Rochdale Town Hall, one of Greater Manchester’s most historic buildings, has revealed its spectacular revamp ahead of opening to the public.
The Grade I-listed building has undergone a multi-million pound restoration project, bringing back to life the incredible detail and craftsmanship of the landmark.
Since 2020, a team have been hard at work bringing the Rochdale Town Hall back to its former glory, carefully stripping away decades of grime with cotton buds and repairing Minton tiles.
The most breathtaking space of all is the Great Hall, where 350 hand-painted panels cover the vaulted ceiling, carved wooden angels hold lanterns, stained glass windows tower overhead, and an enormous organ stands on the stage.
Now that it’s restored, visitors will find themselves in a room filled with red and gold patterns, including images of the English lions and Scottish thistle.
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The Exchange, which will be used as the main entrance hall, has ornate Minton tiles covering the floor, depicting insignia of Rochdale like the hanging fleece and a red rose.
Candy-striped pillars, created from shades of granite and marble, reach up into the vaulted ceiling and along to the sweeping staircase.
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The Exchange at Rochdale Town Hall will be used as the main entrance hall. Credit: The Manc GroupLooking up Rochdale Town Hall’s imposing main staircase. Credit: The Manc Group
Other restoration work has included the stained glass windows, the hand-painted walls, furniture, wood panelling, and masonry.
But as well as celebrating the historical features of Rochdale Town Hall, there are also new artworks created with local community groups and schools, celebrating present day Rochdale.
Many of Rochdale Town Hall’s spaces that were previously closed off to the public have been brought back into use as community spaces, like the Bright Hall.
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Now a double-height room with angels along the walls and an internal window looking over the Great Hall, the space was previously an office with partition walls and a mezzanine floor. Now, it will be a beautiful space for community groups and events to use.
When it officially reopens in March, there’ll be more tours, longer opening hours, and new exhibition spaces for locals and visitors to explore.
Details of the Great Hall at Rochdale Town Hall. Credit: The Manc GroupDetails of the Great Hall at Rochdale Town Hall. Credit: The Manc Group
The whole building has been made fully accessible for the first time, and there are new heating systems and a sturdier roof all in place to future-proof Rochdale Town Hall for decades to come.
There’ll even be a brand new restaurant, the Martlet, expected to open in spring, in the space which was formerly occupied by the Clock Tower dining room.
The huge project was made possible with funding support to the tune of an £8.9m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
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Leader of Rochdale Borough Council, councillor Neil Emmott, said: “Rochdale Town Hall is probably one of the finest examples of neo gothic architecture in the country, but like many buildings this old, it was showing its age.
“Now, after four years of painstaking work, it looks incredible, just as it would have done when it first opened its doors well over a century ago.
Inside the Grand Hall at Rochdale Town Hall. Credit: The Manc Group
“Like so many of our residents, I know this building really well and I’m blown away by the quality of the work and how good everything looks. I’m honoured to have seen it today and I’m delighted that our residents and visitors will be able to enjoy this space in just a few short weeks.”
In addition to experts, over 500 volunteers got on board with the project, with Rochdale residents from the ages of 15 to 82, supporting with everything from historical research to cleaning and conservation.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “As the UK’s largest funder of heritage, we believe in the power of historic buildings, like Rochdale Town Hall, to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place.
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“The town hall has 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. Congratulations to all involved in making this project a success.”
Alison Iveson, from Norden, is one of the many locals who pitched in to help bring the town hall back to life.
She said: “I remember first visiting the town hall in the 1980s and my jaw dropped to the floor. It’s an incredible building and we’re so lucky to have it here in Rochdale. I have a little connection to it too, as my husband’s family owned the Ivesons shop, which was just around the corner from the town hall and was known as Rochdale’s first department store when it opened in 1901. Ivesons supplied and fitted carpets in the council chamber in 1951 and I’ve donated some photos of this to the new Welcome Gallery exhibition space.
“I’ve had so many opportunities as a volunteer on this project. I’ve researched the building’s history and found out about all the Suffragette meetings which were held here and the old fire station which was round the back of the building and which had to respond to the clock tower fire in 1883. People will be able to find out about all these stories in the Welcome Gallery. I got involved in the archaeological dig in Town Hall Square, where I got a qualification in archaeology, and I even helped to clean some of the delicate historic pieces.”
Life-sized animal puppets to be paraded through Greater Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
Dozens of life-sized puppet animals are to embark on a journey through Greater Manchester this summer.
From the team behind The Walk with Little Amal – the Syrian refugee child puppet who made the journey across the world, and our borough, back in 2021 – comes a new life-sized spectacle called THE HERDS, which will visit Manchester as part of the opening of this summer’s Manchester International Festival (MIF).
