Rochdale Town Hall finally threw open the doors to the public for the first time this year, following a multi-million-pound refurbishment.
And now, several months later, the magnificent old building has a new string to its bow – a proper Northern restaurant tucked into a corner of its Grade I-listed frame.
This is The Martlet, a sophisticated but thoroughly friendly and approachable new restaurant led by award-winning chef Darren Parkinson, who grew up locally in Heywood and has earned multiple AA rosettes and accolades throughout his career across the UK and northern France.
He’s been joined by Great British Menu star Tristan Welch to create the smart menu packed with classic northern dishes, sourced locally, like Jackson’s rag pudding, and bacon chop with Bury Black Pudding and Denshaw egg.
You’ll find scotch eggs, bacon baps, sticky toffee pudding and plenty of other beloved British dishes here in this much-anticipated restaurant.
Bacon chop crispy at The Martlet at Rochdale Town Hall. Credit: The Manc GroupInside The Martlet at Rochdale Town Hall. Credit: The Manc GroupPuddings at The Martlet at Rochdale Town Hall. Credit: The Manc Group
At The Martlet, you’ll see sausage rolls and soup with a sandwich nudging up against Turkish eggs and pickled beetroot salads.
It feels special without being pompous, and on a bleak and rainy Tuesday afternoon for our visit it was nicely busy with locals chatting over lunch and a glass of wine.
And the space has been restored beautifully, painted in rich reds and soft blues and filled with smart wooden and leather furniture.
The Martlet is proud of its heritage and its location – even the artwork on the walls, at first glance modern drawings, are actually replicas of the original tiles found in the Rochdale Town Hall.
The Martlet
Rochdale’s newest restaurant is named after a mythical bird, one which is featured in imagery of the town over the years and even on the borough’s coat of arms.
With a cafe feel during the afternoons and a more refined evening menu available come nightfall, there’s a lot to love and a lot of reasons to visit.
So what are you waiting for?
The Martlet is open at Rochdale Town Hall now – you can see more HERE.
Star of hit CBBC show Operation Ouch! to host live Q&A and meet and greets in Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
Little Mancs can meet the star of one of their favourite TV shows at the Science and Industry Museum this summer.
In case you hadn’t heard, Operation Ouch! is back in Manchester again with a fresh new experience for 2025, and this time around, visitors can journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Thousands of families from across Greater Manchester and beyond have already visited the city centre museum make the most of the new exhibition, and get stuck into the wide range of immersive and interactive activities it has on offer.
But for those who haven’t been able to pay a visit yet, this summer couldn’t be a more ideal opportunity to do so.
That’s because Dr Xand Van Tulleken – who is one of the presenters of the BBC showOperation Ouch! – will be at the museum in a couple of weeks time to meet visitors as part of his myth-busting mission to answer some of the public’s deepest questions about our senses.
The Science and Industry Museum has unveiled its ‘summer of senses’ programme / Credit: Science Museum Group
Dr Xand Van Tulleken will be at the Science and Industry Museum for one day only, and will not only join mini medics on their voyage through the senses, but will also be on-hand to answer brain teasers from the audience during a series of live Q&As.
Whether it’s banging on a super-sized eardrum, venturing into a massive eyeball, or even taking a whiff of a ‘smell library’, this world-premiere exhibition dives into the science behind hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell – and Dr Xand will be there every step of the way.
Dr Xand’s visit comes amid a senses-themed summer programme at the city centre museum, where visitors can enjoy everything from silent discos and science shows, to a ‘bogie lab’, brain-boggling challenges, and loads more during six weeks of activities inspired by its latest exhibition.
Book your tickets to visit Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You on Tuesday 12 August, for any of the time slots between 11:30am – 1pm, and 2:45 – 4:15pm for the opportunity to grab a selfie with Dr Xand from inside the exhibition.
Tickets will cost visitors £10 each, with those under three going free, and a range of family discounts available.
Find out more about the exhibition and get tickets here.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group
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Aspiring artists can get their work displayed on one of the biggest digital screens in Manchester
Danny Jones
Are you a budding artist looking to get your work seen or know some who is? Well, you might want to pay attention because there’s an opportunity to have your creation seen by countless passers-by and on one of the biggest displays in the entire UK over at the Printworks.
If you’ve passed through the much-loved hospitality and leisure complex over the past year or so, you’ll have noticed their roof is now no longer a roof at all, really; the striking ceiling is now a constantly moving image and the largest of its kind in all of Europe.
Meaning that anyone who got their artworks on there would effectively be securing one of the biggest displays and public installations on the continent.
As Printworks themselves put it: “This isn’t just a screen; it’s an artistic stage viewed by millions of visitors every year, with the power to turn a single artwork into a 360-degree sensory experience.”
With that in mind, they’re giving one lucky individual the chance to grab the spotlight and see their creative expression plastered on the 1,000m² wraparound LED canvas.
“Supporting emerging talent and seeing fresh, creative perspectives is always inspiring, and I can’t wait to see what these young artists bring to the table! It was so surreal seeing my artwork on the digital.”
Past installations have included the ‘Spaces Up-Above’ exhibition by world-renowned light artist, Rupert Newman, as well as an International Women’s Day showcase by Heitzman herself, as a fellow Manchester-based creative.
In case you need a better idea of the sheer scale of this screen and why this is such an exciting opportunity for up-and-coming local artists, here’s how they celebrated Oasis returning to Manchester for their Heaton Park reunion gigs this week:
Synchronised with sound and added motion effects, the competition is now open to students who are currently enrolled in college, university or art school.
Better still, you don’t even have to be from or based in the area to take part – this is a nationwide competition hoping to spotlight the best talents in the UK.
All you have to do to enter this exciting competition in Manchester is simply provide Printworks your details and upload your artwork of choice HERE by Sunday, 3 August.
Daisy Jackson -
26th October 2024 
