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The Town Hall
dominates Albert Square
Alfred Waterhouse
Ford Madox Brown
Vaulted ceilings
in the entrance hall
Rear view from
the Peace Gardens
One of three
great staircases
The Great Hall
with Brown's murals
Mural: "Romans
Building a Fort at Mamuciam"
To see more of the
Ford Madox-Brown Murals
CLICK HERE
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The Town Hall,
Manchester
Manchester Town
Hall & Albert Square from the South
Aerial Photograph
Image Courtesy of www.webbaviation.co.uk
© 2005
CLICK
ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Completed
in 1887, this most impressive neo-Gothic building cost a million
pounds and is acknowledged as a masterpiece in its own right. It
rises as a Victorian edifice - a monument to the civic pride of
the city fathers, reaching 286 feet above Albert Square below.
Designed
by Alfred Waterhouse, a leading
contemporary architect, it was fitted masterfully onto an awkward
triangular space - although not unanimously liked as the best looking
design, it proved the most practical of the 136 other designs entered.
Manchester had achieved city status in 1853, and was keen to show
off its civic dignity. Inside it is lavishly and richly decorated,
with mosaic floors bearing the "bees", symbols of Manchester's industry,
and has wall murals by Ford Madox
Brown.
At the front main entrance, a statue of the Roman Governor, Agricola,
surveys the square. He had founded the original fort of Mamuciam,
from which the city began, and is thus honoured by a statue over
the main front entrance to the Town Hall. The building dominates
Albert Square, with its monument to Queen Victoria's consort, and
statues of some of Manchester's great men.
The square has now been largely pedestrianised and regularly serves
as a venue for local events, celebrations, street fairs, Christmas
funfairs, etc - much in the way medieval market squares might have
done in years gone by. Guided
Tours of the Town Hall are available by prior arrangement - sadly
they are no longer free. Tours can be arranged through the Manchester
Visitor Centre in person or by telephone.
Manchester
Town Hall & Town Hall Extension seen from the West
Aerial PhotographCourtesy
of www.webbaviation.co.uk
© 2005.
CLICK ON
IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Manchester
Visitor Information Centre
Town Hall Extension (off St Peter's Square)
Lloyd Street, Manchester M60 2LA.
Tel:0871 222 8223. Fax: 0161-236 9900.
Monday - Friday 10am - 5:15pm (recorded information at other times).
Email:
touristinformation@marketing-manchester.co.uk
One of the
highlights of the tour is the Great Hall with its 12 large murals
by Ford Madox Brown, the celebrated Pre-Raphaelite painter. (To
see more of the murals in larger versions - CLICK
HERE). Also see the tile mosaic work, the vaulted
corridors and the three stone spiral staircases.
The
Town Hall demonstrates Waterhouse's genius in not only exterior
detailing, but internal style and decor. The Great Hall, designed
in the fashion of a Flemish weaving hall, many believe to be the
masterpiece of the building, with its famous murals.
Also
notable is the elegant and dignified entrance hall, with its numerous
busts and statues of city fathers and benefactors, as well as
the highly coloured figure of the Duke of Lancaster in Roman costume.
The visitor is guided up to the first floor by one of the three
great spiral staircases, (bottom centre), included as if to accentuate
the triangular plan of the building, and reminiscent of some great
Gothic cathedral. Internally, a distinct sense of medievalism
prevails, with hammerbeam ceilings, vaulted dark corridors lit
by a large number of pointed Gothic windows, and the evocative
cloister-like atmosphere which all these help create.
The Manchester Busy Bee, floor mosaic - symbol
of industry
The
Thirteenth Century medieval Gothic styling of the Town Hall is
bold and freely used maintaining a storytelling ethos which gradually
unfolds the city's history. Externally, the building is decorated
with carved images representing important figures in the city's
history. The style was growing in popularity in the mid-nineteenth
century, as the Neo (new) Gothic style was considered a true English
style and therefore most suitable for civic buildings. The style
is instantly heralded by the 280 feet high bell tower, which would
not shame any great cathedral in its size and imposing style.
Internal detailing reveals the same love of Gothic detail - in
the mosaic tiled floors, the clustered columns and finely carved
pillar capitals.
The Great Hall itself is dominated by Brown's murals, which depict
key events in the development of the City of Manchester, from
the building of the first fort by Agricola, up to the later experiments
in Science by John Dalton. It is well worth taking one of the
guided tours so that none of the wealth of detail is missed.
Inside the Gothic corridors of power
See:
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