Rochdale is a large
market town in
Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the
Pennines on the
River Roch, north-northwest of
Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of
Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the
Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, of which Rochdale is the largest settlement and administrative centre. Rochdale has a total population of 95,796 and the wider borough, 206,500.
Historically a part of Lancashire, Rochdale's recorded history begins with an entry in the Domesday Book of 1086 under Recedham Manor. The ancient parish of Rochdale was a division of the hundred of Salford and one of the largest ecclesiastical parishes in England comprising several townships. By 1251, Rochdale had become important enough to have been granted a Royal charter. Subsequently, Rochdale flourished into a centre of northern England's woollen trade, and by the early 18th century was described as being "remarkable for many wealthy merchants".
Rochdale rose to prominence during the 19th century as a major mill town and centre for textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and amongst the first ever industrialised towns. Rochdale is the birthplace of the Co-operative Movement. The Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society, founded in 1844, was the first modern cooperative; the Rochdale Principles are a set of ideals for cooperatives.
History
Toponymy
Rochdale seems to be named from its position on the
River Roch but is recorded as
Recedham in the
Domesday Book. The name is derived from from
Old English reced meaming "hall", and
ham, a "homestead". Over time, the name changed to
Rachedale and eventually
Rochdale. The river's name is a
back-formation from the Old English name, its name is , with a long
o. Rochdale however, is pronounced , with a short
o.
Early history
and Grade II
listed building in
Castleton, Greater Manchester]]
A Roman road, leading from Mamucium (Manchester) to (Eboracum) York, crossed the moors at Blackstone Edge.
During the time of the Danelaw, Rochdale was subjected to incursions by the Danes on the Saxons. The castle, from which Castleton is named, and of which no trace remains, was one of twelve Saxon forts possibly destroyed in frequent conflicts that occurred between the Saxons and Danes during the 10th and 11th centuries.
In medieval times, Rochdale was a market town, and weekly markets were held from 1250 when Edmund de Lacy obtained a grant for a market and an annual fair. By the mid 1800s the woollen trade was declining and the cotton trade which took advantage of technological developments in spinning and weaving growing in importance. Rochdale became one of the world's most productive cotton spinning towns when rose to prominence during the 19th century as a major mill town and centre for textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and amongst the first ever industrialised towns. By the end of the 19th century there were woollen mills, silk manufacturers, bleachers and dyers but cotton spinning and weaving were the dominant industries in Rochdale. The socioeconomic change brought by the success of Rochdale's textile industry in the 19th century led to its rise to borough status and it remained a dominant settlement in its region. The reformer and Member of Parliament, John Bright (1811–1889), was born in Rochdale and gained a reputation as a leader of political dissent and supporter of the Anti-Corn Law League.
Governance
Civic history
of the former
Municipal, and later
County Borough of Rochdale council, granted 20 February 1857. The arms incorporate references to Rochdale's early industries and lords.]]
Lying within the
historic county boundaries of
Lancashire since the early 12th century, Rochdale was recorded in 1066 as held by Gamel, one of the twenty-one
thegns of the
Hundred of Salfordshire.
The ancient ecclesiastical parish of Rochdale was divided in to four townships: Butterworth, Castleton, Hundersfield and Spotland. Hundersfield was later divided into four townships: Blatchinworth, Calderbrook, Wardleworth and Wuerdle and Wardle. Excluding the large chapelry of Saddleworth, which lay entirely in Yorkshire, the parish of Rochdale had an area of . In 1856 Rochdale was incorporated as a municipal borough, giving it borough status in the United Kingdom and after 1858 it obtained the powers of the improvement commissioners.
Parliamentary representation
The
Rochdale constituency was created by the
Reform Act of 1832. The constituency was held for two decades during the 20th century by
Cyril Smith, first of the
Liberal Party and then of the
Liberal Democrats. Following the 2010 General Election, the town is represented by
Simon Danczuk MP, a member of the Labour Party.
Geography
At (53.6136, -2.161), and north-northwest of
London, Rochdale stands about above
sea level, north-northeast of
Manchester city centre, in the
valley of the
River Roch.
Blackstone Edge,
Saddleworth Moor and the
South Pennines are close to the east, whilst on all other sides, Rochdale is bound by smaller towns, including
Whitworth,
Littleborough,
Milnrow,
Royton,
Heywood and
Shaw and Crompton, with little or no
green space between them. Rochdale experiences a
temperate maritime climate, like much of the
British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters. There is regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year.
Rochdale's built environment consists of a mixture of infrastructure, housing types and commercial buildings from a number of periods. Rochdale's housing stock is mixed, but has a significant amount of stone or red-brick terraced houses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rochdale's Town Hall, seven large tower blocks and a number of former cotton mills mark the town's skyline. The urban structure of Rochdale is regular when compared to most towns in England, its form restricted in places by its hilly upland terrain. Much of Rochdale's built environment is centred around a central business district in the town centre, which is the local centre of commerce.
