Withington Town Hall
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| Withington Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2018 | |
| Location | Lapwing Lane, Withington |
| Coordinates | 53°25′33″N 2°14′16″W / 53.4259°N 2.2379°W |
| Built | 1881 |
| Architect | Lawrence Booth |
| Architectural style | Baroque Revival style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Former Withington Town Hall |
| Designated | 5 November 1990 |
| Reference no. | 1291512 |
  Shown in Greater Manchester | |
Withington Town Hall, also known as West Didsbury Town Hall, is a former municipal building on Lapwing Lane, Withington, a town in Greater Manchester in England. The building, which served as the offices and meeting place of Withington Urban District Council and now accommodates a firm of solicitors,[1] is a Grade II listed building.[2]
Following significant population growth, largely associated with the textile industry, a local board of health was established in Withington in 1876.[3] The new board decided to commission a venue for their meetings: the site they selected, on the south side of Lapwing Lane, was occupied by Lapwing Farm.[4] The new building was designed by Lawrence Booth in the Baroque Revival style, built in buff brick with stone dressings at a cost of £2,000 and was completed in 1881.[5] In 1882, stables and various outbuildings were added, to designs by Joseph Swarbrick.[6][7]
In 1894, the board was succeeded by an urban district council, which made the building its town hall.[8] The building ceased to be the local seat of government in 1904, when the district was annexed by the City of Manchester.[9]
The building was used as a rest centre with capacity for 300 people during the Manchester Blitz in the Second World War.[10] After the war the building remained a venue for public meetings and for dances and concerts.[11]
Manchester City Council continued to use it to deliver services until 1990, when it was declared surplus to requirements, sold for commercial use and converted into offices.[12][13] After being extensively refurbished for an events management business, APS, in 2007,[14] it went on to become the home of a firm of solicitors, Pabla and Pabla, in 2014.[15][16]