firm Andrew Handyside and Co., Engineers, Derby and London. Published by E & F.N. Spon 1873.

This bridge has a 116' single span which is 12' 6" wide. The vertical struts in the main girders are of wrought iron.

The abutments are of stone, and the girders rest on cast iron bed-plates, planned to allow the girders to move, in case of expansion and contraction.

The bottom flange is composed of tie bars 9" by 13/16th". The top flange of wrought iron girder 1' 7" deep and 12" wide.

The roadway is composed of ordinary metalling on arched wrought-iron plates.

The weight of the two main girders is 16 tons, The cross girders 5 1/2 ton, The platform 20 tons and other ironwork is 11 tons.

I only found this bridge recently after seeing it in my 1873 book, great to see its still standing over 150 years later even if its not being used for its intended purpose at the moment.

Rigmaden is a hamlet in Mansergh Civil Parish, Cumbia in North West England.

Google Streetview of the bridge shows it as open in April 2009 and closed in the June 202 and April 2024 views.

I hope to see this bridge open again sometime in the future as Im sure the locals would too as they have to do a 40 minute detour.

Hope you found this post of interest.