Manchester Town Hall Albert Square

BASE RECORD        

On Monday morning the foundation stone of the new town hall at Manchester was laid by the Mayor. The new hall is erecting on a plot of ground comprising 8,000 square yards, and is bounded on three sides by three of the leading thoroughfares of the CityCAlbert‑square, Princess‑street, and Cooper‑street. It is to be built from designs by Mr Alfred Waterhouse. It will be a magnificent Gothic structure, with principal facades (having a tower in the centre of each) to the three thoroughfares named. The principal and most ornamental facade will be that to Albert‑square, which will have a frontage 310ft. long and a clock tower 260tt. high. The hall will contain about 250 rooms, and is estimated to cost (including purchases of ground and property for the site) upwards of half a million of money. The building was illustrated and fully described in the Building News of May 8, 1868. [Building News 30 October 1868 p742]

MANCHESTER - Mr. Waterhouse has submitted to the sub-committee a list of figures and carvings to be introduced as exterior decorations of the new Town Hall, Manchester. Figures: Main central gable, Albert- square, S. George; porch gable, Albert-square, Agricola; Cooper-street porch gable, Edward the Saxon; the two niches of the Albert-square gable, Henry III. and Elizabeth; niche, Princess-street, Edward III.; group of statues, Princess-street and Albert-square pavilion, Thomas de Gresley, A.D. 1301; Thomas de la Warre, A.D. 1356; John Bradford, the Manchester martyr; General Worsley, Humphrey Chetham, Henry Earl of Derby, 1st Duke of Lancaster, 1851. Medallions: Spinning and weaving of cotton, as practised in the olden time. Arms: 1, D. Huntingdon; 2, Booth; 3, Stanley (Warden); 4, Oldham, Bishop of Exeter; 5, Birch; 6, Minshull; 7, Mosley; 8, Ashton, of Middleton; 9, Mark Philips; 10, Hulme; 11, Byrom ; 12, Trafford, 13, first Bishop of Manchester; 14, first Mayor; 15, first Town Clerk; 16, Richard Cobden; 17, John Owens; 18, present Bishop of Manchester; 19, Chairman of Building Committee. The arms of the city and of the Queen as Duchess of Lancaster will appear in the Albert-square gable and Cooper-street porch respectively. Messrs. Farmer and Brindley are engaged upon the work. [Building News 16 January 1874 page 83]