Vital repairs to Rochdale Town Hall roof begin

Rochdale Town Hall will begin to undergo much-needed restoration on its damaged roof this week, reports manchestereveningnews.co.uk.

The 142-year-old building is Grade I listed so it will require some delicate workmanship, which is why English Heritage staff will be working alongside the builders, council staff and Rochdale Development Agency. They will even have to be careful with the scaffolding around the building, so the builders will be setting up freestanding scaffolding to ensure it doesn’t damage the hall.

According to rochdaleonline.co.uk, the roof is currently leaking and although these leaks are small, they could cause some real damage to the inside of the building so they need to be urgently repaired.

Builders will need to remove 30 tonnes of slate tiles from the roof in order to get to the timber underneath to repair it. It possible that the builders will choose to use roofing membranes in order to prevent any leaks from recurring. Replacement tiles will come from the same place they were originally sourced from in 1870, the Burlington Slate quarry.

Councillor Martin Burke, cabinet member of arts and heritage, said: “This is a really exciting project because it will ensure our greatest treasure is protected for future generations to enjoy. We have worked hard with key interested parties, including English Heritage, to ensure that every aspect of this project is undertaken in a way that will preserve the unique and stunning features of this building, which we are incredibly proud of.”