The hugely-ambitious new public artwork is set to transform Greater Manchester into a ‘breathtaking untamed spectacle’ as a way of vividly dramatising the climate crisis.
Life-sized animal puppets travel will be travelling through the city centre, Heywood in Rochdale, and Pennington Flash in Wigan this July as part of their 20,000km journey from the Congo Basin to the Arctic Circle.
This is a public artwork on a scale never attempted before.
The animals are visiting Manchester as part of an epic journey – which began on 9 April from Kinshasa in the Congo – and as they cross different continents, the herd will grow in numbers and species including elephants, giraffes, antelope, lions, and others local to the area they are travelling through.
To help further highlight the scale of the climate crisis and the collective effort needed to fight it, the puppets are set to operated by local participants in each city – including in Manchester.
Because of this, Factory International and The Walk Productions are looking for amateur makers and DIY enthusiasts to join the puppet build, as well as 100 local people to help operate the puppets in Manchester, Heywood, and Wigan.
Life-sized animal puppets are being paraded through Greater Manchester this summer / Credit: Ant Strack
For the opening event of MIF25 on Thursday 3 July, THE HERDS first arrives in Manchester city centre and will scatter through the city’s main streets, so if you happen to find yourself between Cathedral Gardens and Market Street on the day, then you might just stumble upon them.
After opening MIF25, the animals are then abandoning the bustling city for the residential streets of Heywood in Rochdale on Friday (4 July).
For the final stop on their Greater Manchester journey, THE HERDS find a fleeting refuge in the wild beauty of Pennington Flash Country Park in Wigan on Saturday 5 July, and visitors are invited to explore the park’s winding trails and quietly observe as 70 life-sized puppets appear amid the trees and wetlands.
Amir Nizar Zuabi, who is the Artistic Director of THE HERDS, calls it a ‘a living breathing call to action that stampedes across continents’.
“THE HERDS is an urgent artistic response to the climate crisis,” he added. “Through the beauty and ferocity of these life-size creatures, we aim to spark dialogue, provoke thought, encourage engagement and inspire real change.”
You can see THE HERDS in Greater Manchester from Thursday 4 – Saturday 5 July.
Featured Image – Berclaire (for The Walk Productions)
Rochdale
Nine arrested in multiple coordinated raids after ‘celebrating Hitler’s birthday’ in Oldham pub
Danny Jones
Nine arrests were made earlier this week after a group of suspected neo-Nazis were discovered celebrating Adolf Hitler’s birthday at a pub in Oldham last month.
Alarming stuff, to say the least.
The individuals in question were arrested following a series of coordinated morning raids across multiple areas of Greater Manchester, including Rochdale, Bolton, Trafford and Stockport.
Another man was taken into custody from an address in Southport, with those involved belonging to the North West arm of a far-right group known simply as ‘British Movement’.
Craft Union Pubs, who operate the establishment, said they were “absolutely appalled”. (Credit: Google Maps)
The pub in question was the Duke of Edinburgh in Royton, a town of around 21,000 people located in north Oldham; the owners, who were said to have been ‘tricked’ into allowing the celebrations, were shocked to learn the group were observing Hitler’s birthday.
Upon realising the true nature of the festivities after images were shared on social media, staff immediately reported the party to the local authorities and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers based in and around the borough were then made aware of the situation.
As seen online – including on British Movement Northern’s (BMN) own website – the pub were seen holding Nazi flags, SS bolts and the Iron Cross, even posting pictures eating a cake with swastika icing alongside captions which included the line, “the 136th birthday of Uncle A.”
Taking place on Wednesday morning, 7 May, several morning raids saw those present detained on suspicion of Section 18 Public Order Act offences, which relate to displaying written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting, intended to stir up racial hatred.
During the extensive operation, everything from imitation firearms to real weapons like swords and a crossbow, along with numerous other pieces of Nazi memorabilia were found. Police are still investigating the incident and searching the relevant premises in Oldham and beyond.
Beyond shocking. (Credit: BMN)
GMP have been quick to contact Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) to advise on the materials and assess further risk; for instance, following the recovery of a suspected grenade at a property in Bolton, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) was deployed and the item declared safe.
Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said in an official statement: “Due to the nature of the materials we recovered at the warrants today, we have liaised with colleagues at CTPNW. This is a matter of course, and it very much remains a GMP-led investigation.
“It’s important that all avenues are explored to establish the extent of the criminal offences which have been committed, and whilst our investigation is still in its early stages, we do not believe there to be a risk to the wider public.
“This group clearly has a deep fascination with ideas that we know are unsettling for communities across Greater Manchester. We must take action when concerns are raised, and where weapons are suspected, to ensure people are free to live without fear of intimidation or harm.”
Naturally, GMP are encouraging people to stay vigilant and come forward with any further information or concerns they may have.
Daisy Jackson -
23rd January 2024 
