Edgar Wood’s staircase and exedra in Jubilee Park undergoing restoration

Photo: Spencer Howard Bowden

Edgar Wood’s staircase and exedra in Middleton’s Jubilee Park undergoing restoration

Edgar Wood’s Grade II listed staircase and exedra in Middleton’s Jubilee Park is currently undergoing restoration.

The sandstone staircase was built in 1906 by internationally renowned architect J Edgar Wood, one of Middleton’s most famous sons and the creator of many of the stunning heritage buildings in the town.

21 steps lead up to a semi-circular enclosure, at one time with a central fountain, which has seats and an inscription: "Who works not for his fellows his thoughts grow poor and dwindle and his heart grudges each beat as misers a dole". The surrounding walls have U-shaped cut- outs.

The steps lead up to the church and are on the axis of the tower, adding dramatic effect to the view from Long Street to the church on top of the hill.

The project is part of the Middleton Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI), which has seen Rochdale Borough Council use a £1.9m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore a number of historic buildings in the Middleton Town Centre Conservation area, with a particular emphasis on Edgar Wood designed buildings.

Mark Robinson, Assistant Director of Economy at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “With the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, we have restored a number of historically significant buildings in Middleton, including many of those which were designed by the 19th and early 20th Century by Middleton-born architect Edgar Wood.

“We have restored a number of properties, including his former home, Redcroft, and houses on Rochdale Road and Mellalieu Street. This is part of the wider Townscape Heritage Initiative, which has also included the restoration of Jubilee Library and the old burial ground next to St Leonard’s Church, as well as the redevelopment of Middleton Gardens and the renovation of the staircase in Jubilee Park, which is due for completion soon.”

Edgar Wood, who designed Redcroft in 1891 and lived in it until 1916, gained a considerable reputation and was a key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, an architectural style which celebrated traditional forms of craftsmanship which people feared would be lost as a result of the industrial revolution.