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.

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. To commemorate the Royal visit, part of Heaton Lane, a main shopping street in the town, was renamed Prince's Street.

Description

The chamber is decorated with 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.
An imposing Italian marble entrance leads to the Edwardian Ballroom, which former poet laureate Sir John Betjeman described as "magnificent".
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. The Wurlitzer, a 'Publix 1' was one of only fourteen of its kind in the world and was designed by the American Theatre Organist Jesse Crawford. The Manchester Paramount instrument was unique in being the only one to be exported to a theatre outside the United States.
The town hall, which as the home of Stockport Symphony Orchestra, hosts classical concerts on a regular basis, has been nicknamed "the wedding cake".

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