The Athenaeum in Princess Street, Manchester, England, now part of Manchester Art Gallery, was originally a club built for the Manchester Athenaeum, a society for the “advancement and diffusion of knowledge” in 1837. The building was designed by Charles Barry (best known for his rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster) in the Italian palazzo style, the first such building in the city. It was acquired by the city Corporation in 1938.
Charles Dickens and the Manchester Athenaeum.
The Victorian writer and social critic Charles Dickens spoke at a fundraising event here in 1843. The speech, promoting educational improvement and learning, was given on 5th October and delivered at a gathering that included the English manufacturer and Radical and Liberal statesman Richard Cobden and Conservative politician and writer and future Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli.
Further Reading on The Circumlocution Office.
Further Reading (external sources).