Manchester Town Hall Restoration.

[Deleted member 18243]

Manchester's town hall, one of the most awe-inspiring and beautiful buildings in England, is currently undergoing extensive restoration. It is said to be the largest restoration project currently underway in Europe. The building is entirely clad in scaffolding and the roof encapsulated. Amazing to see the steeples, clock, gargoyles and other features being worked on in what looks like a no-expense spared job. I'd love to have a tour around the roof works. The floor mosaics have a repeated motif of a worker bee; this was a symbol of Manchester's industrious past. It also became the symbol of Boddington's Brewery. Lately it has been hijacked by terrorist appeasers.

The architect of the town hall, Alfred Waterhouse, designed many buildings in the North West of England and they are an essential part of the background of our lives in this area.

This restoration and preservation is the kind of thing I would want public money to be used for - this is a conservative act.

On the restoration:

On the history of the building:

 

[Odds]

Those stained glass windows are superb; beautiful designs that have an early art nouveau look to them. Paintings by F.M. Brown, in the style of Rembrandt and influenced by Renaissance art, surrounded by Victorian tiles in Gothic splendour.
Three hundred million quid? Cheap at the price.
I envy anyone involved in that restoration project.

 

[Pat ex]

It is said to be the largest restoration project currently underway in Europe.

Not taking anything away from any specific restoration, but I can think of two projects off the top of my head, that dwarfs this restoration:
1.Palace of Westminster (£20B I think)
2. Notre Dame (about 1B€, I think)

 

[Odds]

 

[Notch7]

hey Andy it looks like a nice place for some refugees to stay........

 

[Pat ex]

hey Andy it looks like a nice place for some refugees to stay........

You're a wind-up merchant, but I do smile at your humour.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

This is the kind of thing I would want public money to be used for - this is a conservative acact.

By a Labour council, too. If you want to see a little gem in the same area, I'd recommend Rochdale town hall. Magnificient!

 

[Deleted member 18243]

hey Andy it looks like a nice place for some refugees to stay........

There's many a true word spoken in jest. Whilst the building is beautiful, many ugly local council type things go on inside it. The fat, blue-haired, right-on vegetarian lesbian councillors no doubt have a plan to use public buildings for the fake refugees when all the country's hotels are full. All Christian icons and symbols would have to be stripped out of them.

 

[Notch7]

The fat, blue-haired, right-on vegetarian lesbian councillors

 

[Deleted member 174758]

The fat, blue-haired, right-on vegetarian lesbian councillors no doubt have a plan to use public buildings for the fake refugees when all the country's hotels are full.

Our local lesbian councillor (yes, we actually have one) happens to have bright red hair (Labour"s colour!), and is quite petite (well, macrobiotics do tend to look emaciated, don't they?). I haven't asked her for her plans re- the local council offices yet, but she was first up to speak in favour of using local libraries as heat banks at a recent open council meeting. Fair play to her, I say.

All Christian icons and symbols would have to be stripped out of them.

Nonesense. We'd just paint it all green inside and drape some of those tasteful black flags with the squiggly writing. 《only joking》

I am not a Christian, Andy, but I don't normally say much against the church or religion. I don't like Islam either, or other religions for that matter. But so long as the leave me alone, I'm fine.

 

[Deleted member 18243]

If you want to see a little gem in the same area, I'd recommend Rochdale town hall. Magnificient!

I know it well although I've never been inside it. Stunning building, it is best thing in Rochdale. You must have heard the story that Hitler had his eye on it for his northern British headquarters?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Yes, but I always dismissed it as an urban myth.

BTW another gem in the mid-Pennines is Halifax town hall, which was the last building to be designed by Charles Barry (who designed the exterior of the Houses of Parliament) which even shares the Big Ben chimes (Halifax bought a similar, but smaller set). Fantastic building, especially when viewed from rooftop level as I've had the opportunity to do)

 

[Tigercubrider]

Waterhouse designed my school and several local buildings, including a couple of houses for him and his parents.
maybe because I spent my teenage years surrounded by his work I have a certain fondness for his stuff.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

He (Watethouse) also designed the clock tower at Rochdale Town Hall, although the rest of it was designed by William H Crossland (who also designed the Royal Holloway College, another grade I listed building, as well as parts of St. Chads chutch which is quite near to Rochdale town hall)