This women's shelter and rescue home was built for the Wesleyan Methodist Church, Central Hall Mission, as a gift from a Mr James Scarlett. It was designed to provide non-institutional support for women, and specifically for domestic servants, thought to be at risk in the adjacent industrial district of Ancoats. There was both temporary and semi-permanent residential accommodation as well as training and recreational facilities, notably a ground floor coffee tavern providing an alcohol-free environment for socialising.
