Ashton Under Lyne Town Hall

Ashton-under-Lyne Town Hall, built in 1840 and extended in 1878, was designed by Young and Lee. The building is constructed of ashlar and features seven by eight bays, with a five-bay extension, all rising above a basement storey. It showcases a Neo-classical style. The central five bays are accentuated by giant columns that support a dentilled entablature and a balustered parapet, which conceals the roof and includes articulating dies and a datestone. The ground floor is rusticated with round-arched openings, while the first floor windows have eared architraves. The extension mirrors this treatment but uses giant pilasters instead.

Inside, the entrance hall is marked by Ionic columns. A grand imperial staircase leads to the civic hall on the first floor, featuring cast-iron balusters and a rooflight above a coved soffit and frieze adorned with early 18th-century-style plasterwork. The civic hall boasts a concaved coffered ceiling. The extension contains the Council Chamber on the first floor, where window and door openings are set beneath round arches with classical embellishments, including palm leaf motifs. The ceiling is cross-beamed and supported by pilasters, with pitch pine doors. The 20th-century civic offices that adjoin the Town Hall are not included in this listing.