Rochdale
Rochdale Town Hall with the "Seven Sisters" towerblocks behind
Rochdale shown within Greater Manchester
Population	95,796 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SD893130
- London	169 mi (272 km) SSE
Metropolitan borough	Rochdale
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ROCHDALE
Postcode district	OL11, OL12, OL16
Dialling code	01706
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
European Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Rochdale
List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester

Coordinates: 53°36′49″N 2°09′40″W / 53.6136, -2.161

Rochdale is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. Rochdale Town Hall is a Town hall in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England that houses much of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale Greater Manchester is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2 In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a Metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Greater Manchester is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2 The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one North West England is one of the nine official Regions of England. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The, also known as the Oldham postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Ashton-Under-Lyne, Bacup, Heywood, Littleborough The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Greater Manchester Police (" GMP " is the Home Office Police force responsible for policing the Metropolitan county of Greater The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is the county-wide statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the Metropolitan county of The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was formed on 1 July 2006 as part of Health Minister Lord Warner's plans to reduce the number of NHS North West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election Rochdale is a Borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a partial list of places in Greater Manchester, in North West England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Greater Manchester is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2 England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland ^[1] It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, 9. The Pennines are a low-rising Mountain range in Northern England and southern Scotland. The River Roch (pronounced "roach" is a River in Greater Manchester in North West England, a tributary of the River Irwell that 8 miles (15. A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States 8 km) north-northeast of the city of Manchester, and 5. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand 3 miles (8. 5 km) north-northwest of Oldham. Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock 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. The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a Metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. Rochdale has a total population of 95,796.

Historically a part of Lancashire, Rochdale's recorded history begins with an entry in the Domesday Book of 1086 under Recedham Manor. The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea Recorded history can be defined as History that has been written down or recorded by the use of Language, whereas History is a more general term referring The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey 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. The Parish of Rochdale, or Rochdale St Chad was an ancient parish which spanned both the the Salfordshire hundred of Lancashire, and the Agbrigg The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. In England, township (latin - vill) usually means a village or hamlet By 1251, Rochdale had become important enough to have been granted a market charter. Market town or market right is a legal term originating in the Medieval period for a European settlement that has the right to hold Markets 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". Northern England, The North, The North of England or (less commonly The North Country refers to the parts of England north of an ill-defined line Woollen ( American English: woolen) is the name of a Yarn and Cloth usually made from Wool. ^[2]

Rochdale rose to prominence during the 19th century as a major mill town and centre for textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. A Mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories (usually Cotton mills With the establishment of overseas colonies, the British Empire at the end of the 17th century/beginning of the 18th century had a vast source of raw materials and a vast market It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and amongst the first ever industrialised towns. A boomtown is a Community that experiences sudden and rapid population and Economic growth. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the is a process of social and economic change whereby a human group is transformed from a Pre-industrial society into an industrial one ^[3] The Rochdale Canal—one of the major navigable broad canals of Great Britain—was a highway of commerce during this time used for the haulage of cotton, wool, coal to and from the area. The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" Canal in Northern England, part of the connected system of the Canals of Great Britain. 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. Socioeconomics or socio-economics is the study of the relationship between economic activity and Social life. Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by Royal charter to Local government Districts in England, Wales and Northern ^[3] However, during the 20th century Rochdale's spinning capacity declined towards an eventual halt. ^[3]

Rochdale today is a predominantly residential town. Rochdale Town Hall—a Grade I listed building—dates from 1871 and is one of the United Kingdom's finest examples of Victorian Gothic revival architecture. Rochdale Town Hall is a Town hall in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England that houses much of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale Bolton Bury Manchester Rochdale Salford Stockport Tameside Trafford The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement which began ^[4] Rochdale is the birthplace of the Co-operative Movement. ^[5] The Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society, founded in 1844, was the first modern cooperative; the Rochdale Principles are a set of ideals for cooperatives. The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, founded in 1844 was an early Consumer co-operative, and the first to pay a patronage Dividend, forming the basis for the The Rochdale Principles are a set of ideals for the operation of Cooperatives.

History

Toponymy

Rochdale is named for its position on the River Roch at the edge of the Pennines. The River Roch (pronounced "roach" is a River in Greater Manchester in North West England, a tributary of the River Irwell that The Pennines are a low-rising Mountain range in Northern England and southern Scotland. The Domesday Book records the name as Recedham, formed from Old English reced "hall", and ham "homestead". The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey The name of the river is a back-formation from this Old English name. In Etymology, back-formation refers to the process of creating a new Lexeme (less precisely a new "word" by removing actual or supposed Affixes With time, the town's name changed to Rachedale and eventually Rochdale. ^[6] The name of the river Roch is pronounced /roʊtʃ/, with a long o. The name of the town is pronounced /ˈrɒtʃdeɪl/.

