Oldham Old Town Hall
Oldham Town Hall is a landmark Grade II listed building located on a steeply sloping site within the Oldham Town Centre Conservation Area.
The Brief
Oldham Town Hall is a landmark Grade II listed building located on a steeply sloping site within the Oldham Town Centre Conservation Area. BDP's design unlocks the potential for the adaptive reuse of the former Town Hall, reinstating it as a focal point within a revitalised Cultural Quarter. The scheme retains all three principal sandstone and red-brick elevations and restores the most significant historic interiors, while a new glass and sandstone extension resolves complex level changes and circulation constraints and completes the western elevation with a striking 'light-box' frontage addressing a new public square.
The Challenge
Resolve complex level changes and circulation across a steep, listed site while creating a striking nocturnal landmark and a sensitive, atmospheric interior, re-establishing the building as a key civic and cultural destination.
What we delivered
Staircase: wayfinding lighting integrated into the undersides of handrails using linear LED systems, a discreet solution that maintains a clean architectural expression.
Interior: a bespoke chandelier developed with Mike Stoane Lighting from their high-tech modular system, discreetly suspended above the stairwell, with individually positioned directional luminaires creating a dappled effect and power feeds integrated within the suspension cables.
Façade: the expansive illuminated façade is dramatically reflected across rain-soaked sandstone in Oldham's Parliament Square, creating a striking nocturnal scene with a cinematic, film-noir quality.
Cinema concourse: minimal downlighting provides focused pools of light at floor level for safe movement, while high-level, narrow dual-aspect beam luminaires emphasise the original glazed brick pilasters and architectural rhythm.
Giorgos contributed to the lighting design from concept through to completion. He was responsible for on-site mock-ups to ensure the design intent was fully realised, led the commissioning process to achieve the required performance and visual quality, and oversaw technical compliance and quality assurance throughout, working closely with the contractor and wider design team to ensure a coordinated and robust installation.
Project images
Photos by Nick Caville. Photos and graphics by BDP. Press: RIBA Journal feature on the Old Town Hall cinema, Oldham.
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