Is a noble and elegant edifice, erected under the superintendance and
from a design of Mr. Francis Goodwin, of London, in the Grecian style,
after the temple of Erectheus at Athens, with a beautiful tower and dome
in the centre, resembling the tower of Andronicus, called "The Temple of
the Winds." The principal entrance is by a magnificent colonnade, with
a rich entablature, in front of which are sculptured representations of
the town of Manchester, and emblems of trade and commerce. In the wings
are niches for statues of Solon and Alfred; in the medallions of the
attic are busts in alto relievo of Pythagoras, Lycurgus, Hale, and
Locke. The building contains various apartments for conducting the
public business of the town: on the principal floor is a splendid room,
132 feet long, 43 ft. 8 in. wide, and 51-1/2 feet in height to the
centre of the principal dome. The room is divided into three parts by
two ranges of eight elegant Ionic pillars, so disposed that each may
form a separate apartment; the central part being lighted by a superb
dome, supported on 16 dwarf columns of scagliola marble, corresponding
with the exterior design of the tower. The style of the whole room is
that of chaste and classic beauty: the light is tastefully introduced
into the extreme sections of the great room by concealed skylights,
and through stained glass in the panels of the ceiling and the dome,
decorated to correspond with those that are not pierced for that
purpose. Three staircases lead to this splendid room, with the interior
of which the principal staircase is made to harmonize. The
foundation-stone of the building was laid August 19, 1822, by James
Brierley, Esq. Boroughreeve; and its expense is stated at 40,000_l_.