Completion: Manchester Aquarium, Alexander Road, Whalley Range.

Completion of building contract only. See also Joseph Sherwin who had prepared the original designs before his bankruptcy and emigration in 1873. The arrangements seem to have confused "The Builder."

THE MANCHESTER AQUARIUM. The Manchester aquarium, which is just on the eve of completion, though widely different in character of structure from its now celebrated predecessors at Brighton and Sydenham, combines much that is excellent in both of these exhibitions. No more admirable site in an inland town could have been selected for its erection. Alexandra Park, of which it forms the chief and most important feature, fronting its beautiful lawn, is one of the most delightful retreats in the west-end portion of the busy city of Manchester and the borough of Salford. It is easy of approach, omnibuses running constantly at low fares from the centre of the city. Our first impression, as it sprang frilly into view, when we crossed the park to the chief entrance, was its ecclesiastical appearance; it might be mistaken for a gigantic temple, erected for some popular preacher. Its Italian - Gothic frontage, with rows of clearstory windows, and roofs at side, some- what confirmed these impressions; but on entering its interior they were quickly dispelled. The building extends 174 ft. in length. It is built with white Ruabon brick, enriched with red Runcorn stone dressings, carved in various designs and figures. The roof is of Taylor's patent red and black tiles, formed into a pattern, which renders the building a conspicuous object throughout the surrounding district. But these tiles perform a more important office. They are non-conductors of heat. "I was in this building," the curator told us, "the hottest day we had last summer, when the thermometer stood in the shade more than 100 deg., and it was then full of workmen. All were broiling outside, but here it was as cool as a spring evening." Passing through the lobby we enter the north corridor: it is nearly a repetition of that at the Crystal Palace, — a long row of glass-fronted tanks on the right-hand side, and a row of arches or bays on the left. These tanks are very capacious, eleven of them measuring 10 ft. 6 in. by 5 ft. 6 in. in depth, and from front to back, 6 ft.; the central tank of the row being 21 ft. long. Doubtless the experience gained both at Brighton and Sydenham was a valuable aid in the designing of these tanks, and also those of the south corridor, which is similar. They are a medium of their prototypes, avoiding the gigantic size of the first-named, and the general miniature size of the second. These twenty-two receptacles which Mr. Hooper, the curator, properly names the deep-sea tanks, are those in which it is proposed to keep the numerous tribes of the familiar and well-known forms of marine life that are captured in British waters. From each extremity of these corridors, which run the full length of the building, we enter its central and principal portion, a saloon or hall of large size being 150 it. long., 40 ft. wide, and 54 ft. to the roof principals. Down each side of this hall, beneath the arches which divide it from the corridors, are placed the tidal tanks, of which more presently. Perhaps one of the most pleasing features is the arrangement and decoration of these arches. It is absolutely necessary that little or no light should pass through them to the transparent fronts of the corridor tanks, therefore it is intercepted by filling these spaces with growing evergreen ornamental plants, placing them on black marble 'sills, supported by carved bracket-heads, which form fountains for the tidal tanks below them. Again, above these arches are the clearstory windows reaching to the cornice of the open-panelled roof of polished pitch pine, supported by eleven principals of the same timber. Beyond this and its tanks there is no attempt at decoration whatever; all is plain and simple, and well adapted for the purpose for which it is intended. At each end of this hall we detect a copy of some portion of the Brighton aquarium, in two of the largest tanks, 40 ft. by 10 ft., with a depth of water of about 8 ft. It is easy to perceive the care with which these tanks have been designed. Possessing a transparent frontage similar to the largest of the Brighton tanks, and fully equal to them in extent, the serious error of a great breadth of from 30 ft. to 40 ft., from back to front, which renders the most pellucid waters semi-opaque, is avoided; these are only 10 ft., and the rays of light, in addition to entering at the surface of the water, and passing through it to the spectator, enter also through three apparently submarine caverns at the back. These are formed by encasing 4 ft. of the lower portion of the east and west end large windows with strong plate-glass, built in the rock-work. The east-end tank is the receptacle for the full body of water, about 5,000 gallons per hour, drawn from the reserve-cisterns, which extend to a depth of 6 ft. below the entire series of exhibition tanks. It enters this tank from an elevation of 14 ft., forming a thin sheet or cascade of water 13 ft. wide, falling on a ridge of rocks, dashing its spray in all directions, and then, by two overflows, to the right and left, passes to the corridor tanks, and, finally, enters the west tank, and returns to the range of cisterns below. Independently of this regular circulation of the water through every tank, other means are adopted for its perfect aeration. A portion, as it leaves the pumps, is diverted, and driven through rows of pipes placed above the corridor and tidal tanks, and passes through fine roses or jets, in the form of rain, to the surface of the water in each tank; this» independently of oxygenating the water, has a pleasing effect, the minute globules of water descending to a great depth again rise to the surface like effervescent bubbles of quicksilver, sparkling and giving it a lifelike appearance. Every visitor to the Crystal Palace aquarium will remember the shallow tanks in the side rooms stocked with our lovely sea anemones and other littoral forms of marine life. Very similar are the tidal tanks of the Manchester aquarium. They are constructed of polished black enamelled Welsh slate in two rows of sixteen compartments, 6 ft. long by 3 ft. in width, with a uniform depth of water of 12 in. The animals which these tanks will contain are seen not only through glass frontage, but in precisely the same way as the contents of the glass cases in our museums are. By simply opening a valve the water can be drawn from these tanks and returned to them either in a few minutes or hours, forming a perfect ebb and flow of the tides, and exposing the creatures they contain to the alternate action of exposure to the atmosphere and submersion of the tidal wave. We must not omit the arrangements for the preservation and exhibition of the denizens of our lakes, ponds, and rivers, and those animals that require to be kept in still water.* The large fresh-water tank occupies the central portion of the hall or saloon, and is 16 ft. by 6 ft., 2 ft. 6 in. deep, divided by plate-glass into six sections; at each of the centre angles of these divisions is a crystal fountain, causing a constant fresh supply and flow of the water, by which means it is hoped the most delicate of fresh-water fish may be kept for an indefinite period in full health and vigour. At a short distance from each end of this tank are twenty smaller ones, known aa table aquaria, which will be appropriated for the purpose we have named. In addition to the public tanks in the aquarium proper, provision has been made for twelve large store-tanks at * The total tank frontage is 750 lineal feet. FEB. 28, 1874.] 177 THE BUILDER. present in use in the company's temporary building, for the purpose of acclimatising marine animals after their reception from the different parts of the coasts. Upwards of 200,000 gallons of pure sea-water will be required to maintain the whole series of tanks in full working condition, two-thirds of which will be constantly flowing from and into the reserve subterranean cisterns. So successful has been the mode adopted by Mr. Lloyd at the Crystal Palace Aquarium of circulating the waters, and its general management, that there has been seen no reason to deviate from it in any of its important features. In this aquarium provision has been made for such accidents as breaking of glass, leakage of water, failure of a pump, and other contingencies; so that in no event, it is thought, will they for one moment interfere or disorganise the general arrangement. The building has been erected under the personal superintendence of Mr. B. Hooper, the curator, assisted by Mr. M. Seanor, architect, of Manchester. The contractors, Messrs. James Herd and William Healey & Sons, Cordingly and Stafford, have satisfactorily performed their part. The slate and ornamental tanks were supplied by Mr. John Robertson, of 48, Market-street; the gas and other fittings by Messrs, Lloyd & Bridge; and the plate-glass was supplied by Messrs. Winder & Horrop. Builder 28 February 1874 Page 174-177]

