Step Inside the Dock: Historic Rochdale Courtroom Opens to the Public

Rochdale – A grand chamber in Rochdale Town Hall, where the fates of petty criminals were once sealed, is set to welcome the public for the first time in its history, revealing tales of stolen pigeons, notorious rogues, and the tough justice of a bygone era.

The stunning room within the Grade I-listed building, which now serves as the council chamber, operated as a bustling magistrates’ court from 1872 until the early 1980s. For over a century, thousands of residents passed through its doors to be sentenced for offences ranging from pickpocketing and larceny to public drunkenness.

Now, as part of the national Heritage Open Days celebration, visitors will be able to step into the space and learn about its dramatic past.

The tours will bring to life the courtroom's history, including the story of a long-lost spiral staircase that once transported the accused from the borough’s police cells on the floor below directly up into the dock to face the magistrate.

Thanks to research by historian Ruth Darling and a team of dedicated town hall volunteers, the stories of those who passed through the court are being revived. Among them is Joseph Fish, a young teenager who, in the 1880s, was sentenced to 14 days in a reformatory for the crime of stealing four pigeons.

Visitors will also learn about more infamous characters like Rebecca Pike, known locally as ‘Big Becca’. Born in 1861, she was a familiar face to local police, charged as an ‘incorrigible rogue’ in an early court appearance in 1886. Her record grew to include numerous offences for drunkenness and obscene behaviour, with one report noting a threat to knock a man’s head off with one of her clogs. Historians note her life was a cycle of crime and punishment in an era with little focus on rehabilitation.

The tours also shine a light on the law-makers of the time, including Chief Constable Samuel Stephens. He was a key figure in what was known as the ‘clean up’ of ‘The Gank’, an area behind the Town Hall reputed to be a hotbed of criminality with 159 ‘houses of ill repute’ and 111 beer houses.

The initial series of tours, running from September 19th to 21st, proved so popular they are now fully booked. However, for those who missed out, the town hall has announced that monthly tours of the historic courtroom will be available from October.

Information on how to book the upcoming monthly tours will be made available soon on the Rochdale Town Hall website.

The courtroom tour is one of several events taking place across the Rochdale Borough to mark Heritage Open Days, which also include a behind-the-scenes look at the redevelopment of Touchstones and a tour of the Middleton Heritage Trail.