First Class Dining Hall: Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition.

By far the most ornate portion of the whole edifice will be the great first-class dining and refreshment hall at the north-west corner of the palace, entered from the cloister court. The decorations throughout are that rich variety of the Moresque, of which the grand type is the inimitable and gorgeous palace of the Alhambra. The effect is magical. On entering the room, the visitor finds himself in a court as it were, surrounded by open trellises, supported on light and taper columns, and through these openings he looks round on every side, upon scenes of eastern beauty, grandeur, and wilderness. While the foreground in these views is usually filled with a profusion of bright flowers and showy exotic plants, a wide tract beyond shows mosque and minaret, the palaces and towers of eastern chiefs, the caravanserai of the desert, and afar, off, in its sandy waste (with here and there a green oasis of palms and the palmetto), loom in a fervid haze, blending with the arid wilderness, the Sphinx and the Pyramids. Over all is spread a canopy of skies ever blue and bright; and we have seldom seen so charming an effect produced by means so simple; for the whole is beautiful specimen of paper hangings of purely French design. The columns of the trellis divide the continuous scenery into panels, one picture extending over three panels; but these are so divided, that each scene, framed as it were between two columns, seems complete in itself. The dado below, the frieze and mouldings above, the ceiling, have received their embellishment, in the fullest harmony with the designs described from the hands of the decorative artist, in painting and gilding. The ceiling, which is all Moresque, of the Alhambra style, is painted by hand; the panels of vellum colour, with maroon borders, and citron-coloured styles. There are rich blue inlays upon the panels, and the maroon band is decorated with green inlaying and gold coloured rosettes. The styles are inlaid with gold colour and maroon ornaments. The dado is executed in imitation of perforated work in a Morocco fret; and the bases of the columns are carried down to the skirting. The roof of this room is supported by iron columns cased in wood. These are to be finished in inlaid woods, in the same character as the rest of the decorations; and the doors, window frames etc., will be decorated to correspond; and thus keep up the illusion. The iron girders of the roof, - which is of three ridges, with glass – are all of bronze and gold. The whole has been executed under the immediate directions and superintendence of Mr J Crace, of London, director of the decorations throughout the palace; and they reflect great credit on his taste and executive skill. [Manchester Guardian 29 April 1857 page 3]

Reference           Manchester Guardian 29 April 1857 page 3