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Sewers or splendour?
Would you have voted to build the Town Hall? It’s likely that if you had lived in Rochdale in 1871 you would not be sitting in a house decorated like this – far from it!
Living conditions were so bad, some argued against building a Town Hall. For them, improving the lives of ordinary Rochdalians was the main priority.
Rochdale had its fair share of problems - high death rates, bad drainage and a poor water supply. Councillor Edward Taylor was behind a new Sanitary Reform scheme to clean up the town and was the loudest voice against the proposed Town Hall. Above all, he wanted sewers, tired of two thirds of houses being exposed to ‘pestilential effluvia’. That’s untreated human waste to you!
He and many others feared that the town couldn’t afford both schemes. However, funds from the Gas Works provided a lifeline and, after the Town Hall was built, sanitary reform followed.
Taylor can be seen above your head – there’s a wooden sculpture of him on the ceiling. He’s the one shaking his fist. Listen to the audio to find out more.
Women in power
Mary Duckworth and Alice Chorlton were the first two women to be Mayor of Rochdale.
Mary took on the role in 1937, following the sudden death of her husband, James. He had been mayor for little over a month. The Town Council invited Mary to complete the remaining year of his term of office, even though she was not a member of the council herself – another first!
Following her year in office, she was asked to stand as councillor for Castleton. She won the by-election and became the first woman to be elected to Rochdale Town Council.
The first woman to become mayor by the more traditional route was Alice Chorlton. She become the first lady alderman in 1961 and took on the role of mayor in 1962. She and her husband were a dynamic political duo - he was mayor the previous year!
Alice selected her niece, Margaret Chorlton, as mayoress for the year. This made Margaret the youngest ever mayoress, at the age of just 21.
People to be proud of
Plenty of local community heroes have been welcomed to the Town Hall over the years.
The Mayor’s Parlour and Reception Room have regularly hosted events to celebrate and reward the contributions local Rochdalians have made to their communities.
Many servicemen and women have received gallantry medals here. Celebrities such as Gracie Fields have also visited. She was awarded the Freedom of the Borough here in 1937. Rochdale Hornets Rugby League Club were awarded the same accolade, following their successful 2013 season.
With redevelopment of the Town Hall underway, these presentations were made elsewhere. In 2022 Razia Shamim MBE became the first Asian woman in Rochdale to be awarded the Freedom of the Borough. She has been Chair of the Rochdale Racial Equality Council and Pakeezah Women’s Group. Her work reduces isolation among women, promoting cohesion, health and wellbeing.
Urban poverty was common in Rochdale in the late 1800s.
A view up Packer Street before the Town Hall was built.