Rochdale Museum, The Old Vicarage

The Rochdale Museum, also known as The Old Vicarage, is a building dating from around 1724, with substantial alterations around 1820. Constructed primarily of brick with a stone basement, it features stone detailing, a 20th-century tile roof, and stone slate roofing. The design is of a double-depth plan with a central staircase, and was later extended to the left and right. The building has two main storeys with an attic and two basement levels, displaying five bays, with a two-bay addition to the left and a gabled single-storey addition to the right. The windows are eight-pane sashes set within flat-gauged brick arches, with stone sills and keystones. A square bay window is present in the left addition. The front entrance has a six-panel fielded door with an overlight, surmounted by a segmental hood featuring carved shell and cherub detail supported on enriched console brackets. A wood modillion eaves cornice runs around the left addition and over the central gable. Stone quoins are clearly visible.

The rear facade, dating from around 1820, incorporates re-used stone mullioned windows and a door surround. A projecting stair bay is also present. The interiors retain good panelling throughout many rooms. The entrance hall connects with the staircase via a segmental arch with panelled pilasters, a keystone, and a soffit. The original staircase features an open string, column-on-vase balusters, and a deep handrail. The building is said to have been built for Samuel Dunster D.D. in 1724, who based the design on a house in Marlborough Street, London.