Richard Lane

Richard Lane (3 April 1795 – 25 May 1880) was an English architect of the early and mid-19th century. Born in London and based in Manchester, he was known mainly for his restrained and austere Greek-inspired classicism. He also designed a few buildings – mainly churches – in the Gothic style. He planned and designed many of the houses in the exclusive Victoria Park estate. Early life and education Not much is known about Lane's early life, but he was born and educated in London, was a Quaker and in 1817 began studying at the famous École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He was a pupil of the French architect Achille Leclère, who made a noted restoration of the Pantheon in 1813. Work and professional life After Paris, Lane moved to Manchester in 1821, set up practice and was appointed Land Surveyor to the Police Commissioners of Chorlton Row (as was). Much of Lane's work was on civic and governmental buildings, and he was commissioned to design a town hall just off Chapel Street for the Salford local government in 1825. In 1830, the Chorlton Row Police Commissioners – essentially the administrative body of the Chorlton Row township – commissioned Lane to design a town hall on Cavendish Street. The Chorlton Town Hall was built by David Bellhouse; Lane and Bellhouse would later work together on other projects. Indeed, Lane had a close connection with the Bellhouse family, and transferred his share in the Portico Library to David Bellhouse's son, Edward Taylor Bellhouse, in 1834. The old town hall is now used by Manchester Metropolitan University.