Rooms

When Rochdale Town Hall first opened, you weren’t allowed to look around in this room, visitors were only meant to watch and listen.

This was the first purpose-built council chamber in Rochdale. Previously, the council met in all sorts of different buildings to conduct the town’s business. The room is full of pictures which show how the council saw the town’s industrial history. Here they could discuss, debate, and often disagree in style.

An oak screen used to keep the public separate from the meetings. Later on a glass extension was added. This kept the noise out and stopped tomatoes being thrown at councillors.