Manchester Town Hall

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Manchester Town Hall
General information
Type Town hall
Architectural style Victorian, Gothic Revival
Location Manchester
Greater Manchester
England
Address Town Hall
Albert Square
Manchester
M60 2LA
Construction started 1868
Completed 1877
Inaugurated 13 September 1877[1]
Cost £775,000[2] - £1,000,000[3] (£55,210,000 to 71,240,000 as of 2012[4])
Height 87m (clock tower)
Technical details
Floor count 6
Design and construction
Owner Manchester City Council
Architect Alfred Waterhouse
References
[5]

Manchester Town Hall is a Victorian-era, Neo-gothic municipal building in Manchester, England. The building functions as the ceremonial headquarters of Manchester City Council and houses a number of local government departments.

Designed by architect Alfred Waterhouse the town hall was completed in 1877. The building occupies a triangular site facing Albert Square and contains offices and grand ceremonial rooms such as the Great Hall which is decorated with the imposing Manchester Murals by Ford Madox Brown illustrating the history of the city. The entrance and Sculpture Hall contain busts and statues of influential figures including Dalton, Joule and Barbirolli. The exterior is dominated by the clock tower which rises to 87 metres (285 feet) and houses Great Abel, the clock bell.

In 1938, a detached Town Hall Extension was completed and is connected by two covered bridges over Lloyd Street. The town hall, which was granted Grade I listed building status on 25 February 1952[6] is regarded as one of the finest interpretations of neogothic architecture in the United Kingdom.[7]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Old Town Hall

The original Manchester Town Hall

Manchester's original civic administration was housed in the Police Office in King Street. It was replaced by the first Town Hall, to accommodate the growing local government and its civic assembly rooms. The Town Hall, also located in King Street at the corner of Cross Street, was designed by Francis Goodwin and constructed during 1822–25, much of it by David Bellhouse. The building was designed with a screen of Ionic columns across a recessed centre, in a classicising manner strongly influenced by John Soane. The building was 134 feet long and 76 feet deep, the ground floor housed committee rooms and offices for the Chief Constable, Surveyor, Treasurer, other officers and clerks. The first floor held the Assembly Rooms. The building and land cost £39,587.[8]

As the size and wealth of the city grew, largely as a result of the textile industry, its administration outstripped the existing facilities, and a new building was proposed. The King Street building was subsequently occupied by a lending library and then Lloyds Bank. The facade was removed to Heaton Park in 1912, when the current Lloyds TSB building was erected on the site (No 53 King Street).

[edit] New Town Hall

Detail of façades by Alfred Waterhouse
Cross section drawing by Waterhouse

Planning for a new town hall began in 1863. Manchester Corporation demanded it be, 'equal if not superior, to any similar building in the country at any cost which may be reasonably required'.[9] The choice of location was influenced by a desire to provide a central, accessible, but relatively quiet site in a respectable district, close to Manchester's banks and municipal offices, next to a large open area, suitable for the display of a fine building.[10] After an investigation of suitable sites, including Piccadilly, the site chosen for the new town hall was an oddly shaped triangle facing onto Albert Square.[11] On this tight triangular site, the corporation required a grand hall, a suite of reception rooms, quarters for the Lord Mayor, offices and a council chamber.[1]

A competition was held to design the town hall. Of the 137 entries in open competition, Waterhouse's design was chosen[1] and he was appointed as architect on 1 April 1868.[11] The foundation stone was laid on 26 October 1868 by the Lord Mayor, Robert Neill. Construction took nine years and used 14 million bricks.[12] Estimates for the cost of construction vary from £775,000[2] to around £1,000,000[3] translating into a 2010 building cost of between £54m to £71m due to inflation. Manchester Town Hall was opened on 13 September 1877 by the Lord Mayor, Abel Heywood, who had championed the project after Queen Victoria refused to attend.[13]

The building exemplifies the Victorian Gothic revival style of architecture, using themes and elements from 13th-century Early English Gothic architecture. Gothic features most prominent in the Manchester Town Hall are low rib vault ceilings and tall arched windows. The choice of the Gothic was influenced by the wish for a spiritual acknowledgement of Manchester's late medieval heritage in the textile trade of the Hanseatic league and an affirmation of modernity in the fashionable neo-Gothic style favoured over the Neoclassical architecture of Liverpool.[14]

The exterior, faced with hard sandstone quarried near Bradford, Yorkshire, known as "Spinkwell stone",[15] is decorated with sculptures of important figures in Manchester's history. The interior is faced with multi-coloured architectural terracotta by Gibbs and Canning Limited. The painted ceilings were provided by Best & Lea of Manchester, who had provided the ceilings in the Natural History Museum also designed by Alfred Waterhouse.

