 The Rochdale-born Radical and Liberal statesman John Bright laid the foundation stone on 31 March 1866.Construction was complete by 1871 although the cost had, by then, increased beyond expectations from the projected £40,000 to £160,000 (£ in 2020).The Town Hall was one of several built in the textile towns of North West England following the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, but is one of only two in Greater Manchester built in the Gothic style.