Portico of Former Stalybridge Town Hall

The portico of the former Stalybridge Town Hall, built in 1831, has been modified in the late 1980s and is now freestanding as of 2021. It is constructed from ashlar stone.

The west portico features two outer Tuscan pilasters and two inner Tuscan columns that support a deep Doric entablature. This entablature includes a plain architrave, a triglyph and metope frieze, and a mutule cornice topped with a moulded triangular pediment. The bases of the columns are protected by painted cast-iron bands. Within the portico, there is a central full-height, round-headed doorway flanked by pilaster jambs, with panelled spandrels and a double giant keystone. There are also two narrower and lower outer doorways, which share similar design elements, including pilaster jambs, panelled spandrels, and giant keystones. Above both doorways is a square window aperture.

The portico is flanked by the original ground floor walls, which feature a deep moulded plinth and modern stone coping at the cornice level. Additionally, the outer pilasters display two modern blue plaques placed by Tameside Metropolitan Borough. These plaques commemorate Joseph Rayner Stephens, an important Chartist leader who lived in Stalybridge later in life, and the First General Strike of 1842, which originated in the area.