Many of the buildings in the market place were demolished in the Victorian era to make way for road improvements and the rest were destroyed in the Manchester Blitz in 1940, leaving the Old Shambles as one of the few pre-19th century buildings, and The Wellington Inn as the only surviving Tudor building in Manchester City Centre. The buildings were both designated as Grade II listed buildings in 1952. The Old Wellington Inn is a half-timbered pub in Manchester city centre, England, United Kingdom. It is part of Shambles Square, which was created in 1999, and is near Manchester Cathedral. It is a Grade II listed building The oldest building of its kind in Manchester, the Old Wellington Inn was built in 1552 next to the market square which led off what is now Market Street, in what was known as the Shambles. In 1554 part of it became a draper's shop, owned by the Byrom family, and the writer John Byrom was born there in 1692. The building had a third storey added to it in the 17th century. In 1830 the building became a licensed public house, known as the Vintners Arms, and later the Kenyon Vaults. By 1865, the ground floor of the building was known as the Wellington Inn, while the upper floors were used by makers of mathematical and optical instruments. Later, in 1897, the upper floors were used as a fishing tackle shop, known as "Ye Olde Fyshing Tackle Shoppe". In the 1970s the Old Shambles was underpinned with a concrete raft and raised by 1.4 metres (55 in) designed by draughtsman Fred Kennedy, to fit in with the development of 'The Market Place Centre.' This completely separate development was designed to provide a single level walk, from the Arndale Centre;[5] to which it was connected by a glass bridge over Corporation Street, and then on to Deansgate. The Inn was reopened in 1981. But what was not appreciated by most was the extent to which the building had been changed.
