Where We Going Mummy: Rochdale Town Hall

Catherine Aspinall, a local mum of two lively children and an equally energetic pug, shares her top family day out ideas. With a love for exploring and the outdoors, Catherine and her family are always out and about, having fun adventures in Rochdale & the North West. Follow on Facebook & Instagram @wherewegoingmummy

ROCHDALE TOWN HALL

• The Esplanade, Rochdale, OL16 1AZ

• We would park at the Rochdale Riverside multi-storey (OL16 1BE) for ease, but there are also car parks on Church Lane (OL16 1NY)

• The Town Hall is open daily between 10am-4pm

• Entrance to the Town Hall is FREE, but you can book a paid guided tour

• The venue is accessible to prams and to wheelchairs

• The restaurant is due to open in May

We were so excited to visit Rochdale’s latest tourist attraction - the very impressive, newly refurbished Town Hall! We have ogled the outside of the building numerous times, such as when visiting the fabulous Ignite Fire Festival and completing the Rochdale Fun Run, but have obviously never got to see inside.

However, we were still unsure about how this outing would go down with the kids and entered with trepidation… would they just run wild and be loud, feral and annoying?!

Well, no… once inside they were simply stunned, and were absolutely wowed by The Exchange with its huge staircase and beautiful stained-glass.

Of course, Gothic architecture was not going to capture their attention for long, but not to worry, as whilst exploring all the rooms and exhibitions we discovered that they could build a miniature version of the Town Hall, do brass rubbing, complete stained-glass window puzzles, actually dress up as the Mayor and even do Bollywood dancing.

We were really impressed with how well the kids were catered for, with lots of little interactive features and audio stations for them to listen to rather than having to read a lot of detailed information. They were very amused by the special toilet in the old Council Chamber (we are still very much in a toilet humour stage) and were equally as horrified by stories of the fire which destroyed the spire in 1883.

The kids loved it so much that we even went for a second visit the very next day!

It’s such a great addition to the town and something we should be proud of. It's beautiful, the history of it is really interesting and it will not cost you a penny to pay it a visit.

The Town Hall is also set to host a lot of events for families and children going forward and we will be keeping our eyes peeled for those. I’ve heard whispers of theatre shows, an immersive, inflatable art installation and even a Family Rave!! Visit rochdaletownhall.co.uk for more details.