Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/768

Rh MANCHESTER. 760 MANCHESTER. washhouses, Muller-street, founded in 1845, partly by subscription, partly on the profitable returns of a ball held for the purpose in the exchange they are now self-supporting, and a great boon to the community, but are inferior to the corporation baths in Liverpool in appointment and style. The courts of quarter sessions and of petty sessions for the city of Manchester were formerly held in court rooms over the post-office, in Brown-street, but are now held at the assize courts, in Ducie-street. There are six to eight borough sessions held during the year, the recorder being T. West, Esq. A stipendiary magistrate, T. Fowler, Esq., assisted by other magistrates in the city commission of the police, sits every morning at ten o'clock, Sundays excepted. The courts of quarter and petty sessions for the borough of Salford are held in a court-room behind the Salford townhall ; the quarter and petty sessions for the hundred of Salford are held at the New Bailey prison, in Salford. The Manchester district courts of bankruptcy are held in the Manchester Athenamm. A chancery court of the county palatine is held at the assize courts in May and December this court having concurrent jurisdiction with the High Court of Chancery. The Manchester county court is held in the county court-house at Nicholas Croft, High-street, Manchester. The Salford county court (townhall, Salford, and Manchester court of record) sits six times each year, for the trial of civil actions, one sitting in each alternate month. The court has authority to try personal actions within the city, where the debt or damage does not exceed 30. The Salford hundred court of record holds seven sittings yearly. The court has jurisdiction to the extent of 50 sterling, but may try debts involving larger sums by consent. Its district includes the pars, of Bolton, Bury, Dean, Radcliffe, Wigan, Flixtow, Manchester, Prest- wich-cum-Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Middleton, and Rochdale. A court-leet for the hundred of Salford is held twice a-year in the townhall, Salford. There are two barracks, for cavalry and infantry respectively, in Barrack-street, Hulme, near St. George's Church, and in Regent-road, Salford. The Manchester borough gaol is situated on the Hyde-road, and is a conspicuous and large building ; it was commenced in June, 1847, and completed in December, 1849, and received prisoners the following March ; it was enlarged in 1856 ; it is conducted on the separate system, and consists of wings radiating from a centre ; a hospital, chapel, and school- rooms are annexed, with workshops and sheds ; it occu- pies about seven acres, is surrounded by a boundary wall, and will hold 700 or 800 prisoners. The New Bailey prison is situated in Salford, on the right bank of the Irwell, near Albert Bridge. The foundation- stone was laid in 1787 by Howard, the philanthropist, on unoccupied ground ; but the place is now in the centre of a crowded and highly populous district. It has a reputation for being well managed, and for its healthy situation ; it is surrounded by a high wall sur- mounted by an iron chevaux-de-frise, will hold 583 male and 214 female prisoners. Manchester old workhouse is on the right of the Bury New-road, Strangeways, be- hind the Victoria Station, and is a large plain building, built in 1792, holding about 1,000 inmates. Salford workhouse is in the Eccles New-road, occupies about 7 acres, cost about 18,000, accommodates 820 inmates, and was built in 1852. There is also a workhouse at Withington, for the parish of Chorlton-on-Medlock, completed in 1855, which will hold 1,576 poor. Man- chester New Workhouse was commenced in 1855 and completed in 1857, on the Bongs estate, at Crumpsall, near Manchester, at a cost of upwards of 50,000. The space enclosed measures about 600 feet by 410, and will accommodate nearly 2,000 persons. The Night Asylum is in Henry-street, Oldham-road. -The bridges across the Irwell are the Victoria, opened on the 20th June, 1839, an elliptical arch of 100 feet span, with a rise of 22 feet, and a roadway of 45 feet, occupies the site of Salford Bridge, of three Gothic arches, which was built in 1365 ; the Albert, or New Bailey Bridge, opened for general traffic 26th September, 1844, has one stone arch ; Blackfriars, at St. Mary's Gate, near the Exchange, ha three arches, and was opened August, 1820 former! 