Manchester City YMCA Khaki Club & Hostel, Piccadilly Gardens

Manchester City YMCA Khaki Club & Hostel, Piccadilly Gardens. (c) David Boardman at Manchester History.

Many Mancunians and visitors remember the sunken Piccadilly Gardens that were once a pleasant place to relax in the city centre, but later became a tramp's hangout in the 1980s and '90s (arguably preferable to the brutal mess that Piccadilly Gardens is today).  Some may not realise that the Manchester Infirmary and Lunatic Asylum once sat in Piccadilly Gardens until their demolition in 1908.  And fewer still will know about the YMCA that temporarily occupied the site, as the long-winded Manchester City YMCA Khaki Club and Hostel.  It was at the Portland Street end of the Gardens on the site of the ugly new red brick Piccadilly One office block.  The buildings later became the temporary home of the Manchester Library after the old Town Hall on King Street was demolished, and before the Central Library opened at St Peters Square in 1934 [1].

The image above is used with permission from David Boardman's still expanding Manchester History website.  It shows the canteen-style layout of the club and what appears to be the bar on the left.  There is another image at the top of the YMCA entry showing the low, temporary buildings with smart signage and flagpole.

1. http://manchesterhistory.net/manchester/gone/piccadillyymca.html.