The restoration of Manchester Town Hall is months away from completion, with scaffolding starting to come down on parts of the Grade I-listed building ahead of the expected finish in spring 2027.
Once the restoration is finished, a period of testing and fit-outs lasting a few weeks will take place before the building reopens to the public.
Restoration update
Manchester City Council has published a new report on the works, which began after the Town Hall closed in 2018. The report states that the first set of heritage chandeliers has been installed, radiator installation has commenced on level seven, and the last slate has been fitted to the roof.
The organ in the Great Hall has begun to be reinstated after its restoration, and the visitor experience fit-out is progressing well. The project has increased site operatives and workfaces to improve completion rates, with the first rooms being inspected for completion. The project is still planning for works to be completed in spring 2027, and the forecast is in line with this date.
Work to the outside of the building is mostly finished, including replacing more than 160,000 slate tiles on the roof. The replacement slate, like the original, is sourced from quarries in Cumbria. Much of the internal work has been done, but some areas still require work, including state rooms such as the Great Hall, as well as installation of new lifts, mosaic work, and the kitchen.
Budget and progress
Manchester council said the restoration works are within the total budget of £524.8m. Fencing came down around Albert Square in April, reopening the space in front of the Town Hall to the public. The council’s report added that the process of dismantling scaffolding around the building is underway, with the first full removal on part of Lloyd Street complete. The building has also transitioned to permanent power supply via the Civic Quarter Heat Network from its temporary supply.
Manchester council’s deputy leader Garry Bridges said: “Our Town Hall is a national treasure which we hold in trust for the people of Manchester. We can't wait to share it with them again – not only repaired, restored and ready for another 150 years at the heart of the city but also more accessible to the public than ever before. This will include a visitor centre for the first time telling the story of the building and its role in the city.
“As the biggest heritage project the UK has seen for many years, it's been a marathon rather than a middle-distance race but we're beginning to enter the closing stages now and you can start to see visible signs of that – from the successful reopening of Albert Square, which just this weekend hosted the finale of Manchester Day, to the scaffolding being removed from large parts of the exterior.”
Background
When the Victorian structure closed its doors in 2018 for the revamp, the work was initially expected to be finished by 2024 with an estimated budget of nearly £330m. But complications along the way have pushed the project back and added to the total cost of restoration.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s new office at Number 10 North in Heron House sits opposite Manchester Town Hall on the other side of Albert Square.
