[4] Nicholls commissioned Worthington to prepare designs, with instructions that building was only to commence after his own death.

[4] The original usage was as an orphanage; the Ashton family gave over £100,000 to its construction and endowment.

[5] The style is flamboyant Flemish Gothic in red brick with sandstone dressings and steeply-pitched slate roofs.

[4] The main range is double-pile with 11 bays and a massive central tower, which shows clear similarities to that of Worthington's City Police Courts at Minshull Street.

The tower was originally embellished by Worthington's trade-mark animal carving but the majority were removed in the 20th century.