After four-years of renovations and a £8.9m leg up from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Rochdale’s historic Town Hall has been given an incredible new lease of life.
The Grade I-listed building has been around since 1871 but closed in 2020 to allow construction workers, curators and volunteers to get to work on a huge makeover. Some of the biggest changes were made to its Great Hall, where the ceiling panels had become dark brown, making their intricate designs impossible to see.
But now, thanks to thousands of hours of work, visitors will once again be able to look up and see images such as the English lion and the Scottish thistle in all their red and gold glory.
Elsewhere, the building’s grand staircase and welcome gallery have all been given a much-needed face-lift. There’s also a spread of brand-new community spaces in parts of the complex that used to be completely closed off to the public. One of those, named the Bright Hall, had its partitions and mezzanine floor removed to reveal angels painted along the walls and a previously hidden window.
There were also several archeological digs that uncovered various nineteenth-century artefacts and previously undiscovered ancient features.
Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, 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. 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.’
Janet Emsley, another member of the council, told Manchester Evening News: ‘The first time I came into the town hall again I cried because it was so beautiful. It makes me proud that we’ve got it before it got into a serious state of decline.’
The town hall will finally open back up to the public and be available for weddings and events from Sunday, March 3. Before then, here’s a sneak peak.
Great British glow-ups
Rochdale Town Hall’s big reveal just goes to show what a bit of TLC can do. And it’s got us excited for the results of some other major makeovers happening right now. Norwich Castle is due to reveal its new look in the summer, Manchester’s Lower Campfield Market is getting a £17.5 revamp, a historic swimming pool in Birmingham is being upgraded and this beloved seaside landmark in Devon will also be returned to its former glory.
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