1 exacted a toll, but was made free in March, 1848 Strangeways Bridge, of a single iron arch, was buil in 1817 a toll bridge ; Hunts Bank Bridge, erected ir 1864, close to Victoria Station and Cathedral, has on< iron arch ; Broughtou Suspension-bridge unites Pendle ton with Broughton, opened in 1826 toll bridge ; Hunts Bank Bridge, over the Irk, erected in 1826; Broughtou Bridge unites Salford with Lower Broughton, is of stone, and in three arches ; Regent-road Bridge connects the township of Hulme with the borough of Salford, and is about 1 mile from the Exchange, opened in 1808, with toll toll abolished 21st December, 1848; Springfield-lane Bridge connects Salford with Broughton and Bury New-road, constructed 1850. Manchester has several cemeteries: the Harpurhey Cemetery, on the Rochdale-road, about 2 miles from the Exchange, con- tains about 11 acres, first opened in 1837, enlarged ir 1847. Ardwick Cemetery is situated in Hyde-road, Ardwick, contains about 8 acres of cultivated land ; Dr. Dalton is buried here ; in all it covers about 12 acres, but is in a populous neighbourhood, and. is rather a graveyard than a cemetery. Rusholme-road Cemetery lies between Oxford-road and Downing-street, has about 5 acres, was originally laid out amid fields and is now amid crowded streets. New Barnes Cemetery, near Weaste-lane railway station, belongs to the borough of Salford ; Joseph Brotherton, one of the first members of parliament for Salford, is buried here. Manchester lias now three theatres, and several parks and public plea- sure-gardens, as well as a botanic and horticultural gardens, and the usual music-halls and singing-saloons which are common in the larger English towns. The Botanical and Horticultural Gardens, opened June, 1831, are extensive, covering 16 acres, and admirably laid out, and are adequate to the resources and wealth of the town. The principal parks are Peel Park, a memorial park situated 1 mile W. of the Exchange, designed to commemorate the triumph of free trade, and which con- tains a statue of Sir Robert Peel, by Noble, and also of the Queen and the late Prince Albert, the latter in his robes as a Knight of the Garter, a museum of natural history, adorned with casts from the antique, and a gymnasium for the working classes ; the Queen's Park is about 2 miles N.N.E. of the Exchange, is laid out similarly to Peel Park, but possesses superior advantages of site, and some very fine trees, together with a pictu- resque sheet of water ; Philipp's Park, a place of recrea- tion for the working classes, is situated in a very populous neighbourhood, about 2 miles E. of the Exchange, and near the residences of the class for whose benefit it was projected. These three parks were established in 1845, and cost about 33,000, 3,000 of this sum being con- tributed by Government. The Bellevue Zoological Gardens are a provincial Cremorne Gardens on a very rough scale, but are greatly attended by the populace from Manchester and the surrounding towns. They are situated in the Hyde-road, Ardwick, about 3 miles from the Exchange, and are accessible by omnibus and rail- road. There are generally fete days, with fireworks, music, and dancing, on Saturdays and Mondays the place containing a large hall for the latter amusement, and a shilling entrance money being charged. The Pomona Gardens, Cornbrook, a similar place of amuse- ment, but containing grounds laid out with more taste and pretence, are accessible by water, road, or rail ; there is a gymnasium, maze, bridge, and boats, but tho place is less frequented than Bellevue. The Concert Hall, in Lower Mosley-street, is a place of entertain- ment in the hands of a proprietary limited to 600 persons. It was established and opened in 1830, for the promotion of the art of music, and a certain number cf concerts are given annually, at which the wealthier classes attend ; the concert-room is capable of seating about 1,200 per- sons. Of the kind used by the general public are tho Philharmonic Hall, Fountain-street; the Victoria Music- hall, Greengate, Salford ; Hardy's Concert Hall, Deans- gate; Traflbrd Arms, Victoria Bridge; the Old Boar's

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