Planning for the new town hall began in 1863. The facade was removed to Heaton Park in 1912, when a bank, 53 King Street was erected on the site.

The King Street building was subsequently occupied by a lending library and then Lloyds Bank. Īs 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 building was 134 feet (41 m) long and 76 feet (23 m) deep, the ground floor housed committee rooms and offices for the Chief Constable, Surveyor, Treasurer, other officers and clerks. The building was designed with a screen of Ionic columns across a recessed centre, in a classicising manner strongly influenced by John Soane. The Town Hall, also located in King Street at the corner of Cross Street, was designed by Francis Goodwin and constructed between 18, much of it by David Bellhouse. It was replaced by the first Town Hall, to accommodate the growing local government and its civic assembly rooms. Manchester's original civic administration was housed in the Police Office in King Street. The town hall was designated as a Grade I listed building on 25 February 1952. In 1938, a detached Town Hall Extension was completed and is connected by two covered bridges over Lloyd Street. The exterior is dominated by the clock tower which rises to 280 feet (85 m) and houses Great Abel, the clock bell. The entrance and Sculpture Hall contain busts and statues of influential figures including Dalton, Joule and Barbirolli. The building contains offices and grand ceremonial rooms such as the Great Hall which is decorated with Ford Madox Brown's imposing Manchester Murals illustrating the history of the city. The building faces Albert Square to the north and St Peter's Square to the south, with Manchester Cenotaph facing its southern entrance.ĭesigned by architect Alfred Waterhouse, the town hall was completed in 1877.

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

Manchester town hall conference hall