[edit] Architecture

Manchester Town Hall in the early 20th Century - note the stonework blackened by soot from industrial pollution.
The north-eastern façade from Princess Street.

The rapid growth and accompanying pollution, in Victorian cities caused great problems for architects including denial of light, overcrowding, awkward sites, noise, accessibility and visibility of buildings, and air pollution.

Design stipulations included provision for "the sufficiency of window light supplied throughout the building." This was addressed by the use of architectural devices: suspended first floor rooms, made possible by the use of iron-framed construction, skylights, extra windows and dormers, "borrowed lights" for interior spaces and glazed white bricks in conjunction with mosaic marble paving in areas where the light was "less strong".[10][16] Clear glass was used in important rooms, with light-coloured tints for coloured glazing, as "the sky of Manchester does not favour the employment of deeply stained glass."[17]

In mid-19th century Manchester, many important Georgian buildings were blackened by atmospheric pollution. By the 1870s the local soft red Collyhurst sandstone was deemed to be to be unsuitable for public building, and tough Pennine sandstones were preferred.[17] The architectural competition entries for the Town Hall were judged in part on their suitability for the "climate of the district", and sample stone types were investigated.[18] Waterhouse believed that it was a matter of great difficulty to find a stone "proof against the evil influences of the peculiar climate of Manchester" but decided that the Yorkshire-quarried "Spinkwell stone" would resist "the deleterious influences of Manchester atmosphere".[10] The interior decoration was chosen with a view to providing permanent colour and cleanable surfaces. Public corridors were faced with terracotta rather than plaster, and extensive use was made of stone vaulted ceilings, tiled dados and washable mosaic floors.[19] no Waterhouse's design for Manchester's new Town Hall used a Gothic style with limited carved decoration and a uniform colour. This, along with a limited amount of modelling detail, was a departure from the high Victorian architecture heaviness and use of colour in contemporary Ruskinian Gothic buildings, and the Town Hall was criticised by some Manchester inhabitants for not being Gothic enough.[20] Many commented on the decision to spend large amounts of money on a building "when most of its architectural effect would be lost because ruined by soot and made nearly invisible by smoke."[20] Waterhouse's design proved successful and although the exterior was blackened by the late 1890s, the stonework was not badly damaged and was in a suitable condition to be to be cleaned and restored to its original appearance in the late 1960s.

[edit] Modern technologies

Despite its medieval styling, the building was designed to support the practical technologies of the 19th century. These included gas lighting, and a warm-air heating system, which provided fresh air drawn through ornamental stone air inlets placed below the windows and admitted behind the hot water pipes and 'coils' of rooms. Warmed, fresh air was also fed into the stairwells and through hollow shafts within the spiral staircases in order to ventilate the corridors.[10] The pipes that supplied the gas for the lighting were ingeniously concealed underneath the banister rails of the spiral staircases.[1]

[edit] Clock tower

The 280-foot (85 metre) tall bell tower, houses a carillon of 23 bells: 12 are hung for full circle change ringing and were manufactured by John Taylor Bellfounders.[21] The clock bell, Great Abel, named after Abel Heywood weighs 8 tons 2.5 cwt. The clock was made by Gillett and Bland (predecessor of Gillett and Johnston) and was originally wound using hydraulic power supplied by Manchester Hydraulic Power.[22] The clock bell first rang on New Year's Day 1879 but cracked,[23][24] and was replaced in 1882 and recast with all the bells in 1937.[25] The clock face bears the inscription Teach us to number our Days, from Psalm 90:12. The clock bell is inscribed with the initials AH and the Tennyson line Ring out the false, ring in the true.[26]

[edit] Interior

Waterhouse's plan for the town hall bridged the gap between office and ceremonial requirements and maximised space on the triangular site.[27] Waterhouse's design was for a six-storey building which filled the asymmetrical triangular site. Set around the perimeter of the building is a cloister of corridors linking offices and everyday workings. The grandiose, ceremonial features of the Town Hall were located in the centre of the building. At the main entrance on Albert Square are two grand staircases which lead up to the landing outside the Great Hall. These stairs were designed to have low risers to allow access for women in Victorian dress. The walls of the staircases have tall, arched windows generating daylight and lead to the focal point of the building, the Great Hall.[28]

[edit] Great Hall

The Great Hall, in the centre of the town hall.

