Paul B.
Yelp
TL;DR - A truly stunning building, and free to visit!
After a long refurbishment, Rochdale Town Hall is open to the public once more. There is a paid tour, but it's also free to wander around on your own which is what we did.
The ground floor features a small exhibition area on the history of the building, and a series of restored rooms used by officials for meetings and events. The ground floor is also home to the new "Martlet Kitchen" restaurant which we didn't sample but which got an amazing review from Jay Rayner in The Guardian.
The real magic is upstairs though - the main hall is an absolutely stunning space and the ornate ceiling takes your breath away.
Even though we didn't go on the tour, the volunteers staffing the hall were very friendly and told us lots about the restoration of the space, pointing out details and telling us things we'd have missed otherwise.
A real gem of a building, free to visit, fascinating history and an outstanding restaurant on site. Why wouldn't you visit?