Page 8 - Real Rochdale Issue 21 Spring 2024

In addition to the aesthetic changes, crucial
additions, including more lifts and entrances, will
make the building fully accessible for the first time.

Other major changes have included the repair of
the roof and the installation of newer, more
efficient heating systems.

A brand-new restaurant, The Martlet Kitchen, will
be opening later in the year, in the space which
was formerly occupied by the Clock Tower dining
room.

Outside, the Town Hall Square has also been
revamped, with new seating, decorative paving
and landscaped areas framing the building and
creating a new events space in the town centre.

Restoration work will continue in 2024 with work
to restore the west wing of the building, which
includes the council chamber and public gallery.

Council leader Neil Emmott said the building looks
“incredible” and that he has been “blown away by
the quality of the work and how good everything The Bright Hall Photos: Gregory Couzens
looks.”

Stained glass window
Eilish McGuinness, chief executive of The National Ceiling of the Exchange on the ground floor
Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “The town hall has
Staircase in the clock tower
been part of Rochdale’s story for over 150 years,
and is already a treasured building, so I am
delighted that National Lottery funding has helped
restore and protect its spectacular heritage, made
the building fully accessible for the first time, and
created new community spaces, ensuring that
Rochdale Town Hall continues to be valued, cared
for and sustained for everyone, now and in the
future.”

Councillor Janet Emsley, cabinet member for
Equity, Safety and Reform at Rochdale Borough
Council, added that the transformation was about
more than how it looks: “It’s about opening it up
and making it more relevant to the public than
ever before, with guided tours, increased opening
hours, and new exhibition and community spaces,
so everybody knows this place is for them.”

The town hall reopened to the public on Sunday 3
March 2024.

For more information, including booking weddings
and events, go to: rochdaletownhall.co.uk
REAL ROCHDALE - SPRING 2024 8 9 REAL ROCHDALE - SPRING 2024