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1874 - 1876

Portico of Stalybridge Town Hall

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Stalybridge Town Hall was built in 1831. It saw two additional extensions during the Victorian period and was one of the finest of its kind within Greater Manchester. Robert Stanley was elected Mayor in 1874 and again in 1875 until 1876, just a minute's walk from his shop, Robert carried out his civic duties here, as well as presiding as Chief Magistrate over the thrice-weekly court petty sessions and dealing with local crime and disorder between 1867 and 1898. Christina Longden devotes separate chapters to Robert's roles as Mayor and magistrate in her biography of him.

Although it was a listed building, the local authority had begun to demolish it due to dry rot, but, shortly afterwards, it was destroyed through a fire on 18 June 1989. The perpetrators were never found. Only the portico remains to this day.

The portico stands at 100 Market St, Stalybridge, SK15 2AB. It is marked with two local blue plaques – one relating to social reformer and friend of Stanley’s, Joseph Rayner Stephens, and the other to the 1842 Plug Riots.

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Christina Longden, His Own Man: A Victorian ‘Hidden’ Muslim, The Life and Times of Robert ‘Reschid’ Stanley (Past Truisms CIC: 2019).

Christina Longden, Imagining Robert: Scenes from the life of Robert ‘Reschid’ Stanley 1828–1911 (Past Truisms CIC: 2019).

Email correspondence with Christina Longden, 2023.

Stalybridge Online, http://www.stalybridge.org.uk/photo-archive.html, permission sought for historic photo of Stalybridge Town Hall.

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