The Memorial Hall in
Albert Square
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
, England, was constructed in 1863–1866 by
Thomas Worthington Thomas or Tom Worthington may refer to:
*Thomas Worthington (Douai) (1549–1627), English Catholic priest and third President of Douai College
* Thomas Worthington (Dominican) (1671–1754), English Dominican friar and writer
* Thomas Worthington ...
. It was built to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the 1662
Act of Uniformity. One of the best examples of
Venetian Gothic revival in the city, the hall is a
Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
.
History
The hall was built to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the 1662
Act of Uniformity, when the
secession
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics l ...
of some 2,000 Anglican clergy led to the birth of
Nonconformism
Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to:
Culture and society
* Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior
*Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity
** ...
Surplus funds from the
Albert Memorial
The Albert Memorial, directly north of the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington Gardens, London, was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband Prince Albert, who died in 1861. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the Gothic R ...
were used to pay for the building. The architect was
Thomas Worthington Thomas or Tom Worthington may refer to:
*Thomas Worthington (Douai) (1549–1627), English Catholic priest and third President of Douai College
* Thomas Worthington (Dominican) (1671–1754), English Dominican friar and writer
* Thomas Worthington ...
, who had a large and successful practice in Manchester.
The hall provided a meeting place in the late 19th century for a host of Victorian societies, such as the Photographic, Statistical, Horticultural, Elocutionists and Positivists Societies. Other groups which used the building included the Home Missionary Board,
Sir Charles Hallé’s choir and the Manchester Unitarian Sunday School Union. The ground floor and basement were let to provide an income for the maintenance of the hall.
After a period of disuse and dereliction in the early 21st century, the hall was renovated c.2012 and now houses a bar, restaurant and hotel.
Architecture
The Memorial Hall is one of the best examples in Manchester of the
Venetian Gothic revival style, inspired by such buildings as the
Ca' d'Oro
The Ca' d'Oro or Palazzo Santa Sofia is a palace on the Grand Canal in Venice, northern Italy. One of the older palaces in the city, its name means "golden house" due to the gilt and polychrome external decorations which once adorned its walls. ...
, with fine stone tracery on all windows and a palatial exterior. Worthington designed the building after his second tour of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in 1858. The detailing is fine and "the subtlety of the
polychromy
Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors.
Ancient Egypt
Colossal statu ...
(was) achieved by careful choice of materials". The hall is a
Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
as of 14 February 1972.
See also
*
Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
There are 236 Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester, England. In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural ...
*
Listed buildings in Manchester-M2
*
Congregational Memorial Hall — the Memorial Hall in London
Notes
References
*
*
External links
Article on the Memorial Hall by Dr Peter Lindfield, FSA{{Manchester B&S
Grade II* listed buildings in Manchester
Gothic Revival architecture in Greater Manchester
Venetian Gothic architecture in the United Kingdom