What it all means

We are Rochdale

The decoration within the Town Hall records how Rochdale saw itself at the time that it was built.
The town’s coat of arms can be seen everywhere, highlighting a sense of pride in Rochdale’s identity. Alongside this, the decoration blends together several themes with fashionable Victorian ideas and motifs.
You’ll find these in all the rooms you visit today. See if you can follow the threads of the different themes and stories.

Industry and nature

Many of the rooms tell the story of the textile industry and its impact on Rochdale. The paintings in the Old Council Chamber, and images in the stained glass, define Rochdale as an industrial town built on natural raw materials.

A place in the world

With trade and industry came new markets, trading partners, links to ports and far off places across the globe. These links are showcased, highlighting Rochdale’s place in the ‘modern world’ of the mid-late 1800s.

Kings, Queens and Citizens

Royal crests are seen in many rooms, on tiles and stained glass, alongside Rochdale’s own coat of arms. The stained glass in the Great Hall celebrates the pageantry of English monarchs from William the Conqueror through to Queen Victoria.

Rochdale identifies itself clearly as a place of radical, but democratic, ideas. The principles of Magna Carta are celebrated in a mural in the Great Hall and a bust of reforming politician John Bright sits on the Grand Staircase.