The introductory photo a composite of a present day demolition site - the Magistrates Courts - combined with the town hall clock tower. I've removed some bits of it in Photoshop to show how it might look if it were under demolition.  It's a well known fact that the 1945 Manchester Plan suggested the present town hall might be removed as part of a scheme for a larger town hall.  The site would have been used for a car park.