Stockport Town Hall

Stockport Town Hall is a building in Stockport, England, that houses the government and administrative functions of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Stockport Town Hall is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

Stockport Town Hall
Stockport town hall
General information
Architectural styleEnglish Baroque style
Classification
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated10 March 1975
Reference no.1067166
Town or cityStockport
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates53°24′21″N 2°9′31″W
Inaugurated1908
OwnerStockport council
Design and construction
ArchitectSir Alfred Brumwell Thomas

History

The building, which was designed by architect Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas in the English Baroque style, was opened by the then Prince and Princess of Wales in July 1908.[1] To commemorate the Royal visit, part of Heaton Lane, a main shopping street in the town, was renamed Prince's Street.[2][3][4]

Description

The chamber is decorated with elaborate plasterwork, brass chandeliers and decorative carvings on oak benches.[5] The civic collection of silver, some of which dates from the 15th century, lines the wall of the corridor outside the chamber.[5]

An imposing Italian marble entrance leads to the Edwardian Ballroom, which former poet laureate Sir John Betjeman described as "magnificent".[6]

The ballroom contains a Wurlitzer organ formerly installed in Manchester's Paramount Theatre and moved to Manchester's Free Trade Hall in 1977. It was subsequently moved to Stockport Town Hall where it was put on show in late 1999.[7] The Wurlitzer, a 'Publix 1' was one of only fourteen of its kind in the world[1] and was designed by the American Theatre Organist Jesse Crawford.[8] The Manchester Paramount instrument was unique in being the only one to be exported to a theatre outside the United States.[8]

The town hall, which as the home of Stockport Symphony Orchestra, hosts classical concerts on a regular basis,[9] has been nicknamed "the wedding cake".[4]

  • Stockport Town Hall under construction c.1907
  • The Prince and Princess of Wales at the opening of Stockport Town Hall
  • Stockport Town Hall
  • Stockport Town Hall, main entrance
  • stockport Town Hall
  • Stockport Town Hall

See also

References
  1. Historic England. "Town Hall (1067166)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  2. Arrowsmith, Peter (1997). Stockport: a History. Stockport: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. p. 246. ISBN 0-905164-99-7.
  3. Pevsner, Nikolaus (1971). The Buildings of England: Cheshire. London: Penguin. p. 341. ISBN 0-14-071042-6.
  4. "Town Hall (2005)". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  5. Littlechilds, Ian; Page, Phil (2017). Secret Stockport. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445651361.
  6. "Stockport Town Hall". Archiseek. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  7. "About Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust - Stockport". Organfx. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  8. "Stockport Town Hall". The Cinema Organ Society. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  9. "Stockport Symphony Orchestra". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 11 April 2020.

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