Early history

A Roman road, leading from Mamucium (Manchester) to (Eboracum) York, traversed the outlying moors of Rochdale. The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news Eboracum was a fort and City in Roman Britain. Today it is known as York, located in North Yorkshire, England. York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. ^[7]

During the Danelaw, Rochdale was frequented by incursions upon the Saxons by the Danes. The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (also known as the Danelagh; Old English: Dena lagu; Danish: Initially penetrating the area, the Saxons overthrew the Danes. A castle, from which Castleton has its name, but of which there are no traces, was one of the twelve Saxon forts probably destroyed in the frequent conflicts that occurred between the Saxons and Danes in the 10th and 11th centuries. Castleton is an area of Rochdale and an electoral ward of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England ^[7]

Rochdale appears in the Domesday Book under the name of Recedham Manor, and was part of the hundred of Salfordshire. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. Ownership of the manor belonged to The Crown in 1399, and continued so until it was purchased by John Byron, 1st Baron Byron in 1638. Throughout the Commonwealth realms The Crown is an abstract metonymic concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government John Byron 1st Baron Byron (1599-August 23 1652 was an English Royalist and supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War. It was eventually sold by the poet Lord Byron in 1823, when it passed to the Dearden family, who still hold the title. In earlier medieval times, Rochdale had been an important market town, with weekly markets held from the 13th century, and an annual fair. Market town or market right is a legal term originating in the Medieval period for a European settlement that has the right to hold Markets The market was held outside the parish church, and had a long-standing "Orator's Corner". The local reformer and Rochdale Member of Parliament, John Bright spoke in the town about Anti-Corn Law reform. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. John Bright ( 16 November 1811 &ndash 27 March 1889) Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal The Corn Laws were Import tariffs designed to support domestic British corn prices against competition from less expensive foreign-grain imports between 1815 and 1846

Industrial Revolution and cotton

Rochdale was among the world's most productive cotton spinning towns. Spinning is an ancient textile art in which plant, animal or synthetic Fibers are twisted together to form Yarn (or thread ^[3]

Governance

Civic history

The coat of arms of the former Municipal, and later County Borough of Rochdale council, granted 20 February 1857. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people Municipal boroughs were a type of Local government which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974 in Northern Ireland from 1840 to The County Borough of Rochdale was from 1889 to 1974 a Local government district coterminate with the town of Rochdale in the northwest of England Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Click here for Indian Rebellion of 1857 Year 1857 ( MDCCCLVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the The arms incorporate references to Rochdale's early industries and lords. ^[8]

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 historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea See also Lancashire The History of Lancashire begins with its establishment as a county of England in 1182, making it one of the youngest A thegn or thane was an attendant servant retainer or official in Early Medieval Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon culture. The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. ^[9]

The ancient eccelsiastical parish of Rochdale was originally divided in to four townships: Butterworth, Castleton, Hundersfield and Spotland. The Parish of Rochdale, or Rochdale St Chad was an ancient parish which spanned both the the Salfordshire hundred of Lancashire, and the Agbrigg Butterworth was a township occupying the southeastern part of the parish of Rochdale, in the hundred of Salford, Lancashire, England Castleton is an area of Rochdale and an electoral ward of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England Hundersfield was an ancient manor parish and from 1746 township, within the parish of Rochdale, in the hundred of Salford, England. Spotland is a district of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. ^[9] Hundersfield was later divided into four townships: Blatchinworth, Calderbrook, Wardleworth and Wuerdle and Wardle. Calderbrook is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. Wardleworth was a township at the geographic centre of the Parish of Rochdale, in Salford hundred, Lancashire, England. ^[9] Excluding the large chapelry of Saddleworth, which lay entirely in Yorkshire, the parish of Rochdale had an area of 65. A Chapelry was a subdivision of an Ecclesiastical parish in England, and certain areas of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th Century Saddleworth is a Civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. 4 square miles (169. 4 km²). ^[9]

There is no certain evidence that the town of Rochdale became a borough during the Middle Ages. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice ^[1]

