G-Mex

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The GMEX centre

The G-MEX centre or Greater Manchester EXhibition centre is an exhibition and conference centre in Manchester in England.

The building was granted Grade I listed building status on December 18, 1963, but has since been downgraded to Grade II* status^[1].

Well known for hosting exhibitions and conferences, the G-MEX Centre used to host high profile rock concerts, most notably Manchester's own James in a 1990 performance. G-MEX had a seating capacity for 9,500 people for end stage concerts. However it was expandable up to 17,500 for standing events. The G-MEX centre doesn't host concerts anymore due to the popularty and size of the nearby MEN Arena which is Europe's biggest indoor concert venue. It was also the venue for gymnastics, weightlifting, judo and wrestling during the 2002 Commonwealth Games. In September 2006 it was used by the Labour Party for their Annual Conference, moving away from the traditional seaside venue of Blackpool, Bournemouth or Brighton.

In 2001 the Manchester International Convention Centre (MICC) was added to the complex, with an 804 seat auditorium plus breakout rooms and Great Northern Hall. In addition to the Labour Party, this venue has hosted such prestigious clients as the CBI, Ecofin, Lib Dem Party and, in April 2006, the Conservative Party.

During 2005 the company running the G-MEX and MICC was bought by Manchester City Council. In September 2006 they announced the venue was to change its name to Manchester Central Convention Complex by Spring 2007 and concerts are returning to the G-MEX with 2 shows by Snow Patrol, followed by 2 homecoming shows by Morrissey, in December 2006. Plans are currently being drawn up to extend the frontage down to the road boundary on Windmill Street.

[edit] History

Formerly the G-MEX was known as Central Station and was Manchester's fourth railway terminal.

It was built between 1875–80 by the Cheshire Lines Committee, a joint collaboration between three companies:Great Northern Railway, the Midland Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway

The building consists of a huge wrought-iron and glass segmental vault spanning 210 feet, and 550 feet long, because of its comparatively low cost in 1877, and was built by Handysides of Derby. The substructure and masonry partition was provided by Robert Neill and Sons of Manchester. The engineers were Richard Johnson, Andrew Johnston and Charles Sacré for the three companies. An earlier station used by the Midland Railway was converted to become Manchester Central Goods.

The Midland, in particular, at last had a secure base for its services, the terminus for its expresses to London St. Pancras. Initially it ran two prestige expresses, one a Pullman service, making the journey in four and a quarter hours. Later it added more services, a total of nine daily, with two on Sundays, including an overnight Pullman sleeper.

In LMS days, there were two named expresses the "Palatine" and The "Peaks", the former making the trip in three hours and fifty five minutes, with stops at Chinley, Millers Dale, Matlock, Derby and Leicester.

There was a brief return to glory in British Railways days with the Midland Pullman, between 1960 and 1966, during the electrification of the West Coast Main Line. This stopped only at Cheadle Heath (now closed) and made the journey in three and a quarter hours.

Services through Millers Dale finished in 1968 when the line was closed. The station continued to provide local services for a while, but finally closed in 1969.