Albert Hall

27 Peter Street, Manchester, M2 5QR.

The Albert Hall has a rich history and was initially designed in 1910 by WJ Morely. It was initially commissioned by the Methodist Church, to be a central hall. Dr Angela Connelly of the Manchester Architecture Research Centre stated “The design was intended to look different from a conventional church, to attract non-churchgoers”. This helps explaining the Hall’s unusual, historic, and gothic features.

The four story hall didn’t only act as a church, but also as an area for social use, and hosted several “People’s concerts” during the late 1910s, and throughout 1920s. Not only this, but the hall also had political speakers, including Winston Churchill speaking there in the 1950s. In 1969, the Methodists left the hall after their congregation declined, causing the building to fall out of use as a place of worship.

In the 1990s, the ground floor of Albert Hall was bought out, and turned into a popular nightclub called Branningans. Whilst the nightclub was in operation, the upstairs of Albert Hall remained unused for 60 years.

Some believe that the Albert Hall is haunted by a poltergeist of the original builder, Reverend Samuel Collier. Whilst Branningans was open, it was said that lights would turn on and off randomly, glasses would get smashed, people would be pushed around, and the lower floor would have extreme drops in temperature. The haunting comes from the idea that the spirit of Samuel Collier is upset by the drinking and partying that happened within the walls of the centre that he built.

In 2012, a year after Branningans closed its doors the entire building was bought by the TROF group, who started a 3.5 million pound restoration project on the Albert Hall. In 2013, the hall reopened its doors to the public, which still to this day hosts live music, and events - with notable artists performing there such as Primal Scream, Manic Street Preachers, and Beck.