Hyde Town Hall and Municipal Buildings:

The Hyde (Manchester) Town Hall competition has been settled in favour of Mr J W Beaumont, 21 Cannon-street, Manchester. The other competitors were Messrs Hunt, Stockport; Potts, Pickup and Dixon, Manchester and Oldham; Hill, Leeds; and John Johnson, London. The building is to cost some £10,000, we believe. [British Architect 22 September 1882. Page 450]

NEW TOWN HALL FOR HYDE – The foundation stone of a new Town Hall, estimated to cost about £8,000, was laid at Hyde on Saturday afternoon by the Mayor, Mr Thomas Ashton. The site of the new buildings is on the west side of Hyde Lane. The structure will face the Market Place. It is to be of a free classic style of architecture and will be built of red Ruabon bricks with stone dressings. The basement storey to the level of the ground floor is to be constructed of ashlar masonry. Over the centre of the principal facade, which will be about 147 feet in length, will be a tower about 102 feet high, with a clock face in each of its four sides. The principal entrance will be under the tower, through a vestibule 12 feet square, and the staircase to which it leads will be 7 feet wide. Return flights, 5 feet 6 inches in width, will be placed on either side if the main flight. In the ground floor will be rooms for the borough accountant and surveyor, collectors, inspectors, porters, etc. On the first floor will be the Council Chamber, Mayor’s Parlour, Committee Rooms, and Town Clerk’s offices. The Council Chamber, which faces Corporation Street, will be 45 feet long and 30 feet wide. It will have a circular roof of moulded ribs forming panels, and will be well-lighted from both sides with transomed windows with coloured glass above the transoms. The woodwork of the Council Chamber and Mayor’s Parlour will be of pitch pine, polished. Floors will be of fireproof construction throughout the building. Corridors will be laid with tiles and have tiled dados. The architect is Mr J W Beaumont, 21 Cannon Street, Manchester, whose design was selected in October last from amongst the six competitors’ entries submitted. The contractor is Mr Samuel Robinson, builder, of Hyde. [Manchester Guardian 2 July 1883 page 6]

The Mayor of Hyde (Alderman Edward Hibbert), formally opened the Town Hall on the 27th ult.. which has been erected in the immediate vicinity ot the market place at Hyde. Before the Town Hall scheme is complete a large assembly room is to be built, but it is not likely that this will be proceeded with for some time. The cost of the present building has been about £9,000. [British Architect 3 July 1885 page 11]

The new Town Hall at Hyde, near Manchester, was opened on the 27th ult. The building is situated about the centre of the town, and the front faces the Market Square, and is about 142 feet in length. The principal entrance is in the centre of the Hyde Lane front, from which the ground floor is reached by ten steps, five of which are inside the building. Over the entrance a tower is carried up to a height of 104 feet above the street level, the basement being used as a strong-room. To the right and left of the entrance is a corridor 8 feet wide, running the whole length of the building, with an entrance from the side street at each end. Opening from the corridors are the offices of the various borough officials. The central staircase directly opposite the door is constructed of Yorkshire stone, with a central night 7 feet wide, and two return side flights, each 5 feet 6in. wide, and is lighted with three large windows on each side, and a framed ceiling light, all filled with richly tinted glass in lead glazing. On the first floor there is another long corridor, into which opens the Council Chamber, Mayor's parlour, waiting-room, councillors' cloakroom, committee rooms, etc. The Council Chamber is in the south wing of the building and is 45 feet by 30 feet and 22 feet 6in. high, with a reporters' gallery at one end. One of the oriel windows in the Council Chamber is the gift of Alderman John Cheetham. All the windows in this chamber and in the Mayor's parlour are filled with richly-coloured red glazing, the upper squares having heraldic shields left to be filled with the monograms and dates of mayoralty of future mayors of the borough. In the Mayor's parlour are already put two panels bearing the names of Alderman Thomas Ashton and Edward Hibbert, the first and present Mayors of Hyde. The building is designed in a free Classic style, with transomed windows, and the walls are faced with deep red bricks. A clock and chiming apparatus have been placed in the tower, the cost (£500) being defrayed by Mr. Joshua Bradley, of Hyde, formerly an operative in a cotton mill in the town. The architects are Messrs. J. W. and R. F. Beaumont, of St. James's Square, Manchester. The building at present erected is only a portion of a larger scheme, which will include a large assembly hall and borough police [British Architect 3 July 1885 page 11]

HYDE - The new town hall at Hyde was opened on Saturday. The chief front faces the Market Square and is about 142ft. in length. Over the entrance in Hyde-lane, a tower is carried up to a height of 104ft. above the street level, the basement being used as a strong-room. To the right and left of the entrance is a corridor 8ft. wide running the whole length of the building. Opening from this are the rooms of the borough officials. The central staircase directly opposite the door is constructed of Yorkshire stone, with a central flight 7ft. wide and two return side lights, each 5ft. Gin. wide, and is lighted with three large windows on each side, and a framed ceiling light, all filled with tinted glass in lead glazing. On the first floor there are the Council chamber, Mayor's parlour, waiting-room, councillor»' cloakroom and committee-rooms. The Council Chamber is in the south wing of the building and is 45ft. by 30ft. and 22ft. 6in. high, with a reporters' gallery at one end. All the windows in this chamber and in the Mayor's parlour are filled with stained glass, the upper squares having heraldic shields left to be filled with the monograms and dates of mayoralty of future Mayors of the borough. The building is designed in a Free Classic style, with transomed windows, and the walls are faced with deep-red bricks. The architects are Messrs. J. W. and R. F. Beaumont, of St. James's Square, Manchester. The building at present erected is only a portion of a larger scheme which will include a large assembly hall and borough police courts. [Building News 10 July 1885 page 49]

Reference    Pevsner Cheshire Pg 247
Reference    British Architect 22 September 1882. Page 450]
Reference    Manchester Guardian 20 October 1882 (Contracts)
Reference    Manchester Guardian 2 July 1883 page 6 – foundation stone
Reference    British Architect 3 July 1885 page 11
Reference    Building News 10 July 1885 page 49