There is a mixture of high-density urban areas, suburbs, semi-rural and rural locations in Rochdale, but overwhelmingly the land use in the town is urban. For purposes of the Office for National Statistics, it forms the fifth largest settlement of the Greater Manchester Urban Area, the United Kingdom's third largest conurbation. The M62 motorway passes to the south and southwest of Rochdale. Two heavy rail lines enter Rochdale from the east, joining at Rochdale railway station before continuing southwards to the city of Manchester.
Divisions and suburbs
Demography
As of the
2001 UK census, Rochdale had a population of 95,796. The 2001 population density was , with a 100 to 94.4 female-to-male ratio. Of those over 16 years old, 28.2% were single (never married), 44.0% married, and 8.8% divorced. Rochdale's 37,730 households included 30.4% one-person, 36.6% married couples living together, 8.4% were
co-habiting couples, and 11.1% single parents with their children. Of those aged 16–74, 37.1% had no
academic qualifications, similar to the figure for all of Rochdale, but higher than that of 28.9% in all of England. Rochdale has the highest number of
Jobseeker's Allowance claimants in Greater Manchester, with 6.1 per cent of its adult population claiming the benefit in early 2010.
Landmarks
is a
Victorian-era municipal building in Rochdale town centre.]]
Rochdale Town Hall is a
Victorian-era municipal building "widely recognised as being one of the finest municipal buildings in the country". The
Grade I listed building is the ceremonial headquarters of
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and houses local government departments, including the borough's
civil registration office. Built in the
Gothic Revival style it was inaugurated on 27 September 1871. The architect,
William Henry Crossland, won a competition held in 1864. The town hall had a
clock tower topped by a wooden spire with a gilded statue of
Saint George and the Dragon which were destroyed by fire on 10 April 1883. A new stone clock tower and spire in the style of
Manchester Town Hall was designed by
Alfred Waterhouse, and erected in 1888. Art critic
Nikolaus Pevsner described the building as possessing a "rare picturesque beauty". Its
stained glass windows, some designed by
William Morris, are credited as "the finest modern examples of their kind".
The war memorial bearing four sculpted and painted flags, is opposite the town hall. It commemorates those who died in conflicts since the First World War (1914–1918). The monument and surrounding gardens were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.
Transport
Public transport in Rochdale is co-ordinated by the
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive who own the bus station and coordinate transport services in the area.
Road
The earliest routes around Rochdale were tracks and
packhorse routes and a paved track over Blackstone Edge into
Yorkshire that had Roman origins. As trade increased the Blacksone Edge
turnpike road was built in 1735.
The M62 motorway to the south of the town is accessed via the A627(M), which starts at Sandbrook Park in Rochdale and runs to Elk Mill in Royton, Oldham. The A627(M) provides drivers a quick access to the M62 and to Oldham.
Rochdale Canal
The idea for the
Rochdale Canal emerged in 1776, when
James Brindley was commissioned to survey possible routes between
Sowerby Bridge and Manchester. However it was not until 4 April 1794 that an Act of Parliament was obtained. The broad canal which linked the
Bridgewater Canal in Manchester with the
Aire and Calder Navigation at Sowerby Bridge became a major artery of commerce between Lancashire and Yorkshire for cotton, wool, coal, limestone, timber, and salt. The canal is fed from
Hollingworth Lake. The canal fell into disuse and re-opened in 2003 after years of neglect, including its division by a motorway.
Rail and Metrolink
Demand from the cross-Pennine trade to support local
cotton,
wool and
silk industries led to the building of the
Manchester and Leeds Railway which opened in 1839 from Manchester to
Littleborough, and from
Normanton to
Hebden Bridge in 1840. The linking section opened on completion of the
Summit Tunnel in 1841.
Rochdale railway station is about a mile south of the town centre. Trains run to
Manchester Victoria,
Halifax,
Bradford and
Leeds and to Manchester Victoria via the
Oldham Loop. Services on the Oldham Loop ceased in October 2009 for conversion to an extension of the
Manchester Metrolink tram system. It was deferred in 2004 on grounds of cost but in July 2006 plans were approved for the extension from Manchester Victoria as far as Rochdale Station and is expected to be complete in 2012. Approval for extension into Rochdale town centre, via Drake Street and terminating opposite Rochdale bus station was dependent on the rejected Transport Innovation Fund.
Bus
Until 1969 the borough's bus service was provided by the municipal operator "Rochdale Corporation Transport" which was merged into the SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive.
Rochdale Bus Station is located next to the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre. There are plans to relocate it to link with the Metrolink to provide a transport interchange.
There are frequent bus services from Rochdale operated by First Manchester Buses operate to Manchester, Middleton, Royton, Chadderton, Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bury and Bolton. There are cross-county services into Lancashire and West Yorkshire. Rossendale Transport operates to Rawtenstall and Accrington. First Calderdale & Huddersfield operates to Halifax via Ripponden, Burnley via Todmorden and Halifax via Todmorden.
Education
Hopwood Hall College is a
further education college with a campus in Rochdale. It offers vocational courses for school leavers, and courses for adult learners and some
higher education.
Rochdale Sixth Form College opened in September 2010, and is the primary provider of A Level courses in Rochdale and the wider Metropolitan Borough. Most secondary schools in the area do not offer sixth form courses to students.
