GALLERY: Inside Rochdale Town Hall’s £20m restoration
It has been four years since the grade one-listed building was last open to the public. Now, with only weeks left until its grand reopening, the council has released a first look at what it has been up to.
Rochdale Development Agency has led the delivery of the Rochdale Town Hall restoration project on behalf of Rochdale Council. The National Lottery Heritage Fund supported the circa £20m scheme with a £8.9m grant. The building opens up to the public on 3 March.
The project has involved cleaning and restoring much of the building’s structure, windows, and furniture. The roof has been repaired, as have Minton floor tiles in the town hall’s exchange.
The Great Hall ceiling is perhaps the most striking example of the work done by main contractor HH Smith under the guidance of heritage architect Donald Insall Associates. Each of the 350 panels has been cleaned (with cotton buds being among the tools of choice), shedding their dark brown appearance to reveal bright reds and golds.
- The Great Hall ceiling before. Credit via Rochdale Council
- The Great Hall ceiling after. Credit: Rochdale Council
New community spaces have been created. Bright Hall, named after the late Rochdale MP John Bright, is one of them. Formerly a variety of partitioned offices with a mezzanine floor, now the space boasts double-height ceilings and a window overlooking the Great Hall. It will be used by community groups going forward.
Another new space is the Welcome Gallery, which has been created from an old council meeting room. Situated on the ground floor, the gallery is home to a permanent exhibition showcasing Rochdale’s history.
Less glamorous, but still important, is the addition of lifts to the premises and accessible entrances, meaning that anyone can now navigate the town hall. An air source heat pump system has provided a more energy-efficient way of warming up the building.
These were the changes that Cllr Janet Emsley wanted to highlight.
“Rochdale Town Hall’s transformation is about so much more than how it looks, as impressive as that is,” she said.
“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,” she continued.
“It’s so much than a piece of our history, thanks to the support of National Lottery players, it’s now an important part of our future as well.”
Rochdale Council Leader Cllr Neil Emmott was effusive in his praise of the restoration work that has taken place at the town hall.
“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,” he said. “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.
“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,” he continued. “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.”
There is still more to be done at Rochdale Town Hall. A restaurant, Martlet, is set to open this spring in the old clock tower dining room. Work is still ongoing on the restoration of the town hall’s west wing, which includes the council chamber and gallery.
The project team for the restoration project includes Max Fordham, Frank Whittle Partnership, Price & Myers, Focus Consultants, Redman Design, The Heritage Angel, Minerva Heritage, and Gillespies.
Click any image to launch gallery
- Bright Hall before
- Bright Hall after
- Newly cleaned stained glass window depicting Queen Victoria
- Welcome Gallery before
- Welcome Gallery after
- A restored ceiling in a reception room
- A worker repairs a Great Hall angel. Credit: HH Smith
- Another worker restores paintwork.
- Restored Great Hall light with angel
Hopefully PNW will do an article once the surrounding public realm is complete. The wider regeneration project is genuinely stunning.
By Anonymous
Seems like a bargain considering Manchester town hall and Albert sq is costing £340m albeit rather more than a refurb. Lovely building, looking forward to having a look around.
By Anonymous
Looks beautiful – well done Rochdale. Hopefully both Manchester CC and the Houses of Parliament have been in touch to capture lessons learned.
By Mancunian
Looks fantastic. Touchstones, the fire station, Co-Op museum – great cultural offering in Rochdale these days
By Anonymous
What an excellent looking restoration.
By Andee
Beautiful, I spent a lot of my Saturday nights dancing at the town Hall. Also enjoyed listening to the organ recitals . Best wishes.
By Christineanne13@btinternet.com
Are there acounts available to the public to view on how the 16mil has been spent please, and proof it actually did come the lottery
By Anonymous
how come everyone else reports the cost of the revamp as 20 million and you are 4 million adrift
By billy bags of money
Hi Billy Bags! Thanks for your comment – as it turns out we were using an outdated cost number from 2020. I’ve spoken with the council and updated our story to the circa £20m figure they’ve told me is the most up-to-date number. Thanks for drawing this to our attention and apologies for the error. – Julia
By Julia Hatmaker