Manchester Town Hall Extension

About Manchester Town Hall Extension

Manchester Town Hall Extension is an eight storey block of sandstone sitting built between 1934 and 1938. It contrasts sharply with the more intricately designed Town Hall building that sits directly next door to it. This stoic feeling building is actually filled with amazing shooting gems. The south wall is the only side that curves, and with Central Library across from it forms the narrow passage of Library Walk. This passage creates a fun frame to experiment with as the two stone walls close in on either side and mirror each others' curve. On the St Peter's Square side a series of round arches opens into a covered walkway. Standing at one end lets the arches repeat down the whole side of the building with the square, the trams, and the Cenotaph showing through the openings. The square side faces east so the morning sun lights the stone and throws the arches into sharp relief. By afternoon the whole side is in shade, which highlights the openings as they glow against the dark interior and a slow shutter turns the yellow trams into streaks. Lloyd Street is tucked in between the original Town Hall and the Extension, with two ornate stone bridges spanning the gap high above the road, linking the two buildings. Shoot them from below with a wide lens to get both bridges and highlight the contrasting Gothic detail of the old Town Hall wall all in one frame. Every side of this building has something worth shooting, so make sure walk the full block before you settle on a spot. It is all public pavement and free, but this area does get quite busy during commuter hours. You may need to be quite patient if you want your frames to be completely free of people. (Manchester, England, United Kingdom)

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