Hidden beneath a huge ‘blanket’ of scaffolding and protective material in the centre of Manchester lies one of Europe's biggest construction sites.
Since 2018, a team of hundreds of workers have been diligently working on a six-year £300m restoration project on Manchester Town Hall. It will see the Victorian institution, which dates back to 1877, renovated from top to bottom and made ‘future proof’ for years to come.
Some 34 chimneys have been completely dismantled and rebuilt, new lifts have been installed to make the building more accessible, and hundreds of windows have been refurbished and given a new lease of life.
The ground-breaking project is due to be completed in 2024 with contractor Lendlease overseeing proceedings alongside Manchester City Council’s Our Town Hall team.
A whopping £10million worth of external scaffolding and hoists have been supplied by Lyndon SGB and Taylor’s Hoists to give workers access to every corner of the building, including the main Albert Square clock tower, the Cooper Street tower and the Princess Street spire.
Using a full-sized aircraft, specialist construction and property photography company 360 Photo Survey were able to capture the extent of the Town Hall's work showing the building enclosed in a white 'blanket' of scaffolding. Taken using high-powered cameras, the aerial image was captured at 2,000ft in the sky.
Describing the stunning photo, Lyndon SGB said it showed the Town Hall 'all neatly tucked up' under 'scaffolding and a blanket of temporary roofing and sheeting'.
The town hall’s scaffolding work features hundreds of access platforms alongside 450m-high staircases- just slightly taller than the Empire State Building. Temporary roofs, created to provide weather protection for the building’s existing roofs, make up more than 10,000m2 of cover.
More than 50 scaffolders - working on more than 200 different structures - took part in the building of the safety platforms.
The complex triangular shape of the building, alongside its unique architectural features, has often been a challenge for workers. But Jon Cooke, Regional Manager at Lydonon SGB, said working on this project has been something of huge historical significance to him.
He said: “The Town Hall complex is one of Manchester’s greatest cultural and civic assets, which makes a significant contribution not only to the heritage but also to the identity of the city and the people of Manchester. It is a contract that not only are we passionate about, but are elated to be associated with – a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Stuart Robinson, Managing Director at Lyndon SGB, added: “This huge project is a true testament to the desire and commitment of all those involved in OTH (Our Town Hall) across all our organisations. It’s been a real team effort to get this far and it’s very easy for me to say that we are all hugely proud to be part of this epic project.”
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