Jolley, V.S., 2024.

Northern light: the work of Harry S. Fairhurst prior to the First-World War

In May 2009 the Fairhusts Design Group's (FDG) archive of historical records experienced a fire that destroyed a substantial proportion of its original drawings and photos. Using previously digitised material created whilst working as an architectural assistant for FDG and cross-referencing articles published by the architectural press, this essay provides an insight into the early career of its founder, Harry S. Fairhurst. Through a typological survey of Manchester packing warehouses designed by Fairhurst prior to the First-World War this article highlights how Fairhurst strived to perfect this building type by using steel-framed construction to maximize functionality and how he allowed new structural methods to change architectural expression. It identifies three lesser-known warehouses, two of which have been demolished, and demonstrates the practice's frank architectural style, produced through necessity, that led to a departure from traditional vocabulary to produce a warehouse worthy of international recognition.