The Toast Rack. Manchester's Most Loved Brutalist Building.

Some buildings fade into the background. Others get your attention.

The Toast Rack certainly gets your attention.

Officially called the Hollings Building, it’s located on Wilmslow Road in Fallowfield, Manchester.

What is the Toast Rack?

The Hollings Building was designed by architect Leonard Cecil Howitt and opened in 1960 as the home of the Manchester College of Domestic Trades. Students were trained in catering, textile design and hotel management.

The building’s distinctive curved concrete arches stretch across the building like a row of slots in a toast rack. The name stuck.

It was listed Grade II in 2010, recognising it as a building of special architectural and historic interest.

Why I turned it into a design

When I first started thinking about a Manchester architecture design, the Toast Rack was an obvious place to start. It’s instantly recognisable if you know Manchester, but it works just as well as a piece of wall art even if you don’t know it.

It has since become one of my most popular designs and is now available as a print, mug, t-shirt, notebook and greeting card.

If you want to bring a bit of Manchester’s architectural history into your home, the Toast Rack print starts from £9 and is available in a range of sizes. There’s also a Toast Rack mug, notebook, organic cotton t-shirt and greeting card, all designed in Manchester and made in the UK.

Everything is printed on quality materials and ships free within the UK on orders over £10.

If you’re a shop or gallery looking to stock the Toast Rack range, you can find it on Faire or have a look at my wholesale page for more info.

Gail Myerscough is a surface pattern designer and illustrator based in Manchester. Her work is inspired by mid-century design, music and architecture. Browse the full collection at gailmyerscough.co.uk.