Rochdale Central Library, Museum And Art Gallery

Rochdale Central Library, Museum and Art Gallery is a building that now functions as a library, originally constructed in 1883, with extensions for the museum and art gallery added in 1903 and 1913. Designed by Jesse Horsfall, it is built from Yorkshire stone and features a slate roof.

The original library from 1883 has a central porch and entrance hall, flanked by two parallel reading rooms. The 1903 extension introduced a linking passage, porch, hall, and stairway to the left of the original structure, along with a two-storey range that includes an art gallery on the upper floor. The 1913 extension added more rooms to the west and a diagonal wing, all on two storeys.

Architecturally, the original library has three gables, with the smaller central gable being symmetrical. It is a single storey building with a low central porch featuring an arcaded parapet, an elliptical-headed door opening with enriched spandrels, and an overlight with an advanced gablet topped with a ball finial. On either side of the entrance, there are 3-light mullion and transom windows with ovolo-moulding. The larger gables on each side have 5-light ovolo-moulded mullion and transom windows with segmental heads and dripmoulds, along with heraldic and inscribed panels above and ball finials.

The linking passage mirrors this detailing but features elliptical-headed 3 and 4-light mullioned windows adorned with Art Nouveau stained glass. The museum and art gallery section has a central 4-bay area, with a 3-bay gable on the right and a diagonally-set gable on the left. Each gable includes three panels of carved figures representing science, art, and literature, designed by C.J. Allan and carved by J.J. Millson. The museum was requisitioned during the war and has since been incorporated into the library's use.