A Victorian masterpiece of architecture sat on Albert Square right in the heart of the city centre, Manchester Town Hall is amazing.
It was completed in 1877 and the building was designed by architect Alfred Waterhouse and contains offices and large ceremonial chambers.
The main feature of the exterior is the clock tower which rises 85m into the sky and houses "Great Abel" the clock bell.
There were lots of discussions in terms of the materials that should be used for the construction - up to that point in time, red Collyhurst sandstone had been used for public buildings. However, the architect didn't believe that would stand up to the temperamental Manchester weather.
Instead, he chose the more robust Pennine sandstone and the work started.
The town hall took around 9 years to complete using an estimated 14 million bricks at a modern-day cost of around £75m-£100m but it delivered an absolutely stunning building for the city.
The town hall was designated as a Grade I listed building in 1952 and you can see why, the sheer magnificence of its facade combined with the less ornate other parts prove its worth.
The carvings on the front facade are intricately completed and have come even more to life as the building has been cleaned of the years of dirt and grime that had covered the town hall.
The town hall had an extension built in 1938 and this covered bridge connects the two buildings internally.
Manchester Town Hall is an amazing building, right in the heart of the city.
The recent refurbishment work will hopefully preserve this iconic landmark for generations to come.
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