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Town Hall, Gothic style. Exterior decoration originally included gilded statue of St. George and the Dragon on top of the tower and carved grotesques over entrance. These destroyed by fire 1883. Capitals of porte-cochere and of arcades decorated with carved animals and foliation. On parapet of porte-cochere are gilded lions carrying heraldic shields. Beneath these are fighting dogs and a winged pig on NE butress. Interior decoration includes foliated capitals in Exchange by Thomas Earp. Carved heads form label stops on great hall doorways representing the four ages of man and accompanying foliation. Great hall hammerbeams terminated by carbed, gilded angels. Mural at east end depicting signing of Magna Carta. Oak columns in small exchange surmounted by carved oak lions bearing arms of Rochdale. Corbels supporting beams in Mayor's reception room carved as portraits of George Leach Ashworth, Alderman Edward Taylor, Councillor W. A. Scott and the architect W. H. Crosland. Carved corbels in form of angels in Members' Lounge.

The plan for a new town hall was first suggested in May 1858, and in October 1859 the site of a derelict 17th century house ("the Wood") on the edge of the town centre was recommended. In April of 1860 authority was given by the council to buy the site for £4,730, but protracted negotiations and the rising price of the land meant that the scheme was abandoned for four years. By the beginning of 1864 plans had been tendered within a budget of £20,000. The contract was awarded to Leeds architect W. H. Crosland and on 31 March 1866 the foundation stone was laid by John Bright. The building took five and a half years to complete and went vastly over budget. The ornate interior decoration proved particularly costly and the final cost was £155,000, more than seven times over budget. Criticism was heaped on Crosland and George Leach Ashworth, who as Chairman of the General Purposes Committee had overseen the work. The original tower and spire was 73 metres tall, but was destroyed by fire in 1883. Dry rot had been discovered in 1882 in the woodwork of the spire and its demolition was in progress when the works caught fire on the night of 10 April 1883. It was mischievously suggested that the fire had been started by the workmen engaged on the demolition after they had discovered the unsoundness of the entire structure. It was said that Rochdale's fire service, housed in the Town Hall, took longer to get the blaze than the Oldham brigade which was five miles away.(1) The new, smaller, tower was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and built between 1885 and 1887. The new tower bears an inscribed plaque.(2)

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