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A tale of two clocktowers
If you look closely in the corner of the room you might just make out some damage to the walls, it is evidence of a raging fire which destroyed the original clocktower and was the impetus for the new one that towers over the town today.
Discover more about the fire which engulfed the clocktower in 1883.
Wartime nerve centre
The Town Hall was a key part of Rochdale’s defences during the Second World War. The evidence lies beneath your feet!
During World War Two, the threat of bombing from air raids was very real. Towns and cities across the country set up Civil Defence centres and first aid depots. At the Town Hall a Command Centre was built in the basement at the west end of the building. It had thick brick walls and was reinforced with a concrete roof.
In 1939, the Rochdale Observer reported that this ‘nerve centre’ was manned on a 24-hour basis, with camp beds provided for personnel. In separate basement rooms (below this wing of the building) were telephones connected to 12 phone lines. Six were set up to receive incoming reports, and six were for outgoing calls. The centre coordinated the response of the Air Raid Precautions wardens, the fire brigade, and the police.
Water and fire damaged the walls in 1883.