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Rochdale (pronounced ɹɒtʃ'deɪl) is a large town in the north-west of England in Greater Manchester and is a former Lancashire mill town. It has a population of 94,000, making it the largest constituent town of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale (which has a population of about 206,000 according to the 2001 census).
Location
The town is located at 53°37′00″N 02°09′00″W / 53.61667°N 2.15000°W / 53.61667; -2.15000 (53.6167, -2.1500).
Etymology
Rochdale gets its name from its position on the River Roch at the edge of the Pennines. The Domesday Book records the town's name as Recedham, which is made up of Rached (Celtic river name) and ham (OE homestead). Over time this changed to Rachedale and finally Rochdale.
Twin towns
Rochdale is twinned with the towns of:
Architecture
Rochdale town hall
It has a fine Victorian Town Hall, finished in 1871. The original clock tower was destroyed by fire in 1883, and the present tower was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1887. The stained glass window, which is in the southernmost part of the building, was supposed to be one of Hitler's top-priority items for acquisition, should he win the war.
This town hall is built directly next to the underground location where the River Roch flows underneath the town.
The front of the town hall has gargoyles, as well as golden statues of lions which have the emblems of Rochdale, Lancashire and Yorkshire on them. These are said to be a commemoration of the peace between the two counties, Rochdale being one of the towns helping to achieve it.
The town hall is also home to the memorial for those who lost their lives during the war. It has four flags, and is dedicated to those whose memory will live on.
(Buildings of South Lancashire, C. Hartwell, 2004, p.595).
Other notable buildings
Another famous Rochdale landmark is the "Black Box", or the Council offices and bus station, built in the mid 1970s. Between Rochdale and neighbouring Littleborough is Clegg Hall, a 17th century manor house that is currently undergoing a restoration project which hopes to return it to its original state.
Transport
Railways
The borough's location as a crossroads for trade between east and west England saw the building of George Stephenson's Summit Rail Tunnel and the Rochdale Canal from Manchester to Yorkshire (re-opened in 2003 following years of neglect after an east-west motorway cut through it) supporting local textile industries of cotton, wool and silk.
The Manchester and Leeds Railway opened a station serving the town, but the line passed about a mile south of the town centre. The station remains open though much reduced in size from its heyday.
Roads
The M62 motorway passes to the south of the town.
The centre of rochdale is built over a large portion of the river Roch, and is in the Guiness Book of records as the worlds widest bridge, its length is of course only a matter of metres, but its width is almost the town centres whole width.
Metrolink
The town is to be served by an extension of the Manchester Metrolink tram system. The scheme had been put in abeyance in 2004 amid Government fears the cost was too high. But it now looks like going ahead after ministers approved plans in July 2006 to link Oldham with Manchester Victoria. Under plans to be approved next year, the scheme will be extended from Oldham to Rochdale. Trams will travel from Rochdale bus station, stop at Drake Street and on to the town's train station. The link will then use the old Oldham loop line to get to Manchester Victoria.
The co-operative movement
Rochdale is perhaps best known for being the birthplace of the Co-operative movement. A museum now exists at Toad Lane, the site of the Rochdale Pioneers. Rochdale College in Toronto, Canada, a now-closed co-operative housing and alternative education experiment, was named in honour of the town of Rochdale as a tribute to its historic importance for the co-operative movement.
This Co-operative movement also includes the national supermarket chain, the Co-operative supermarket, which once started where the town centre shopping centre was; a memorial of three brass sheep represents the Lancashire traditions and beginnings of the Co-Op.
Notable people from Rochdale
Rochdale is known as the home town of:
- The Chameleons, rock music group
- The Mock Turtles, rock music group
- Autechre, electronic music group
- John Bright, Free Trade orator and MP
- Gracie Fields, singing star
- Anna Friel, actress
- Liz Kershaw, broadcaster
- Andy Kershaw, broadcaster
- Sir Cyril Smith, larger-than-life Liberal politician
- Lisa Stansfield, singer
- Colin Baker, actor, althought not born in Rochdale Colin moved there and was raised in his early life.
- Dr Timothy Pearce, eminent physician worked at Rochdale infirmary in his early career.
- Richard Tang, founder of Zen Internet.
Sport
Rochdale has a professional football team - Rochdale A.F.C. (Association Football Club) - who play their home games at Spotland Stadium, a ground they share with the town's Rugby League team Rochdale Hornets.
Arts
Arts organisations based in Rochdale include:
- Backdoor Music Project, for local youths with bi-weekly performances at a number of venues.
- Skylight Circus, allowing youths to practise many forms of circus performance arts.
- M6 Theatre Company, a touring theatre company which creates plays for young people.
- Touchstones, an art gallery and museum.
- Rochdale Music Collective, an organisation of local bands set up to help organise, teach, resource and provide a platform for local musicians.
- Rochdale Music Service - an extremely sucessful organisation for youth music in Rochdale.
External links
- Rochdale Metropolitan Council website
- Rochdale Online web portal with news and information.
- Rochdale Observer - website for Rochdale's newspaper.
- Rochdale Local Studies
- Save Spodden Valley
