Town Hall, Albert Square, Manchester (1)

2788101 cf660579 GhostViewer

Old Photo Details

Photo ID: 1126
Author: RW Jemmett
Organisation: GhostViewer
Approximate Year: 2011
Location: manchester
Attribution: Photo © Stephen Richards (CC BY-SA 2.0) via geograph.org.uk
Source Type: Photo
Notes:
A magnificent statement of Victorian civic pride and wealth. Of the great northern town halls of this age, Manchester is unsurpassed among Gothic buildings, and vies with Leeds's Classical ([[[2719090]]]) for the overall title. It was built to the designs of Alfred Waterhouse, 1868-77. Waterhouse landed a lot of plum commissions and never disappointed, although Pevsner remarked that "credit for this masterly work is owed to informed civic patronage as well as the architect." Much of the building is hidden here by trees, but the soaring tower (286ft) is the focus ([[[2788109]]]). Decoration, sparingly used for such a monumental building, is largely confined to statuary ([[[2788123]]]). Pevsner also notes that "polychromy ... was virtually eschewed from the exterior ... experience had shown Waterhouse that Manchester's buildings were soon soot-black." The building is faced in durable Spinkwell stone (ironically, from Yorkshire). It is triangular in plan with long elevations facing Princess ([[[2788107]]]) and Lloyd Streets. Grade I listed.
Another view of this front: [[[3695021]]].
A road used to run in front, but the whole area has been pedestrianised within the last twenty years or so and is used to host events such as the Manchester Jazz Festival, ongoing at the time of the photo.

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This historic photo of Town Hall, Albert Square, Manchester (1) was contributed by rwjemmett@gmail.com. It dates to around 2011. Location: Manchester, England. Source attribution: Photo © Stephen Richards (CC BY-SA 2.0) via geograph.org.uk. This image is used as a source photo for creating GhostViewer before-and-after outputs.
Location info:
Location (text): manchester
Country: England
City/Borough: Manchester
Local authority/district: Greater Manchester
Location precision: Town City
Coordinates: 53.479283, -2.244813