Competition Entry: Manchester Town Hall

The first stage of the competition for Manchester Town Hall attracted 136 entries, Salomons proposals being one of the eight schemes selected to proceed to the second stage of the competition. His second submission, made under the pseudonym of Valentine, was in a free version of the Italian Renaissance style. The design appears top heavy, with a large cornice. The proposed Albert Square elevation shows a segmentally pedimented entrance at ground floor level, set within a great arch, itself framed by paired columns surmounted by a segmental broken parapet. Above rises the clock tower, capped with a cupola and lantern. At each end, the two main angles were to be turned by boldly projecting circular towers. The competition was eventually won by Alfred Waterhouse. Salomons was unplaced.

Reference    Builder Vol 26 11 April 1868 Pg 259-62
Reference    Building News    10 & 17 April 1868
Reference    John Archer    A Civic Achievement: The Building of Manchester Town Hall
Reference    Transactions of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society. Volume 81:1982. Pages 18, 21 and 23