Known for years as The Principal and now the Kimpton Clocktower, this is the enormous Victorian pile on Oxford Street that everyone in Manchester recognises by its tower. It was built for the Refuge Assurance Company to designs by Alfred Waterhouse, the architect of Manchester Town Hall and the Natural History Museum, and it has the confidence to match: ornate marble staircases, acres of oak panelling, glazed tiling and a clock tower that has been a city landmark for generations. It is Grade II listed and, after a thorough restoration, has become one of the most characterful hotels in the North.
The Ballroom was originally the Refuge Assurance staff dining room, which tells you something about the scale on which the Victorians did things. It is now one of the largest hotel ballrooms in the North West, licensed for ceremonies of up to 600, and the building can seat or hold 700 for a reception. Around it sit rooms of very different moods: the oak-panelled Directors’ Suite for 60, reached by that marble staircase, the Whitworth Suites, the light-filled Winter Garden and the Terrace out in the courtyard. Three rooms are licensed for civil ceremonies, so the whole day can happen in the building.
With 270 bedrooms upstairs, a dedicated bridal boudoir for the morning and a private kitchen serving the Ballroom, the practical side is well covered. The kitchen builds menus with the executive chef and runs tastings, and there is an on-site wedding manager throughout.
Where the band plays
The Ballroom is one of the best rooms for live music in Manchester. It has the depth and ceiling height for a real stage, the capacity to justify a large line-up, and a decorative richness that makes a band look properly presented rather than parked in a corner. Live music and discos are both permitted here. Note that noise restrictions apply in the Whitworth and Directors’ suites, so if your reception is in one of those, plan for a smaller, quieter act and confirm the levels with the hotel first.
How the evening runs
Receptions here conclude at 1am, which is unusually generous and changes what is possible — you can serve dinner at a civilised pace, allow the speeches to breathe, and still fit three sets in if you want them. Most couples settle on two, with the band finishing near midnight and the bar carrying the last hour, which leaves the room full right to the end rather than trailing off.
Because almost everyone is staying in the hotel, guests do not start drifting away for taxis, and the last dance tends to be the busiest of the night. For the band, this is a hotel with proper event infrastructure and a private kitchen and service route serving the Ballroom, so load-in is well-trodden ground — just confirm access and timings with the events team when you lock in the running order.
Bands available in Manchester and perfectly at home in a venue like this.
More live music in Manchester.
- Manchester Wedding Bands
- Manchester Events Bands
- Tribute Acts in Manchester
- Wedding DJs in Manchester
- Corporate Entertainment in Manchester
Worth reading before you book: Sound Limiters Explained. More questions answered on our England & Wales FAQs.