In 1825 commissioners for the social and economic improvement of the town of Rochdale were established. ^[1] The town was made part of a parliamentary borough, in 1832, though it was in 1856 when Rochdale was incorporated as a municipal borough, giving it borough status in the United Kingdom,^[1] and in 1858 the borough council obtained the powers of the improvement commissioners. Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division usually covering urban areas that are entitled to representation in a Parliament. Municipal boroughs were a type of Local government which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974 in Northern Ireland from 1840 to Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by Royal charter to Local government Districts in England, Wales and Northern ^[1] In 1872 the remaining area of Wardleworth township and parts of Castleton, Wuerdle and Wardle, Spotland and Butterworth townships were added to the Borough of Rochdale. ^[1]

When the administrative county of Lancashire was created by the Local Government Act 1888, Rochdale was elevated to become the County Borough of Rochdale and was effectively a unitary authority area exempt from the administration of Lancashire County Council. Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974 The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict c 41 was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1888 and established County councils and County borough The County Borough of Rochdale was from 1889 to 1974 a Local government district coterminate with the town of Rochdale in the northwest of England See also Independent city A unitary authority is a type of Local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all Local government functions Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier Local authority for the Non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. ^[1] In 1900 most of Castleton Urban District was added to the borough; this urban district had included parts of Castleton, Hopwood and Thornham townships. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of Local government district that covered an Urbanised area Thornham is the name of a suburban area and Ecclesiastical parish overlapping the towns of Middleton, Royton and Rochdale, in In 1933 parts of Norden Urban District and Birtle with Bamford civil parish were added to the borough. ^[1] Since 1953 Rochdale has been twinned with Bielefeld in Germany and since 1956 with Tourcoing in France. Twin Town is a 1997 Black comedy film made and set in Swansea, south Wales, although some parts were filmed in Port Bielefeld (ˈbiːləfɛlt is a district-free town in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Tourcoing is a city and commune in the Nord department and Nord-Pas de Calais region of France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. ^[10] Under the Local Government Act 1972, the town's autonomous county borough status was abolished. The Local Government Act 1972 (1972 c 70 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in England and Wales County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (excluding Scotland) to refer to a Borough or a City The Municipal Boroughs of Middleton and Heywood, along with the Littleborough, Milnrow and Wardle Urban Districts; are now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, one of the ten metropolitan boroughs belonging to the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester. Milnrow (pop 12500 is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a Metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. Greater Manchester is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2 ^[1]

Parliamentary representation

Rochdale was one of the constituencies created by the Reform Act of 1832. Rochdale is a Borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system

It was held for two decades of the 20th century by Cyril Smith, first of the Liberal Party and then of the Liberal Democrats. Sir Cyril Smith MBE (born June 28 1928 Rochdale) is a former British Liberal Democrat Politician. The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the

Currently the town is represented in Parliament by Paul Rowen MP, a member of the Liberal Democrats. Paul John Rowen (born May 11, 1955, Rochdale) is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Rochdale.

Geography

Further information: Geography of Greater Manchester

At 53°36′50″N, 2°9′40″W (53. Norden is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. Whitworth is a village and Civil parish within the Rossendale borough of Lancashire, England. Littleborough is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. Heywood is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England Milnrow (pop 12500 is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England Middleton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. Royton (pop 21000 is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England Shaw and Crompton is a town and Civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England 6136, -2. 161), and 169 miles (272 km) north-northwest of London, Rochdale stands about 150 feet (46 m) above sea level, 9. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface 8 miles (15. 8 km) north-northeast of Manchester City Centre, in the valley of the River Roch. Manchester City Centre is the Central business district of both Manchester and Greater Manchester, in North West England. In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is The River Roch (pronounced "roach" is a River in Greater Manchester in North West England, a tributary of the River Irwell that 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. Blackstone Edge is an area of moorland at 472 metres (1323 ft high along the Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire county boundary Saddleworth Moor is an area of sparsley populated Moorland and dark millstone grit scenery typical of the West Yorkshire and East Lancashire Pennine hills of northern The South Pennines are a region of Moorland and hill country in the North of England. Whitworth is a village and Civil parish within the Rossendale borough of Lancashire, England. Milnrow (pop 12500 is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England Royton (pop 21000 is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England Heywood is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England Shaw and Crompton is a town and Civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England Rochdale experiences a temperate maritime climate, like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters. An oceanic climate (also called marine west coast climate and maritime climate) is the Climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan 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. The phrase built environment refers to the man-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity ranging from the large-scale civic surroundings to the personal places 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. In Architecture and City planning, a terrace(d or row house or townhouse (though the latter term can also refer to Patio houses Rochdale's Town Hall, seven large tower blocks and a number of former cotton mills mark the town's skyline. Rochdale Town Hall is a Town hall in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England that houses much of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale A tower block, block of flats, or apartment block, is a multi-unit High-rise Apartment building. A cotton mill is a Factory housing spinning and Weaving Machinery Cotton was a leading sector in the Industrial Revolution, as cotton The urban structure of Rochdale is regular when compared to most towns in England, its form restricted in places by its hilly upland terrain. Urban structure is the arrangement of land use in urban areas This is a link page for towns and cities in England. Traditionally in England Wales and Northern Ireland a town is any settlement which has received a charter of incorporation more Much of Rochdale's built environment is centred around a central business district in the town centre, which is the local centre of commerce. A central business district ( CBD) is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city The town centre is the term used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and mainland Europe to refer to the commercial or Geographical centre of

