were built in a Renaissance style; the architects, Travis & Mangnall, "were key local exponents of a gracious Italianate style which had already from the 1840s become a characteristic of commercial architecture, especially in Manchester". The building is in the heart of the University of Salford, surrounded by civic and educational buildings. It plays a significant role for its relationship with the Peel building to the west and Peel Park to the north. The building is the earliest civic building in the Crescent area and has influenced the location of the other civic buildings. Collections Among the paintings in the Salford collection are works by artists such as Christian Ludwig Bokelmann, Charles Landseer, Arthur Perigal, Philip Hermogenes Calderon, William Bruce Ellis Ranken and Thomas Henry Illidge. The Salford art gallery formerly held over 400 artworks by the Salford-born painter L. S. Lowry which had been collected since 1930, but these were transferred to The Lowry, a new purpose-built gallery which opened in Salford Quays in 2000. Lark Hill Place Lark Hill Place, an exhibit on the ground floor, is a re-creation of a typical Victorian street, built using shop fronts that were saved and restored in 1957 when many shops and houses in central Salford were being demolished to make way for new developments. The interiors are furnished with period objects and furniture, recreating the way they were used in Victorian times and recorded sounds are used to produce the ambience of a winter's evening of the period. The conservation of Lark Hill Place, which was done at a time before conservation of historic buildings was popular, represents an early attempt to preserve architectural features during a period of rapid urban development. See also Listed buildings in Salford, Greater Manchester References External links Museums established in 1850 Art museums and galleries in Greater Manchester Museums in Greater Manchester Grade II listed buildings in the City of Salford Local museums in Greater Manchester 1850 establishments in England