← History & culture History & culture · Developing English

Kendals

Former department store in Manchester

2 min
estimated reading 4
complete sections 8.39
algorithmic grade estimate

Before you read

Use the article and the local dictionary together

The complexity label is calculated from sentence length and syllable estimates; it is guidance, not an assessment of you. Open any highlighted word below for its full local dictionary page.

Words
268
Native text
2077 characters
Dictionary match
73%
Revision
1359567544 · 2026-06-16T00:29:43Z
Key vocabulary

Words to check before reading

store12 uses in this article building3 uses in this article House3 uses in this article multi-storey2 uses in this article Manchester2 uses in this article announced2 uses in this article business2 uses in this article October2 uses in this article listed2 uses in this article opened2 uses in this article close2 uses in this article known2 uses in this article which2 uses in this article would2 uses in this article reconstructed1 uses in this article restructuring1 uses in this article subterranean1 uses in this article refurbished1 uses in this article department1 uses in this article previously1 uses in this article

Overview

Kendals is the previous name of a department store in Manchester, England. Since 2005, the store now operates as House of Fraser. The store had previously been known during its operation as Kendal Milne, Kendal, Milne & Co, Kendal, Milne & Faulkner, Harrods or Watts.

History

The store was opened as Watts' in 1796, and became Kendal, Milne & Faulkner when three employees bought out the business and re-opened it in 1836. The founder John Watts had begun a drapery business in Deansgate in 1796 which became prosperous and was later known as "The Bazaar" and expanded onto a site on the other side of Deansgate. The store building of 1836 (on the east side) was reconstructed after the street widening of 1873 by the architect E. J. Thompson. The site of the present store was occupied by the cabinet showrooms, workshops and packing departments. It was purchased by Harrods in 1919, and was called Harrods for a period in the 1920s, but the name swiftly reverted to Kendal Milne following protests from customers and staff. It is a Grade II listed building.

It operated for many years alongside the Victorian store building on the opposite side of Deansgate (opened in 1873). The two buildings were linked by a subterranean passage, 'Kendal's Arcade' but this was closed off when the buildings on the East side of Deansgate were sold. A large multi-storey car park stands to the west of the store. In October 2018, it was announced that the House of Fraser store would close in late January 2019 due to being unable to sort out a crucial restructuring deal. However in November 2018 it was announced that the store had been saved from closure. In October 2020, plans emerged which suggest the store will close once and for all, with the store refurbished, extended and repurposed as offices. Manchester City Council approved the plans in June 2021.

The multi-storey car park to the west would be demolished and replaced by further office space and public realm created between the two buildings.

See also

*Listed buildings in Manchester-M3

External links

*House of Fraser (official website) HouseofFraser.co.uk

History & culture

Continue with related local reading

RK Lovćen in the First LeagueDeveloping United States at the FIFA Women's World CupDeveloping Lý Long TườngDeveloping PenmarthDeveloping Seetla Mata (Punjabi folk deity)Developing The Man and the Girl at the Underground MansionDeveloping