Pleasing sign about a sign on the Palace Hotel in
Manchester. To older Mancunians, this fantastic Victorian Gothic construction
will always be known as the Refuge Building, home of the Refuge Assurance
Company. Built in 1895 and extended 10 years later, it is Grade II listed and
was designed by Alfred Waterhouse (who also designed Manchester Town Hall and
the Natural History Museum in London). The Refuge Assurance Company took flight
in 1989 for more modern premises, and the building became a hotel in 1994.
