It was once a place where criminals saw their fates sealed, now it’s a grand room being opened up to the public for the first time in its history.
The old courtroom in Rochdale Town Hall now acts as the council chamber. The stunning room within the Grade I-listed building used to be the place where crooks were sentenced for offences like pick pocketing, larceny and even, in one case, stealing pigeons.
And for the first time ever, it will soon to be open for public tours.
The space has seen thousands of unfortunate residents pass through, having operated as a magistrates’ court from 1872 until around the early 1980s.
A spiral staircase, now lost to time, would have transported the accused from the borough’s police station and cells, located on the floor underneath the chamber, up to the dock.
One unlucky soul who made this trip was Joseph Fish, who was sentenced to 14 days in a reformatory (young offenders institute) after stealing four pigeons as a young teenager in the 1880s, according to historians.
This weekend (September 19 – 21), people will be able to find out about the characters who passed through, as well as the magistrates and police officers who brought them to book. This forms part of a series of tours put on as part of the national Heritage Open Days (HODs) celebration.
Historian Ruth Darling teamed up with the town hall’s volunteers to research the old courtroom and between them they unearthed a number of fascinating case studies, including that of Rebecca Pike, also known as ‘Big Becca’.
Born in 1861, Rebecca was very well known to local police and was charged with being ‘an incorrigible rogue’ in an early court appearance in 1886. A number of court appearances followed for such offences as drunkenness and obscene behaviour, including a threat to knock a man’s head off with one of her clogs.
Unfortunately, with almost no focus on rehabilitation, Rebecca was to appear before various courts countless more times, including after her move to Halifax later in her life.
Visitors will also find out about the law makers who helped put people in the dock, including Chief Constable, Samuel Stephens, who was a key figure in what was referred to as the ‘clean up’ of an area of Rochdale town centre known as ‘The Gank’. This area, which covered sites around church steps behind Rochdale Town Hall, was reputed to have been a hotbed of prostitution and criminality and had 159 ‘houses of ill repute’ and 111 beer houses.
Rochdale police detectives in the Victorian period.
Coun Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and cooperation at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “More than a year after Rochdale Town Hall reopened after its lottery and council supported restoration, our incredible staff and volunteers are still uncovering its secrets.
“These court room tours will give visitors yet another opportunity to get an insight into the history of this fantastic building, which is essentially the history of Rochdale and its people.
“What is particularly interesting about these stories is that, while much of the town hall at that time was a showcase of incredible wealth, this area put the spotlight on people who would have experienced a very different side of life and I think that will be fascinating to hear about.”
Rebecca Parkinson, known as \'Big Becca\'.
Although the Heritage Open Day tours for the old court room are now fully booked, monthly tours will be available from October, with information on how to book soon to be available on the town hall website.
A number of other events are taking place across Rochdale Borough to mark Heritage Open Days, including a behind the scenes look at the redevelopment of Touchstones, as its restoration continues, and a tour of the Middleton Heritage Trail.
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