People urged to show their pride in the town hall
ACALL has been put out for residents to submit interesting photos and objects to form part of an exhibition at Rochdale town hall.
As part of the ongoing restoration project at the grade-i listed hall, a number of exhibitions are being planned to celebrate the history of Rochdale.
Now, organisers are on the lookout for any interesting objects and photos connected to the town hall to form part of the new exhibition.
Caroline Storr, heritage engagement manager at Rochdale Borough Council, said items can be donated by anyone who has a connection to the town, including those who have moved here from elsewhere or have left.
She said: “It’s a call out for any interesting photos or objects that have a golden thread of pride in them. Pride in where people have come from, being from Rochdale or living in Rochdale.
“A golden thread that’s running through our exhibition in the town hall is of pride.
“The town hall was built as the manifestation of civic pride 150 years ago and we’re telling the story not just of the town hall and its history but also the pride and people of Rochdale.
“It’s really important our exhibitions represent everybody who has an association with the borough.”
Caroline added that the items would be donated on a loan basis and will help tell the ‘shared narrative’ of Rochdale through the history of the town hall.
She also said there are plans to record videos of people telling their stories of the town hall.
Items and photos can be from anything associated with town hall such as from a wedding, gin festival or from the nightclub that used to be housed beneath the building.
“For example it might be a wedding photo, or it could be maybe a document from a citizenship ceremony,” said Caroline.
“It might be a souvenir that you’ve got from attending a particular event.
“You might have had your prom at the town hall and you might have kept a memento from that. Or it might be a piece of clothing you wore at an event at the town hall.
“There’s quite a lot of people who had jobs at the hall, everything from being a judge to working in the canteens. Objects can really resonate with people in a way that other things can’t.”
Caroline added that she wanted to include people’s stories as an exhibition solely about the history of the building could be ‘a bit flat’.
“The town hall was built to represent something and it still represents something and part of this restoration project is about representing the different people of the borough for whom it was originally built,” she said.
“It’s also looking forward to what Rochdale is today and what it could be in the future.”
To get involved with the project, email Town.hall@ rochdale.gov.uk or call Caroline on 01706 927091.