The Great Hall on the first floor is reached by two staircases that link the main entrance to the landing outside. The landing has a glazed skylight on which the names of mayors, lord mayors and chairs of the council since Manchester received its Charter of Corporation in 1838 are inscribed on the glass panes.[29] The landing outside has a mosaic floor with a pattern of bees and is known as "The Bees". Influential critic of the Victorian era, John Ruskin, described the Great Hall as "The most truly magnificent Gothic apartment in Europe."[30]

The Great Hall is rectangular in shape and has courtyards on either side which allow light through the windows illuminating the hall. It has a hammerbeam roof,[5] and its ceiling is divided into panels bearing the arms of countries and towns with which Manchester traded with at the zenith of her mercantile power. The Manchester Murals by Ford Madox Brown adorn its walls and comprise a sequence of twelve paintings depicting the history of Manchester. The organ by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll is 16 feet tall and has more than 5,000 pipes.It was designed so that the organist can face the audience.

[edit] Manchester Murals

Main article: The Manchester Murals

The murals reflect themes of Victorian Manchester: Christianity, commerce and the textile industry. They are not true frescos but employ the Gambier Parry process. The murals are:

  • Romans Building a Fort at Mancenion

  • The Baptism of Edwin

  • The Expulsion of the Danes from Manchester

  • The Establishment of Flemish Weavers in Manchester A.D. 1363

  • The Trial of Wycliffe A.D. 1377

  • The Proclamation regarding Weights and Measures A.D. 1556

  • Crabtree watching the Transit of Venus A.D. 1639

  • Chetham's Life's Dream A.D. 1640

  • Bradshaw's Defence of Manchester A.D. 1642

  • John Kay, Inventor of the Fly Shuttle A.D. 1753

  • The Opening of the Bridgewater Canal A.D. 1761

  • Dalton collecting Marsh-Fire Gas

[edit] Town Hall Extension

Main article: Manchester Town Hall Extension

In 1927, a competition to design the Town Hall Extension was won by Emanuel Vincent Harris, the architect who also won a competition to design the city's Central Library.[31] Work began on the extension in 1934 and was completed by 1938. Charles Herbert Reilly, a contemporary architecture critic, thought the extension was 'dull' and 'drab'[32] while Nikolaus Pevsner considered it was Harris's best work.

