Burnley Town Hall: Dry rot in Grade-II listed building

Burnley Town Hall was opened on 27 October 1888

Dry rot has attacked the ceiling of Burnley Town Hall's council chamber.

The fungus has caused structural damage to the space below the roof in the Grade II-listed town hall.

Repair work is now under way in the three-storey Victorian building.

The council has submitted a planning application for the ceiling's restoration. Meanwhile investigations into the spread of the rot and the damage it has caused will also be carried out.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the application had outlined the "identification of dry rot, historical water ingress and structural failure within the roof void above the ceiling."

The document said Robinson Preservation Ltd undertook an inspection in November 2021 of suspected dry rot fungal growth located in the high level ornate cornice detail at the building in Manchester Road.

Several other concerns were also identified, including movement of the external wall and timber elements that require stabilisation and reinforcement.

Blackett-Ord Conservation Engineers have undertaken a number of inspections of the roof void and have provided a specification for the structural remedial works and restoration, the document added.

Burnley Town Hall was designed by architects Holtom and Fox of Dewsbury in the Renaissance style and was constructed from sandstone ashlar with a slate roof and copper-clad dome.

It was opened on 27 October 1888.