Rochdale Town Hall

Rochdale Town Hall, designed by William H Crossland and opened in 1871, stands as one of the most historically significant buildings in the country – described by Historic England as being ‘rivalled in importance only by those contained within the Palace of Westminster’. But by early in the 21st century, the building fabric had become highly compromised and deemed unfit for the changing needs of Rochdale Borough Council. 

In addition to extensive repair and restoration work undertaken to the most historically significant areas such as The Great Hall and the Mayor’s suite of rooms, previously unseen spaces are now accessible to the public for the first time. 

Over the past century, heating, ventilation and electrical installations have been unthoughtfully applied resulting in an uncared for institutional appearance to the interior. Full new mechanical and electrical installations throughout have meant that all services distribution routes are now concealed, restoring the interior to its original appearance, and bringing modern levels of comfort and efficiency. Better zoning of heating and lighting means better control and lower energy consumption, working with the new roof insulation and double-glazed windows. We restored and reused existing historic radiators so that the building is more efficient and comfortable than it ever has been - and more flexible.

A Salix Grant funded an air source heat pump and new power supply to electrify the heating system and kitchens and reduce the dependence on gas. We estimate these interventions in combination will see a 55% reduction in carbon emissions, with the infrastructure now in place to deliver a net zero carbon, fully electrified building in the future.