[edit] Filming

As the town hall resembles the Palace of Westminster, it has been used as a location for television and films. The BBC series, State of Play, was filmed here and at Granada Studios.[33] In 2008, it was used in the filming of Sherlock Holmes[34] and in 2011 was a location for The Iron Lady.[35]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Notes
  1. ^ a b c d "History of Manchester Town Hall". manchester.gov.uk (Manchester City Council). http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/200064/local_history_and_heritage/1986/a_history_of_manchester_town_hall/1. Retrieved 2011-12-30. 
  2. ^ a b "Details of facades, Town Hall, Manchester". RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects). http://www.architecture.com/HowWeBuiltBritain/HistoricalPeriods/Victorian/MunicipalBuildings/ManchesterTownHallFacades.aspx. Retrieved 2011-12-31. 
  3. ^ a b "Law and Government Buildings". english-heritage.org.uk (English Heritage). 2007. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/law-and-government/lawandgovernment.pdf. Retrieved 2011-12-31. "pg. 10" 
  4. ^ UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Lawrence H. Officer (2010) "What Were the UK Earnings and Prices Then?" MeasuringWorth.
  5. ^ a b "Manchester Town Hall". skyscrapernews.com. http://www.skyscrapernews.com/buildings.php?id=182. Retrieved 2012-01-04. 
  6. ^ Town Hall, Manchester (1207469). National Heritage List for England. English Heritage. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  7. ^ Hartwell, Clare (2002). Pevsner - Manchester. Penguin Books. p. 84. 
  8. ^ Parkinson-Bailey 2000, p. 60
  9. ^ Hartwell. p. 71. 
  10. ^ a b c d Bowler 2000, p. 175.
  11. ^ a b Hartwell 2001, p. 71
  12. ^ Edensor, Tim; Drew, Ian, Building Stone in the City of Manchester, http://www.sci-eng.mmu.ac.uk/manchester_stone/images.asp?page1=3&vartype=building, retrieved 4 February 2010 
  13. ^ Wyke, Terry; Cocks, Harry (2004), Public sculpture of Greater Manchester, Liverpool University Press, pp. 24, ISBN 978-0-85323-567-5 
  14. ^ "People's Palaces: The Building of Manchester Town Hall". BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009ydh3. Retrieved 2011-12-30. 
  15. ^ Edensor, Tim; Drew, Ian. "Spinkwell stone". http://www.sci-eng.mmu.ac.uk/manchester_stone/images.asp?page1=3&vartype=quarry&offset=0. Retrieved 2009-08-21. 
  16. ^ Bowler 2000, pp. 177–9
  17. ^ a b Bowler 2000, p. 180
  18. ^ Bowler 2000, p. 181.
  19. ^ Bowler 2000, p. 184
  20. ^ a b Bowler 2000, p. 183.
  21. ^ Bells, http://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?searchString=Manchester%2C+Town+Hall&Submit=++Go++&DoveID=MANCHSTR+T, retrieved 2010-02-05 
  22. ^ Anon. "Hydraulic Pumping Engine". Museum of Science and Industry. MOSI. http://emu.msim.org.uk/htmlmn/collections/online/browsethemes/relatedobjects_lower.php?irn=2611&start=1. Retrieved 10 June 2011. 
  23. ^ Town Hall Guide, p. 19
  24. ^ Linton, Deborah (10 November 2011). "Perfect timing: Tours of historic Manchester town hall clock tower to begin". Manchester Evening News. http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1464668_perfect-timing-tours-of-historic-manchester-town-hall-clock-tower-to-begin. Retrieved 2011-12-31. 
  25. ^ Carter, Helen (16 November 2011). "Manchester town hall opens clock tower to visitors with an eye for a view". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/16/manchester-town-hall-opens-clock-tower. Retrieved 2011-12-31. 
  26. ^ Dove, R. H. (1982) A Bellringer's Guide to the Church Bells of Britain and Ringing Peals of the World, 6th ed. Guildford: Viggers; p. 71
  27. ^ Anon. "Municipal Buildings: Details of facades, Town Hall, Manchester". RIBA How we built Britain. RIBA. http://www.architecture.com/HowWeBuiltBritain/HistoricalPeriods/Victorian/MunicipalBuildings/ManchesterTownHallFacades.aspx. Retrieved 4 February 2010. 
  28. ^ Foyle, Jonathan (19 September 2010). "People's Palaces: Manchester Town Hall’s Gothic Interior". BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009ydjk. Retrieved 2011-12-31. 
  29. ^ "The Great Hall - History at the heart of the Town Hall". manchester.gov.uk (Manchester City Council). http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=2052. Retrieved 2012-01-05. 
  30. ^ Rooth, Ben (15 February 2007). "My Passion: Manchester Town Hall". City Life. http://www.citylife.co.uk/news_and_reviews/news/8360_my_passion__manchester_town_hall. Retrieved 2011-12-30. 
  31. ^ Stamp, Gavin (2004), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/60777, retrieved 4 February 2010 
  32. ^ Hartwell 2001, pp. 85–86
  33. ^ Abbott, Paul. Audio commentary on the DVD release of State of Play. BBC Worldwide. BBCDVD 1493.
  34. ^ Bourke, Kevin (28 October 2008). "Diary: Guy about town". Manchester Evening News (Guardian Media Group). Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.manchestereveningnews.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fshowbiz%2Fs%2F1076412_diary_guy_about_town+&date=2010-01-30. Retrieved 2010-01-30. 
  35. ^ Bourne, Dianne (13 February 2011). "Hollywood stars out on the town while working on new Margaret Thatcher film, The Iron Lady". Manchester Evening News. http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/tv_and_showbiz/s/1408028_hollywood_stars_out_on_the_town_while_working_on_new_margaret_thatcher_film_the_iron_lady. Retrieved 2011-12-31. 
Bibliography

[edit] External links

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Coordinates: 53°28′45″N 2°14′39″W / 53.47917°N 2.24417°W / 53.47917; -2.24417

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