THE MANCHESTER AQUARIUM -  In reply to a request for information, the curator, Mr. Hooper, informed us that the aquarium had been erected from his designs, and under his personal superintendence, assisted by Mr. M. Seanor, architect, of Manchester. As we have no belief in the ability of laymen to design a building of this kind, we omitted the words "from his designs," and affixed no architect's name to the view. We have just now received the following note from the curator, and leave our readers to reconcile the two statements: "Memo. Manchester. - It has just been pointed out to me that, unfortunately, the name of the architect, Mr Joseph Sherwin, of this city, has been omitted in the article on the 'Manchester Aquarium. Will you kindly notice this? —B. Hooper." [Builder 14 March 1874 page 219]

OPENING OF THE MANCHESTER AQUARIUM. This new establishment, of which we gave a view and plan, with full particulars, in the Builder of 28th February last, was formally opened in time for the Whitsuntide holiday-folks. It is an important addition to the few places of resort enjoyed within easy distance by the inhabitants of Manchester. The new aquarium is well stocked with marine and fresh-water fish. The building, we may repeat, is Italian Gothic in its frontage, with rows of clearstory windows, and roofs at the sides. It stands in front of the large lawn in Alexandra Park, a well-frequented suburb of Manchester. The centre saloon or hall is 150 ft. in length, 40 ft. in width, and from the door to the ridge of the open-span panelled roof, 54 ft. in height. This saloon forms a promenade. The walls are lined with cases stocked with anemones, and in the centre space there are large glass tanks filled with river and lacustrian fishes. This collection was enriched on the opening day by a score of artificially hatched "baby" salmon, which Mr. Frank Buckland, who opened the aquarium, had brought down as his contribution towards the undertaking. The corridors on the north and south sides of the building are lined with tanks filled with marine fish and crustaceans, and these large spaces constitute the main scientific feature of the exhibition. By mechanical means the conditions of these tanks are rendered suitable for the different classes of fishes, and the directors claim to have the deep sea or coralline, the laminarian, and the littoral zones that gird our seashores, truly represented in their aquaria, - the ocean the tidal wave, ebb and flow, etc. The tanks present to the spectators a frontage of nearly 750 ft. in length (being more than double that of any aquarium yet constructed). The sea-water is brought by train in barrels from Blackpool, a distance of about forty miles, and a constant supply is maintained. Fleetwood Dock Works. — Great progress is now being made with these extensive works, and both excavation and building work are carried on with vigour, limited only by a rather short supply of hands. Men in search of a job do not readily find their way here. It is said there is certain employment for nearly three years for 150 more men than are at present on the works, and that lodgings and provisions are both plentiful and cheap. The new dock will be 340 yards long by 134 yards wide. [The Builder 30 May 1874 page 467]

Reference        Builder 28 February 1874 Page 174-177 with plan and perspective
Reference        Builder 14 March 1874 page 219
Reference        Manchester Guardian 12 May 1874 page 1 – notice of opening to the public on 21 May
Reference        Builder 30 May 1874 page 457