Final piece of the jigsaw as restoration of Grade I-listed masterpiece completes

The council chamber and its adjoining room were shuttered along with the rest of the Grade I-listed building back in 2021 to enable a major restoration to take place.

The rest of the building reopened to the public in March 2024 following a council and lottery funded restoration, and work then got under way on the council chamber and the adjoining room, which once served as office space and will now be used as the Mayor’s Parlour.

The council chamber has a fascinating history, having served as Rochdale’s Magistrate’s Court for more than a century following the opening of the town hall in 1871.

In a nod to its legal history, its stained glass windows depict famous legal figures and defenders of civil rights, including John Pym, who spoke against King Charles I and played a major role in the formation of what would become the modern English parliamentary system.

During the restoration, these windows were removed and transported from the town hall to York Minster to be treated by stained glass specialists there.

Ceiling panels depicting coats of arms, hanging fleeces, flora and fauna and other insignia have been cleaned and restored by experts from Lancashire Conservation Studios.

Beautiful frescoes along the walls, which had faded away and suffered water damage, have been painstakingly repainted by hand by a team of experts, while an old featureless carpet has been replaced by one which depicts cotton plants, in a nod to the borough’s major role in the global cotton trade.

Beautiful mahogany thrones which depict angels, knight’s helmets and lions have been repaired and cleaned using cotton buds and tiny paint brushes and reinstated into the space. 

The adjoining room, which once served as a space for magistrates to convene between court hearings and was later office space, has also been transformed and will now serve as the mayor’s parlour.

During the restoration, volunteers discovered that the walls had been covered in a leather material which had pomegranates etched in before it was painted over years ago. The team commissioned a heritage wallpaper company to create a lincrusta wallpaper for the space which featured pomegranates before specialists on site painted it in the original town hall colour palette of red, green and gold.

Council leader, Neil Emmott, said:

“The town hall is a historic asset and one of our borough’s most precious buildings. It’s vital that it is protected and cared for, so that this important piece of our collective history is not lost to time and decay and can be preserved for future generations.

“I’m delighted that this space has been so lovingly brought back to life and the attention to detail has ensured that it looks very similar to how it would have looked when the town hall first opened more than a century ago. It’s a masterclass in craftsmanship and skill and I can’t wait for people to see it.”

Crucial upgrades to make the space accessible to the public have also taken place. A new lift has been installed so the public gallery can be accessed by all, and a changing place toilet facility is now available.

Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and cooperation, said:

“We’ve seen the rest of the building transformed and this is the final piece of the jigsaw. This chamber is an important space, where we make decisions that affect people’s lives in a public forum which is open to all and which will now be much easier for residents to access. It’s very fitting that this space will now be able to continue to play a big role in the future of our borough, as it has in the past.”

The creation of the new Mayor’s Parlour follows the opening to the public last year of the space which previously served as the Mayor’s Parlour from 1871 until 2021, following the competition of the phase 2 restoration works.

Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Shakil Ahmed, said:

“It’s such an honour to do this job and I’m delighted to be back in this space which is so much a part of the history and the future of our borough and its people. I’d like to thank the specialists and particularly the volunteers, whose paintstaking work has allowed us to uncover and share with people even more of the heritage of this incredible place.”

The town hall has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors since reopening to the public in March 2024 and was a finalist in the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce building of the year awards 2025. People can pop in and explore the space every day (except Bank Holidays) from 10am to 4pm on their own or as part of a bookable guided tour. There are plans to introduce monthly talks in the chamber from the summer, so people can find out more about its fascinating history as a magistrates court.

Smithy Bridge resident, Andrew Hill, was one of the volunteers who worked on the project. He said:

“I lost my job and was at an incredibly low ebb when I saw an advert for a conservation training programme being run as part of the restoration project. I started in January 2024 and have been volunteering here ever since. I’ve cleaned minton tiles, restored antique furniture and helped to design the bespoke wallpaper in the mayor’s parlour. It’s been life changing for me because my self esteem was at an all time low after losing my job. I’ve really enjoyed being with lovely people and doing something so positive. I love walking past something I’ve cleaned and seeing how much better it looks.”

A complementary, lottery supported project to redevelop the Broadfield Slopes behind Rochdale Town Hall into a public park and recreation area is due to get under way in April.

The restoration of the council chamber and the Mayor’s Parlour was completed by contractors HH Smith, alongside specialist conservators, Lancashire Conservation Studio and The York Glaziers Trust. The phase 3 restoration project has been funded by the council and delivered on its behalf by Rochdale Development Agency (RDA).