Electricity Junction Box

This is an early 20th-century electricity junction box made by Hardy and Padmore Ltd for Manchester City Council. It is constructed from cast iron and has a rectangular shape. The longer sides of the box run parallel to the south wall of the town hall extension, with the front facing south.

The box features a low pyramidal cap with castellated edges above a moulded cornice, which is supported at each corner by an inward-scrolled corbel. Each of the two longer sides serves as a door, framed by a moulded surround and fitted with two decorative strap hinges on the right side. The doors are adorned with Jacobean-style geometric strapwork relief. On the front, this strapwork encircles a detachable plaque that displays the crest of the City of Manchester, while the rear face does not have a crest.

The two short sides of the box are plain but have moulded edges. Each short side features a circular relief that reads ‘Hardy and Padmore Limited, Worcester,’ and the east side includes a raised banner at the base with the registered design number. The entire box is painted black.