Editing Oldham (section)

=== Town Hall ===
Oldham's [[Old Town Hall, Oldham|Old Town Hall]] is a Grade II listed [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] [[Neoclassical architecture|neo-classical]] [[City hall|town hall]] built in 1841,<ref>{{NHLE| desc=Town Hall  |num=1201655 | access-date=14 November 2007 |mode=cs2}}</ref> eight years before Oldham received its [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough status]].<ref name="Town Hall">{{citation |last=Ottewell |first=David |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/221/221793_in_danger_our_creaking_monuments_to_civic_pride.html |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |title=In danger, our creaking monuments to civic pride |date=26 August 2006 |access-date=1 November 2007 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528131002/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/in-danger-our-creaking-monuments-to-civic-pride-1039832 |url-status=live }}</ref> One of the last purpose-built town halls in northwest England,<ref name="Oldham Beyond" /> it has a tetrastyle [[Ionic order|Ionic]] [[portico]], copied from the temple of [[Ceres (Roman mythology)|Ceres]], on the [[Ilissos|River Ilissos]], near [[Athens]].<ref name="Vision of Oldham" /> [[Winston Churchill]] made his inaugural acceptance speech from the steps of the town hall when he was first elected as a Conservative MP in 1900. A [[Blue Plaque]] on the exterior of the building commemorates the event.<ref name="No idea" /> Long existing as the political centre of the town, complete with [[courtroom]]s, the structure stood empty for many years from the mid-1980s and was regularly earmarked for redevelopment as part of regeneration project proposals, but none were actioned before plans dating to 2012 were completed in 2016.<ref name="Oldham Heart" /><ref name="Town Hall" /><ref name="No idea" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oldham.gov.uk/working/regeneration/regeneration_projects/town-centre-redevelopment.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315075235/http://www.oldham.gov.uk/working/regeneration/regeneration_projects/town-centre-redevelopment.htm |archive-date=15 March 2008 |title=Town Centre Redevelopment |publisher=oldham.gov.uk |author=[[Metropolitan Borough of Oldham|Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council]] |access-date=9 June 2009}}</ref>

In September 2008, it was reported that "Oldham Town Hall is only months away from a major roof collapse".<ref name="Shame">{{citation |url=http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news/13636/the-crumbling-shame-of-our-town-hall |publisher=[[Oldham Evening Chronicle|oldham-chronicle.co.uk]] |date=4 September 2008 |access-date=4 September 2008 |title=The crumbling shame of our town hall |last=Barker |first=Janice |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916142841/http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news/13636/the-crumbling-shame-of-our-town-hall |archive-date=16 September 2008 }}</ref> A tour taken by local councillors and media concluded with an account that "chunks of masonry are falling from the ceilings on a daily basis&nbsp;... the floors are littered with dead pigeons and&nbsp;... revealed that the building is literally rotting away".<ref name="No idea">{{citation |url=http://www.oldhamadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/1065196_out_of_ideas_for_the_old_town_hall |title=Out of ideas for the old Town Hall |last=Sykes |first=Lee |date=3 September 2008 |access-date=4 September 2008 |publisher=[[Oldham Advertiser|oldhamadvertiser.co.uk]] |archive-date=4 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204012547/http://www.oldhamadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/1065196_out_of_ideas_for_the_old_town_hall |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Shame" /> In October 2009 the [[Victorian Society]], a charity responsible for the study and protection of Britain's Victorian and Edwardian architecture, declared Oldham Town Hall as the most endangered Victorian structure in [[England and Wales]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/news/we-reveal-our-top-ten-endangered-buildings-for-2009/ |publisher=victoriansociety.org.uk |author-link=Victorian Society |author=The Victorian Society |year=2009 |access-date=15 October 2009 |title=We reveal our Top Ten Endangered buildings for 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091105120900/http://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/news/we-reveal-our-top-ten-endangered-buildings-for-2009 |archive-date=5 November 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/historic-buildings/art72630 |publisher=culture24.org.uk |author=Culture24 Staff |date=12 October 2009 |title=Victorian Society reveals 10 most endangered buildings in England and Wales |access-date=15 October 2009 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304185357/http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/historic-buildings/art72630 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/31012/town-hall-on-atrisk-list |publisher=oldham-chronicle.co.uk |work=[[Oldham Evening Chronicle]] |date=12 October 2009 |title=Town hall on 'at-risk' list |first=Marina |last=Berry |access-date=15 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724003340/http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/31012/town-hall-on-atrisk-list |archive-date=24 July 2011 }}</ref>
Plans to convert the hall into a leisure complex, incorporating a cinema and restaurants, were revealed in May 2012 with the hall itself being used for public consultation.<ref>{{cite web |first=Andrew |last=Rudkin |url=http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/70218/town-hall-revamp-revealed |title=Town Hall Revamp Revealed |publisher=oldham-chronicle.co.uk |work=[[Oldham Evening Chronicle]] |date=30 May 2012 |access-date=13 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120703053333/http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/70218/town-hall-revamp-revealed |archive-date=3 July 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Dawn |last=Marsden |url=http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/69905/picture-this-plan-for-old-town-hall |title=Picture this – plan for old town hall |publisher=oldham-chronicle.co.uk |work=[[Oldham Evening Chronicle]] |date=21 May 2012 |access-date=13 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625075151/http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/69905/picture-this-plan-for-old-town-hall |archive-date=25 June 2012 }}</ref> This £36.72 million project was completed in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/oldham-odeon-cinema-town-hall-12038561|title=Oldham's Old Town Hall has been transformed into a £37m cinema and leisure complex... here's what it looks like|date=18 October 2016|publisher=Manchester Evening News|access-date=6 July 2020|archive-date=21 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721234640/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/oldham-odeon-cinema-town-hall-12038561|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the heart of Oldham's retail district, the Old Town Hall has been developed into a modern multiplex [[Odeon Cinemas|Odeon cinema]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldham.gov.uk/oldtownhall|title=Oldham Council online information – Business – Invest in Oldham – The place – Investment schemes – Old Town Hall|first=Oldham|last=Council|website=www.oldham.gov.uk|access-date=3 July 2015|archive-date=5 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705055202/http://www.oldham.gov.uk/oldtownhall|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Alex |last=Bell |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/oldhams-old-town-hall-regeneration-8494984 |title=Oldham's 'Old Town Hall' regeneration project will create 230 jobs and provide major economic boost |publisher=manchestereveningnews.co.uk |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=21 March 2015 |archive-date=30 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530153837/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/oldhams-old-town-hall-regeneration-8494984 |url-status=live }}</ref>