Site Event/Activity record ECH7068 - Arighi Bianchi, Macclesfield: Heritage Statement

Heritage statement produced in 2015 for the building housing Arighi Bianchi’s home furnishing business which has been a Macclesfield institution for more than 160 years. It was established by Antonio Arighi, an Italian immigrant in 1854, who was joined in the business by his kinsman Antonio Bianchi 14 years later, and has grown to become one of the most respected furniture retailers in the country. The Grade II* Listed building is very distinctive, with a fine cast iron and glass frontage of four storeys dating from 1882-83. This was erected as part of an adaptation of a pre-existing silk mill which occupied the site, which was redeveloped to serve as factory and showroom for the expanding furniture business. Since that time the building has been extensively remodelled, including a major programme of works over the last twenty years to modernize the store and improve its facilities. (1)