Derby Hall, Bury
The Derby Hall is a large Victorian neo-classical building situated on Market Street in the centre of Bury, Greater Manchester.
The hall was built in 1850 for Edward Stanley, the 14th Earl of Derby.
It was designed by Sydney Smirke, an architect who is best known today for his work on the circular reading room at the British Museum.
It was originally the central part of a larger development that included the Derby Hotel on the left, and the Athenaeum on the right (both also designed by Smirke). These other two buildings were demolished in 1965 and 1971, respectively.
Stanley intended the building to be Bury's Town Hall (and for many years it was known by this name) however because of a disagreement between the Tory peer and Bury's Liberal controlled town council, it was never used for this purpose.
Instead it was used as a magistrates court, a police station, and even a jail; and when the local authority purchased it (for £12,500) in 1925, the main room upstairs served as a dance hall, while the ground floor became an electricity showroom.
Since 1979 the building has been operated by a registered charity called Bury Metropolitan Arts Association, which uses it as a theatre and concert venue known as The Met.