In a move hailed by absolutely nobody who owns a television, Rochdale has unveiled its latest attempt to make people care about art: a six-panel outdoor gallery with built-in seating, perfect for admiring cultural masterpieces while eating a Greggs sausage roll and pretending it’s Paris.
Dubbed the Square Gallery – because Pretentious Rectangle Zone didn’t test well with focus groups, the installation outside Rochdale Town Hall is set to be the glittering final act in the borough’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture. Or, as it’s more accurately known, “that thing they keep mentioning on lamppost banners nobody reads.”
According to reports from down the M62, more than 20,000 visitors have already passed through the newly improved town square in recent months, that’s more than viewers we’ve had on https://www.rochdaletimes.co.uk. While most of them were just trying to get to Poundland without tripping over a mime artist, council officials insist this proves an insatiable local appetite for interpretive dance and poetry about bins.
The gallery will play host to an exhibition curated by Rochdale’s Youth Arts Festival in March 2026, ensuring at least four people under the age of 25 will make eye contact with modern art before promptly walking away and returning to TikTok.
Cllr Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation, said: “This is a fantastic addition to the town centre, because nothing screams accessibility like making the public pay for their own exhibitions. With seating included, it’s got a really practical use too – a rare place in Rochdale you can sit down without being moved along by security.”
The gallery’s debut display features poems, a photo backdrop for selfies, and a cultural map of the town, which suspiciously omits the location of anywhere that sells lager before noon.
Not to be outdone, Arts Council England’s Jen Cleary added: “It adds an extra dimension to the redeveloped town square, which is a nice way of saying we spent the arts budget on paving slabs and called it an installation.”
The Square Gallery follows a similar gallery on Drake Street which showcases work from 30 local artists, and acts as a handy windbreak for those queuing at the bus stop while pondering the emotional weight of abstract linocuts.
Local artists interested in exhibiting at the Square Gallery are encouraged to email the council, provided they’re also happy to foot the bill for printing and installation. Because nothing says ‘supporting culture’ like charging people to provide the content.
