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Cobden House
Richard Cobden started out in
life in very modest circumstances.
He was born in 1804 near Midhurst in Sussex. He was one 11
children fathered by Richard Cobden a local farmer. So poor was
the family that Richard was dispatched to live with an uncle in
Yorkshire. After an undistinguished education Cobden worked
as a travelling salesman before going into the textile trade. It
was this venture that made his fortune and led to him living in a
rather affluent part of Manchester.
In time Cobden turned his
attention to politics and after pushing for an elected town council in
Manchester he became one of the first elected aldermen. In the
years that followed he became the MP for Stockport and a prominent
figure in the movement to repeal the Corn Laws and it was Cobden who
recruited John Bright to speak at the rallies that were held around the
country. Along with Bright Cobden also went on to campaign
against the Crimean War, something that brought derision on both of
them and both lost their seats in Parliament in 1857. By 1859
though he was once
again an MP this time representing Rochdale
and he went on to represent the British government in trade
negotiations with France. Richard Cobden died of bronchitis in
1865.
Cobden's home in Manchester stands on the corner of Byrom Street and Quay Street and it bears a blue plaque commemorating that fact.
Richard Cobden's House was
purchased in 1851 with money from a legacy left by John
Owens. Owens intended the legacy to fund the establishment
of a college for the education of males on non-sectarian
lines. The college was set-up in Cobden House and called Owens
College.  The college left Cobden House in
1873
to move to a new home on Oxford Road where it became the Victoria
University. Eventually the Victoria University became the
University of Manchester.
In 1874 the site was bought and
converted into Manchester County Court. The building sold for
£13,000 and it opened as a court house in 1878. The conversion
involved the erection of two court rooms at the rear of the
building. Cobden House itself was used for Chambers hearings and
administrative uses. It was during this period that the original Ionic
portico and exterior staircase were replaced. Cobden House
continued to be Manchester's County Court building until
1990.
 A war memorial sits on the wall of the building on the Byrom Street side close to Quay Street.  Today Cobden House is a
barrister's chambers and it has been completely refurbished to its
Georgian splendour.
The Plaque below is also attached to the Byron Street side of
the
building. |
