Victorian town hall's restoration team celebrated

Leah Finch started work on the town hall project as an apprentice

Painstaking restoration work by masons, mosaic makers and stained glass window manufacturers at Manchester Town Hall is being celebrated in a gallery.

Built in 1877, the neo-gothic landmark closed in 2018 and is not due to reopen until 2026.

Highly skilled specialists in Victorian-era trades have been overseeing the £429.8m restoration project.

Photographs capturing craftspeople working on a "real labour of love" have gone on display at Manchester Central Library.

The £429m restoration has involved a range of people skilled in traditional Victorian trades

Manchester Town Hall, facing Albert Square in the heart of the city centre, was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and features a 280ft (85m) high clock tower.

Manchester City Council found the building needed a major overhaul to modernise its interior and refurbish stonework, windows and other features.

Work began in 2018 and has involved specialists skilled in stonemasonry, mosaic making, stained glass repair and manufacture, and horology.

Council photographer Barrie Leach recorded their efforts for the special exhibition.

Project managers said the team had a "real sense of pride" in their work

"Extraordinarily little is known about the artisans who built the town hall between 1868 and 1877," said a council spokeswoman.

She said the exhibition would show how modern-day craftspeople have restored the work of the "forgotten workforce who went before them".

The project has been hit with a number of overspends and delays

Deputy council leader Garry Bridges said the "mammoth" task of the restoration project had been demonstrated in a "wonderful visual archive".

"We wanted to celebrate the role of all the workers on the team," he said, "and show the range of trades – modern and not so modern – required to complete the transformation of our iconic town hall", he said.