Religion
St Chad's Church was the mother church of the ancient
ecclesiastical parish and was founded before 1170 possibly on a
Saxon site. A local legend relates that the site was chosen by spirits and fairies as on several occasions stone for the church building was moved from near the river to the hill on which St. Chad's stands. The church is accessed from the town below by a flight of 124 steps. The town
stocks (no longer in use) are in the churchyard.
Public services
overlooking Rochdale]]
Home Office policing in Rochdale is provided by the
Greater Manchester Police and the Rochdale Division has headquarters at Town Meadow adjacent to the
Magistrate's Court.
Statutory emergency fire and rescue service is provided by the
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, which has a fire station in Rochdale centre.
Emergency healthcare is provided by Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (soon to be renamed as Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust in December 2010). The trust operates four hospitals in the North Manchester area, including the Rochdale Infirmary for the NHS. Patient transport is provided by the North West Ambulance Service. Rochdale Infirmary is the only hospital serving the town since the closure of Birch Hill Hospital which occupied the former Rochdale Union Workhouse at Dearnley in 2007.
Rochdale's Distribution Network Operator for electricity is United Utilities; there are no power stations in the town, but Scout Moor Wind Farm which has 26 turbines was built on the high moors between Rawtenstall and Rochdale. The wind farm generates 65MW of electricity. United Utilities also manage Rochdale's drinking and waste water. The club has never played above the third tier of the English league divisional structure, and before its promotion at the end of the 2009/10 season (their first promotion since 1969), had played continuously in the Football League's lowest division since 1974. However, the club reached the Football League Cup final in 1962, and lost to Norwich City.
Rochdale Hornets is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, making it one of the world's first rugby league teams.
The town is also home to non-league football team, Rochdale Town. Rochdale R.U.F.C. play in Bamford. There are two adult amateur football leagues: the Rochdale Online Alliance League and the Rochdale and District Sunday Football League.
Golf courses around the town include Rochdale Golf Club, Marland Golf Club and Springfield Park Golf Club. The town also has a number of cricket clubs, most of which play in the Central Lancashire League. Rochdale Sub-Aqua Club was formed in 1959 and remains active.
Speedway racing was staged at the Athletic Grounds in the pioneer days of 1928–1930 and returned for a short spell at the start of the 1970s. The 1970s venture provided a home for the British League Division Two Belle Vue Aces juniors and the team was known as Rochdale Hornets. Peter Collins, who went on to win the 1976 World Championship and other honours, was the most famous Hornets rider.
Notable people
The 19th-century Lancashire
dialect poet
Edwin Waugh (1817–1890) was born and raised in the town. Rochdale also has a proud liberal political heritage, as shown by such people as
John Bright,
Samuel Bamford,
Rev. Joseph Cooke and perhaps the town's most colourful personality
Cyril Smith.
Among Rochdale's residents were musicians, including singers Gracie Fields, Lisa Stansfield (born in Heywood) and Barb Jungr, and bands Autechre, Tractor, The Chameleons, The Mock Turtles and The Cassandra Complex. Good Charlotte drummer Dean Butterworth also hails from Rochdale. Broadcasters John Peel, Mark Chapman, Liz and Andy Kershaw also have links with the town, Peel having lived there for a period of time and the latter three having been born there. Actors Colin Baker, Anna Friel, and Bill Oddie were either born in Rochdale. Don Estelle, who was born and raised in Crumpsall, lived for much of his life in Rochdale and was buried there in August 2003. The bestselling poet John Siddique was brought up in Rochdale and has referred to the town in several poems.
The footballer Earl Barrett, who played for clubs including Oldham Athletic, Aston Villa, Everton and Sheffield Wednesday between 1985 and 2000, was born at Rochdale in April 1967 to Jamaican immigrant parents.
Other notable residents include businessman and philanthropist Sir Peter Ogden, musician and composer David Parton, Nicholas Blincoe, a novelist, George Gordon Byron, Lord Byron of Rochdale, Monica Coghlan, a prostitute caught up in the Lord Archer scandal, Stefan Kiszko, a local man convicted wrongly of sexual assault, and Gillian Duffy, the pensioner described as a 'bigoted woman' by outgoing Prime Minister Gordon Brown during the 2010 Election campaign.
Television
The
BBC TV school drama
Waterloo Road is set in Rochdale and was filmed at Hilltop Primary School in Kirkholt which closed in July 2005. Most of the out-of-school scene s in the series are filmed around Rochdale, and many of the pupils homes seen on television are council houses in the Kirkholt area which were mostly built in the early postwar years.
References
Notes
Bibliography
External links
www.rochdale.gov.uk Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council website.
www.pennineland.co.uk Development Arm of Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) Uniting Private & Public Sector to support the Regeneration of Rochdale Borough
www.statsandmaps.co.uk Stats and Maps is the Rochdale Borough statistics and maps website. It is a shared evidence based that provides quick and easy on-line access to data, information, and intelligence about the borough of Rochdale, and aims to meet the needs of the local community, LSP partners, and the general public
Category:Towns in Greater Manchester
