Description

SD 81 SE ROCHDALE THE ESPLANADE
(north-west
side)

6/55 Rochdale Central
Library, Museum
and Art Gallery

G.V. II

Library, museum and art gallery, now library. Library 1883,
museum and art gallery 1903 and 1913. Jesse Horsfall.
Yorkshire stone with slate roof. The 1883 library consists
of a central porch and entrance hall flanked on either side
by parallel reading rooms. The 1903 extension added a
linking passage, porch, hall and stairway to the left of the
original building and a two-storey range with art gallery on
the upper floor. The 1913 extension involved further rooms
to the west and a diagonal wing, all on two storeys. The
original library has 3 gables and is symmetrical about the
smaller central one; it is all of one storey and has a low
central porch with arcaded parapet, elliptical headed door
opening with enriched spandrels, overlight enriched advanced
gablet with ball finial and 3-light mullion and transom
windows to either side with ovolo-moulding. The large
gables to either side have 5-light ovolo-moulded mullion and
transom windows with segmental heads and dripmoulds,
heraldic and inscribed panels above, and ball finials. The
linking passage is detailed similarly but has elliptical
headed 3 and 4-light mullioned windows with Art Nouveau
stained glass. The museum and art gallery has a 4-bay
central section with a 3-bay gable to the right and
diagonally-set gable to the left. Detailing is again
similar but each gable includes 3 panels of carved figures,
one representing science art and literature designed by C.J.
Allan and carved by J.J. Millson. The museum was
requisitioned in the war and has since been used as part of
the library.

Listing NGR: SD8936813188

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Touchstones Rochdale at Wikipedia
• Touchstones Rochdale official website
• Wikidata Q7828737

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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