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Section through Town Hall, Manchester
Architect: Alfred Waterhouse (1866-1877)
Drawing: Alfred Waterhouse (1866-1877)
Source: RIBA British Architectural Library Drawings & Archives Collection

It is often said that Manchester has the finest nineteenth-century town hall in the country. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse (1830-1905), this Gothic Revival style building mixes the Medieval with the modern, with brilliant results.

Waterhouse was renowned for his planning of large public buildings. His Manchester commission was especially challenging: on a tight triangular site, Waterhouse somehow had to cram offices and reception rooms, and create a landmark building. This section reveals his solution, cutting through the building from its main entrance, through the main hall to the tower at the rear.

At the building’s heart is the Great Hall. Two storeys up, its high windows ensure plenty of light. Other public rooms are also found on this floor. Around these, five storeys of offices are arranged, lit by small inner courts, and served by elaborate staircases. The section also reveals the building’s construction: the width of the walls, depth of the foundations and the might of the tower can be ascertained, with its net-like timber roof. One of many drawings making up Waterhouse’s competition entry, it clearly impressed the judges, just as it impresses us today.