Image: Manchester Free Trade Hall (Radisson Edwardian Hotel)

Description: The Peter Street frontage of the Radisson Edwardian Hotel, originally built as the Free Trade Hall. The Free Trade Hall was a public hall constructed in 1853–6 to commemorate the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. The hall was funded by public subscription and became a concert hall and home of the Hallé Orchestra in 1858. The interior of the hall had to be rebuilt after bombing during the Manchester Blitz left it an empty shell; it re-opened in 1951. As well as housing the Hallé Orchestra, it was used for pop and rock concerts; it was Manchester's premier concert venue until the construction of the Bridgewater Hall in 1996. When the Hallé Orchestra moved to the Bridgewater Hall in 1996, the Free Trade Hall was closed by Manchester City Council. In 1997, the building was sold to private developers and, despite much opposition because of its historical significance, planning approval was eventually granted to convert it to a hotel, retaining the original facade was, the main staircase and the 1950s statues that were formerly attached to its rear wall. The hotel opened in 2004. The hall is designated as a Grade II* listed building. A red plaque on the wall records that it was built on St Peter's Fields, the site of the (in)famous Peterloo Massacre in 1819.
Title: Manchester Free Trade Hall (Radisson Edwardian Hotel)
Credit: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3178858
Author: David Dixon
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes