The Building Conservation Directory 2023

I N T E R I O R S 5 151 C AT H E D R A L C O M M U N I C AT I O N S T H E B U I L D I N G C O N S E R VAT I O N D I R E C T O R Y 2 0 2 3 | C E L E B R AT I N G 3 0 Y E A R S as the Exchange and Grand Staircase and a series of smaller more intimate rooms where the plaster is painted with flora and fauna including a beautiful bird motif in gold leaf. Crossland made great use of timber, with many rooms panelled at lower level and with highly decorative timber ceilings, most of which were also painted in a style that is almost naïve in places. It is Crossland’s use of stained glass that probably makes him and the building so well known. The grand staircase has nine magnificent full height stained glass windows displaying Rochdale’s trading links with the world and which, with the stone vaulted ceilings, create an exhilarating feeling of a cathedral. The Great Hall has a series of 11 large windows depicting the crowned monarchs of Great Britain with Victoria and Albert’s portrait forming the centre piece of two rose windows at either end. The portrait of Oliver Cromwell has long been commented on and is sometimes seen as symbolic of Rochdale’s radical politics. The Great Hall is the centrepiece of the building, a single space 20 m high, with 16 hammer beam trusses, 365 decorative ceiling panels, and 16 large angels holding the lights. At one end is the Magna Carta mural by Henry Holiday and at the other end the Binns organ. It is difficult to either describe or photograph this space and do it justice. The intensity of the decoration of almost every surface, the amount of gold used and Conservators from Hirst Conservation at work cleaning the finely carved stonework of the Grand Staircase and (below) peeling away layers of dirt from the ceiling paintings in the Great Hall. the deep colours of stained glass all come together to create what must be one of the most visually exciting spaces in the country. Sadly, over time, the town hall proved very challenging to maintain and changes to the interior were needed to suit the council’s evolving needs. By the 2010s the building was not fully used and in a state where significant restoration and repair was needed. In 2018 the council heard they had been successful in securing just under £9m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) which gave everyone the confidence that full scale restoration was possible.