Winter 2020Rochdale Town Hall: Then and Now

Although incorporated as a borough in 1856, it was 1863 before a town hall for Rochdale was agreed.

In 1864, from among 27 hopefuls, a Yorkshireman aged only 30, William Henry Crossland won the architectural competition to design it. £20,000 was allocated and the site beside the River Roch purchased.

Elaborate designs drawing on mythical and naturalistic motifs, as well as local history and industry, sent costs spiralling, reaching an extraordinary £154,755. The Mayor justified the huge expense, saying that ‘one cannot have beauty without paying for it’.

Rochdale Town Hall became Crossland’s most important commission to date and the first full-length biography of Crossland, written by Sheila Binns, was published in September by the Lutterworth Press.

Born in Huddersfield, W H Crossland trained under George Gilbert Scott and his busy practice in the West Riding established a good reputation designing churches and secular buildings.

The town hall was officially opened on 27 September 1871, ablaze with gaslight.

A tower with a spire on a civic building was a luxury afforded by few towns. The town hall boasted a 240-foot-tall clock tower topped with a statue of St George and his dragon on a wooden spire.

Rochdale was growing rapidly through wealth generated by the textile industry and the magnificent town hall made a strong statement of confidence and pride.

The present tower by architect Alfred Waterhouse - who was also responsible for Manchester Town Hall - was added after the original was destroyed by a fire in April 1883.

Constructed between the years of 1885 and 1887, the  now stone structure stands at 190 feet and houses five bells. What was the Clock Tower Library was also destroyed in the fire, resulting in the opening of the nearby Touchstones as a ‘free public library’ a year later.

Nearly 150 years on, described as one of the dozen most ambitious High Victorian town halls in England, Rochdale’s remains one of the finest in the country.

A major refurbishment is due to start on the town hall next year, with the Gothic-revival style building in need of a modern makeover, safeguarding the architectural gem for future generations whilst showing sensitivity to the original fixtures.

In 2018, The National Lottery Heritage Fund approved a first stage application to support the project, awarding the council £8.95 million in funding to further develop plans.

This was followed by a second stage grant of £8.3 million – announced in 2020 -  to restore many of the building’s historic features.

The application outlines vital conservation work to protect the building, including replacing the electrical system, and restoration work will be carried out on many of its historic features including the Magna Carta mural and ceiling panels in the Great Hall, and the stained glass and wood panelling throughout the building.

The proposals also include the creation of a new community space on the second floor, called the Bright Hall, which can be used for smaller weddings and functions and by community groups.

Also in the plans is the creation of a permanent exhibition space in the committee rooms on the ground floor, the installation of two new lifts, new toilets, and a brand-new entrance to make the whole building more accessible and welcoming.

The outside of the building will also be restored, cleaned and better lit.

Plans for a town hall square include ‘dramatically improving’ the area around the building and creating a ‘high quality link’ with the already existing Memorial Gardens, part of a £3 million redesign.

The redevelopment is part of the wider £400 million regeneration of Rochdale town centre, which has included the award-winning River Roch re-opening scheme and its historic bridge, the new transport Interchange and Metrolink stop, and the new Rochdale Riverside retail and leisure development.

Rochdale Town Hall will close on 18 December. From 1 January 2021, services such as The Mayor’s Office and Register Office will relocate, and the town hall will be closed entirely for approximately three years while renovations take place.