Manchester Town Hall

About

The Sculpture Hall and cafe in the Town Hall is open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

There are regular Town Hall tours by qualified guides. Browse our guided walks section to see the next available tour what-to-do/walkstours/

This magnificent building was designed in Victorian Gothic style by Alfred Waterhouse and opened in 1877. Amongst its many treasures are the Ford Madox Brown murals which are monument to the ideas of Victorian Manchester, portraying science, invention, education, trade and textile industry.

Among the impressive rooms within the Town Hall are the Sculpture Hall, containing statues of notable Manchester  figures from the past, and the Great Hall, featuring a glazed skylight inscribed with the names of every mayor, lord mayor and chair of the council since 1838.

Make sure you look out for the mosaic pattern of bees on the floor outside the Great Hall. The bee symbolises Manchester's industry and features on the city's coat of arms.

The home of Manchester City Council, the Town Hall continues to be an important part of the city's life to this day.