Oldham welcomes old town hall with larger than life show
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Oldham Council recently celebrated the opening of its newly refurbished £36.7m Old Town Hall development with a special public event held on Oct 21. ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’, written by Sarah Nelson, featured an array of live music, street performances, and aerial silk performers suspended above the crowd in the new public space at Parliament Square.
The event marked the completion of works to the Grade II-Listed structure, which has been remodeled to incorporate an 800-seat, seven-screen Odeon cinema along with a host of restaurants ranging in size from 2,464 sq ft to 6,700 sq ft.
Jim McMahon, Oldham West and Royton MP, cut the ribbon on the night, which was attended by hundreds of people and included a unique, six-metre tall illuminated giant puppet, inspired by the local legend of the Oldham Giant.
Designed by BDP architects, the new development houses the cinema and restaurants within a striking modern extension to the Old Town Hall named the Lightbox. A phased opening, beginning with Odeon and Costa Coffee, will also welcome Loungers on Nov 2, as well as Nando’s and Gourmet Burger Kitchen over the next few weeks.
Councillor Jean Stretton, leader of Oldham council, said: “’On the Shoulder of Giants’ was a fantastic spectacle to behold and the perfect way to welcome the restored Old Town Hall back to Oldham.”
“The arrival of Odeon, the leading flagship restaurants and the new public square are wonderful landmarks in the continuing development of Oldham’s town centre, which continues to attract growing interest and investment. We are building on this momentum to create a new daytime and evening leisure destination for Oldham and north east Greater Manchester, which will in turn bring new jobs and visitors to the area.”
The opening is the latest phase in the extensive investment programme led by Oldham Council. At present, two units are available to let including the iconic Eygptian room (unit 4), which is the final ground floor unit and offers an exciting opportunity for an entrepreneurial restaurant operator.
