Town Hall restoration work underway

Christopher from the Hurst Conservation Renovators working on the walls at Rochdale Town Hall; the main entrance to the Town Hall will be closed for the duration of the work.

Rochdale Town Hall is undergoing a makeover and work is well underway in the reception area of the 150 year old grade one listed building to restore the décor and paint work to its former glory.

Brick work has been repaired along with the refurbishment of the walls and extensive repainting.

The work is set to restore the main entrance area, known as the ‘Exchange’, to its original condition.

Back in 1871 the Exchange would be where local people would strike a deal and exchange merchandise. Textiles and cotton would regularly be exchanged for tea and coffee!

Other parts of the building will also be repaired and cleaned up in the coming weeks.

Council Leader Alan Taylor said: “We’re stripping off 180 years of grime so it’s a bit more than your average spring clean! I’m always delighted with how many people come to visit our beautiful Town Hall – both residents and tourists. We’re currently considering future uses for the Town Hall for when staff move into the new municipal offices in three years so I think it’s really important that it looks its best.”

The Town Hall is a hugely popular venue for a vast range of events. In recent years it’s been a popular destination for celebrities and television shows including Waterloo Road, Antiques Roadshow and Flog It. The drama series ‘Longford’ was filmed there in 2006.

Once the work has been completed, it will be open for viewing and guided tours of the building will be available as normal.