January 13, 2012
The dark heart of Manchester
Despite having been ‘born and bred’ in Manchester, I’d never visited the Town Hall but this Christmas I ventured inside for the very first time.
Designed by Alfred Waterhouse and completed in 1877, this magnificent neo-Gothic building is still as imposing today with its 280 ft clock tower and beautiful Spinkwell stone exterior. Inside, the entrance hall is resplendent with statues of Mancunian dignitaries and stunning mosaics created by Venetian craftsman.
After visiting the impressive suite of civic rooms, the tour guide led us down a twisting granite staircase into the dark corners of this opulent building. Tucked away behind the carved arches and chandeliers of the ground floor is a hidden courtyard that has hardly changed since the 19th century.
The brickwork was black and stained after more than a century of rain and smoke. The grimy cobblestones shone in the grey drizzle of a typical December day lit by the dim, yellow light of a large lantern. This dank enclave used to be the site of the City of Manchester Police Force Headquarters. There is even a sloped driveway with a high wrought-iron gate where the black Marias would disgorge their prisoners. A window with ‘POLICE’ engraved on the dirty glass also remains.
In the 1870s, Manchester was rife with crime. Contemporary police reports estimated that, in the city centre alone, there were more than 200 disreputable lodging houses and 325 brothels as well as 74 pubs and 121 beerhouses frequented by ‘persons of bad character.’ The criminal underworld was populated by thieves, prostitutes, con artists, street fighters and notorious gangs. Victorian Manchester was a dangerous place to live.
Whilst the Chief Constable was languishing in his spacious office just inside the entrance hall of the town hall, the real work of the police was conducted in this dark courtyard, concealed from view. The charge offices and cells would have been in constant use as the police of A Division struggled to tackle the crime endemic in the surrounding streets and alleys.
My new character, PC Salvatore Scott is going to be working in this exact location in his first assignment attached to the Detective Team. I wish him luck; he’ll need it…
kathryn hughes said,
January 13, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Its like Bradford Town Hall in that it had police cells and court attached – still not been inside our one but have done a blog about it! I’ll have try and see if I can go on a tour this year.
http://bradfordww1.blogspot.com/2011/09/on-this-day-9th-september-1873.html
Angela Buckley said,
January 14, 2012 at 12:28 pm
It’s definitely worth having a tour and I wish I’d visited earlier. I also enjoyed hearing all about the history of the city – it really set the building in its context.
Rachael Hale - History in Hiding said,
January 15, 2012 at 6:36 pm
This is why I love historical places, their descriptions fill your senses! And what a stunning setting for Salvatore to work in – I can’t wait to read more
Angela Buckley said,
January 16, 2012 at 11:46 am
Yes, it was just like stepping back into the 19th century and I could see him working there!