Rochdale Town Hall

Rochdale Town Hall

 Rochdale Town Hall is widely regarded as one of the finest Victorian town halls in the country and richly merits its Grade I listed status

In 1864 the council recomended that £20,000 ($33,000) be spent on a suitable civic building and architects were invited to compete for the commission. the successful entrant was william Crossland of Leeds and from the time of Crossland's appointment onwards, civic pride ran riot. the council, at first reluctantly then increasingly enthusiastically, approved alterations to the scheme which caused costs to soar from the original £20,000 ($33,000) to a staggering £155,000 ($256,000).

 
The foundation stone was laid by John Bright in 1866 and the townsfolk could only marvel as Crossland's dream slowly became reality.303 feet long and lavishly ornate, this Gothic revival masterpiece dwarfed every other municipal building in the region. Overshadowing all else was the magnificent spire, rising to an incredible 240 feet and topped by a guilded statue of St. George.
The building was opened with all due pomp and ceremony on September 27th 1871.

Twelve years later disaster struck. Riddled with dry rot, the spire was due for dismantling when, for still unexplained reasons, it caught fire. Visible over ten miles away, the blaze so damaged the spire that total demolition was necessary. It was not until 1887 that the replacement tower, built to the design of Alfred waterhouse, was completed. This tower, although 50 feet shorter than the original is nevertheless a perfect complement to the main building.

Rochdale Town Hall
from the memorial gardens

 

The Exchange

 The interior of the town hall is no less impressive. the richly decorated Exchange or entrance hall (originally built as a woollen exchange but never actually used for that purpose) leads to the Grand Staircase with its superb stained glass windows. 
At the top of the stairway is the Great Hall with its magnificent hammer beam roof. Other highspots include the mayor's parlour and the council chamber (formerly the police court). All this and more make Rochdale Town Hall an exuberant expression of Victorian civic pride and a lasting symbol of Rochdale's industrial and commercial vigour.

The Grand Staircase
Rochdale Town Hall, by night

 

Rochdale Town Centre   |   Hollingworth Lake   |   Surrounding countryside


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