| Title: | Rochdale Town Hall, Rochdale, UK |
| Markets: | Public Realm, Cultural |
| Client: | Rochdale Council |
| Services: | Landscape architecture |
| Region: | United Kingdom |
| Status: | 2023 |
| Team: | Gillespies | Donald Insall Architects |
Tasked with reimagining Rochdale Town Hall’s setting, we have designed a dynamic town square featuring intricately engraved paving, bespoke terracotta benches, formal lawns, and vibrant planting. This lively gathering space reconnects the community and celebrates Rochdale’s unique heritage.
Rochdale Town Hall is celebrated as one of the UK’s best examples of Victorian Gothic architecture. Designed by William Crossland and opened in 1871, this Grade-I listed building symbolises the town’s prominence in the textile industry.
Over time, Rochdale Town Hall's façade and interiors had deteriorated, and accessibility issues had made it unsuitable for modern use. The surrounding external spaces, which were dominated by parking and traffic, failed to reflect the building’s landmark status.
Spearheaded by Rochdale Development Authority, with funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, the Town Hall is now undergoing a comprehensive three-phase restoration. The restoration will see the grade II-listed building’s historic rooms and features restored by conservation specialists Donald Insall Associates and its town hall square revitalised through extensive public realm improvements by Gillespies.
When tasked with revitalising the public realm, we envisioned a civic space that would extend Rochdale’s rich history beyond its intricate interiors, creating a distinctive and beautiful gathering space that reflects the building’s status and invites everyone to connect with its story and heritage.
Our proposed plans involve removing the road and parking from the Town Hall entrance to create a versatile civic square for large-scale events. At the heart of this new space, a stunning "warp and weft" carpet of natural stone, named ‘The Rochdale Carpet,’ will link the cenotaph and memorial gardens to the Town Hall entrance, adding a distinctive feature to the area. Designed by local artist Doodlher, intricate paving will showcase artwork that narrates Victorian Rochdale’s history and celebrates the town’s industrial legacy.
The combination of new formal lawns, mature trees, seasonal planting and public art interventions, including glazed terracotta benches, will create an elegant, greener public space that frames and complements the Town Hall and celebrates Rochdale’s rich history. Notably, the cherished Gracie Fields statue will remain in its original location, serving as a popular meeting point within the new civic space.
The improved public realm will re-connect the Town Hall with the grade one-listed cenotaph and memorial gardens, and other heritage and cultural points in the town, such as the river re-opening and Touchstones Museum.
