The Manchester Free Trade Hall dates from 1854 and was designed by architect Edward Walters. It was gutted by bomb damage in WW2 and re-opened in 1951 with a new interior. In 1997 it was vacated when the Halle Orchestra moved to the Bridgwater Hall. In 2004 it re-opened as part of the Radisson Edwardian Hotel, venue for In The City 2004.

This image first appeared in Eyewitness in Manchester and has been used in two books: 'England The Culture' publshed by Crabtree Publishing and 'Arguing with Anthropology' by Karen Sykes (publication date: 2005).

I went to Xaverian College concerts and 'speech days' at the Free Trade Hall. Many people from Manchester have some association with the building.

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Keywords: Manchester, Free Trade Hall, music, architecture, Lancashire, Halle Orchestra, InTheCity Music Convention, Manchester Architecture premium image