Stockport Town Hall

Stockport town hall
General information
Town or city Stockport
Country United Kingdom
Coordinates 53°24′21″N 2°9′31″W / 53.40583°N 2.15861°W / 53.40583; -2.15861
Inaugurated 1908
Owner Stockport council
Design and construction
Architect Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas

Stockport Town Hall is a building in Stockport, England, that houses government and administrative functions. It was designed by architect Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas who had previously designed Belfast City Hall. It was opened by the then Prince and Princess of Wales in July 1908. To commemorate the Royal visit, part of Heaton Lane, a main shopping street in the town, was renamed Prince's Street.[1][2][3]

Council and committee meetings take place during the evening in three oak-panelled committee rooms and in a traditional Council Chamber. The chamber has elaborate plasterwork, brass chandeliers and decorative carvings on oak benches. The civic collection of silver, some of which dates from the 15th century, lines the wall of the corridor outside the chamber. Stockport Town Hall is a licensed Wedding venue. Weddings and receptions are a frequent occurrence at the Town Hall.

An imposing Italian marble entrance leads to the Edwardian Ballroom, which former poet laureate Sir John Betjeman described as "magnificent". This contains a Wurlitzer organ formerly installed in Manchester's Paramount Theatre and moved to Manchester's Free Trade Hall in 1977 subsequently being moved to Stockport Town Hall and being opened at Stockport in late 1999. The Wurlitzer, a 'Publix 1' was one of only sixteen of its kind in the world and was designed by the American Theatre Organist Jesse Crawford for the accompaniment of silent films. The Manchester Paramount instrument was unique in being the only one to be exported to a theatre outside the United States. The organ has been fully overhauled and the old relays have been replaced with digital technology. Various changes to the organ's original specification have been carried out throughout its life both in the theatre and its subsequent homes. The organ was installed and is owned by the Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust but has been placed on permanent loan to Stockport Council.

The town hall is also the home of Stockport Symphony Orchestra, who perform classical concerts on a regular basis.

Stockport town hall has been nicknamed "the wedding cake".[3]

Stockport Town Hall was designated a Grade II listed building in 1975,[4] upgraded to Grade II* in September 2007.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Arrowsmith, Peter (1997). Stockport: a History. Stockport: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. p. 246. ISBN 0-905164-99-7.
  2. ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1971). The Buildings of England: Cheshire. London: Penguin. p. 341. ISBN 0-14-071042-6.
  3. 1 2 "Town Hall (2005)". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Stockport Town Hall". Images of England. Retrieved 3 December 2007.
  5. ↑ "Name: TOWN HALL List entry Number: 1067166". Historic England. Retrieved 9 May 2016.

Coordinates: 53°24′21″N 2°9′31″W / 53.40583°N 2.15861°W / 53.40583; -2.15861

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