Artists and Makers

Creativity and craftmanship

One of Crossland’s strengths was to gather together one of the foremost teams of artists and craftsmen to work on the interior of the town hall with him.
Their work is still remarkably intact. It combines the very best of the neo-Gothic style with a lightness of touch that is progressive and looks towards the emerging Arts and Crafts movement. This means it is less formal and has a strong emphasis on nature.

These designs were influenced by a growing belief in the need for social and economic reform. This went hand-in-hand with the use of local vernacular styles. These were more influenced by domestic rather than monumental public architecture.

These influences created the Town Hall’s unique quality that makes it very special.

Heaton, Butler and Bayne

Clement Heaton founded the leading stained glass company Heaton, Butler and Bayne in the mid 1800s. The company’s work can be found all over the world. What you can see in the Town Hall today is typical of their mature work. They created bold designs influenced by their partnership with artist Henry Holiday. They also used a wide range of rich colours, developed from Heaton’s research into medieval glass techniques.

Carved beauty

William Snowdon was a local cabinet maker and upholsterer. He had a workshop on Packer Street, just along from the Town Hall.

Building accounts record he was paid to create the furniture, soft furnishings and some carving and ironmongery. Bespoke furniture was created for each room and it was an important part of the vision for the look of the building as a whole.

Thomas Earp specialised in church sculpture and stone carving. He worked in stone, timber, alabaster, and marble. With business partner Edwin Hobbs, he had a workshop on Mosley Street in Manchester.

Their stunning work includes the decorative stone capitals in The Exchange and fantastic gargoyles on the outside of the building. It is said that his work in Rochdale was his best.

Only the best will do

William Best was a jack of all trades. A painter, paper hanger, carver, and gilder, he was also described generally as a ‘decorator’. Clement Heaton oversaw the decoration in many of the rooms in the Town Hall. We know that Best painted certain public rooms, including the Refreshment Room and the Library, which is now the Bright Hall.

Henry Holiday was a trained fine artist who had links to pre-Raphaelite artists such as William Morris. He worked as a painter and stained glass artist. He was commissioned by Head Designer Clement Heaton to create the mural of the Signing of Magna Carta, in the Great Hall. He did not enjoy his stay in Rochdale, writing in his memoir that the people were unfriendly.