Lower Campfield Market in Manchester on Liverpool Road is an iconic structure that has become part of the furniture, having been used as part of the Science and Industry Museum housing the Air and Space Hall, until its closure in 2021. This June, Allied London will launch Campfield, a groundbreaking creative tech campus that will change the workspace landscape in Manchester and help businesses scale and succeed.
Located in the vibrant St. John’s neighbourhood, this 130,000 sq ft mega campus spans three buildings, including two iconic Victorian market halls, and will be managed by Department, a leader in flexible workspaces. Campfield is designed to foster collaboration and innovation, providing world-class facilities for businesses in the creative and tech sectors.
The development will be a dynamic destination that blends professional life with social and cultural experiences, from morning coffee to late-night events. With its cutting-edge design and emphasis on flexibility, Campfield will become a catalyst for Manchester’s creative and tech ecosystem, elevating the city as a global hub for innovation and attracting top talent from across the world.
Completed in 1878, the Lower Campfield Market Hall was designed as a ‘canopied’ open-sided market hall. It was built at Camp Field, which was already the location of popular markets and fairs and was close to a major railway goods yard – today the site of the Science and Industry Museum.
Lower Campfield Market is one of a pair of buildings with the Upper Campfield Market, which is further along Liverpool Road, towards Deansgate. They were built as a pair on either side of St Matthew’s Church, which stood between the two halls until it was demolished in 1951.
In 1900 Lower Campfield Market closed as a market for good and walls were added to the previously open-sided building to make it a more suitable exhibition space. In 1909, Lower Campfield Market was transformed into the permanent City Exhibition Hall. An advertisement declared City Hall the “largest, best lighted and heated and most excellently adapted covered, enclosed and balconied building in the kingdom” (Manchester Guardian, 15 Dec 1909, p.1).
With support from Manchester City Council’s ‘Culture in the City‘ project, Campfield joins landmarks like Aviva Studios, Bonded Warehouse and Manchester Goods Yard in the St. John’s district. The campus will also host the Exchange programme, a growth programme designed to support both start-ups and scale-ready businesses, allowing them to accelerate their capabilities and take them to the next level.
Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig said: “Campfield is a much-loved historic site that has sat empty and underutilised for so long. We’ve been supporting this project from the start, bringing these important heritage buildings brought back into active use, supporting the city’s ongoing growth and boosting employment opportunities in some of the city’s key emerging sectors.
“Manchester’s reputation is growing globally as a leader in the creative, tech and media industries, and this new hub is another example of creating a supportive ecosystem where businesses can start-up, scale-up and thrive. It’s great to see this scheme come to life, bringing a renewed energy to Campfield.”
Campfield is set to open in June 2025.
📍 Campfield, Lower Byrom St, Manchester M3 4FP.