History of the Building

The building that is the home to Northmoor Community Association was built originally by the cooperative society in 1912.

It was part of the Beswick Co-op that would create co-ops wherever they could see a potential profit instead of staying within their geographical boundaries. Good news for Northmoor as we ended up with this beautiful building to call our own and it’s impressive enough to have been classed as a Grade II listed building in 1994. The local landmark was celebrated in 2013 with a party to mark its centenary year.

The building itself was originally designed for commercial use with a department store on the ground floor boasting five departments including a butchers, shoes and boots, a drapery and a grocery. On the first floor there was a meeting room that was large enough to host dances with live music. Its inaugural event was an exhibition by the Co-operative Workers Society that also included a recital by the C.W.S. orchestra of Balloon Street; it was reported to have been a great success. It was also used for community events such as the Crowcroft Bowls Club prize-giving ceremony in 1914.

Northmoor Road was called North Road at the time the building was in use as a co-operative and was developed between 1899 and 1930’s. The area around Northmoor Road has undergone significant change in recent years. Unfortunately it suffered a steady decline after its heyday of the 1950’s and by the time of the new millennium, the building and the surrounding area were in much need of redevelopment.