Lord Protector and Two Kings, Rochdale Town Hall

Image: © David Dixon Taken: 15 Feb 2017

The most impressive feature of the Great Hall is the series of stained glass windows which contain a series of portraits of the kings and queens of England and Britain together with their Royal arms. The sequence begins in the north west corner of the hall with William the Conqueror and ends in the south west corner with William IV. One window is unusual, however, in that the central figure was not a king. From left to right, we have Charles I who was beheaded on Tuesday 30 January 1649. Following this the British monarchy was abolished and a republic called the Commonwealth of England was declared. The central figure is Oliver Cromwell who had been a leading figure in the Civil War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War and was declared Lord Protector in 1653. The third figure is Charles II, the son of Charles I. Charles II became king in 1660 when the monarchy was restored https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoration_(England) after the collapse of the Protectorate following the death of Oliver Cromwell.

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