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. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time Land use' is also often used to refer to the distinct land use types in Zoning. For purposes of the Office for National Statistics, forms the fifth largest settlement of the Greater Manchester Urban Area,^[11] the United Kingdom's third largest conurbation. The Office for National Statistics (ONS is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly The Greater Manchester Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the large Conurbation surrounding and including the A Conurbation is formed when towns expand sufficiently that their urban areas join up with each other The M62 motorway passes to the south and southwest of Rochdale. The M62 motorway is a west&ndasheast trans-Pennine Motorway in northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull Two heavy rail lines enter Rochdale from the east, joining at Rochdale railway station before continuing southwards to the city of Manchester. Rochdale railway station serves the town of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England.

Rochdale lies in the valley of the River Roch. The River Roch (pronounced "roach" is a River in Greater Manchester in North West England, a tributary of the River Irwell that

Divisions and suburbs

Divisions and suburbs of Rochdale include Ashworth, Balderstone, Bamford, Belfield, Birch, Buckley, Buersil, Caldershaw, Castleton, Cronkeyshaw, Cutgate, Deeplish, Falinge, Fieldhouse, Firgrove, Foxholes, Halfacre, Hamer, Healey, Hurstead, Kingsway, Kirkholt, Lowerfold, Lowerplace, Marland, Meanwood, Newbold, Nook Farm, Norden, Oakenrod, Oulder Hill, Passmonds, Prickshaw, Queensway, Rooley Moor, Shawclough, Smallbridge, Smithy Bridge, Sparth Bottom, Spotland, Sudden, Syke, Thornham, Turf Hill. Buckley is a locality within Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England Healey is a surname originally from the Sligo area of the Republic of Ireland and the Gaelic word Ó hEalaighthe which derives from the word Nook Farm (sometimes called Syke Estate) is an estate of council houses situated within the area of Skye, part of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester Shawclough is a mainly residential area to the north of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England.

Demography

Rochdale has large white and Asian communities.

Landmarks

Rochdale Town Hall and War memorial.

Rochdale Town Hall

Rochdale Town Hall, designed by William Henry Crossland, was completed in 1871. Rochdale Town Hall is a Town hall in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England that houses much of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale William Henry Crossland (c 1834-1909 was a Nineteenth century Architect from Leeds, England. The original clock tower, which rose to 240 feet (73 m), was destroyed by fire in 1883. The present shorter (and less flamboyant) tower was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1887. Alfred Waterhouse (19 July 1830 – 22 August 1905 was an English Architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic revival. ^[12] One Americam academic has suggested that Adolf Hitler was so impressed with the town hall that he had plans to transport the building stone by stone to a new site in Germany if Britain lost the Second World War. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately ^[13]

The front of the building has gargoyles and gilded statues of lions which bear the traditional emblems of Rochdale, Lancashire and Yorkshire. In Architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone Grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. These are said to be a commemoration of the peace, to which Rochdale contributed, between the two historic counties. The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. Rochdale's own Gracie Fields received the Freedom of the Borough on the town hall's balcony, in front of a crowd of thousands who turned out to greet her in the pouring rain. Dame Gracie Fields, DBE ( January 9 1898 &ndash September 27 1979) born Grace Stansfield, was an English /

The River Roch flows in front of the town hall, under the widest bridge in Europe, at 1,460 feet (450 m). The River Roch (pronounced "roach" is a River in Greater Manchester in North West England, a tributary of the River Irwell that ^[14]

Parish church

St Chads Parish Church.

From a hill, the Parish Church of St Chad directly overlooks the Town Hall. Saint Chad of Mercia ( Anglo-Saxon Ceadda) (died March 2, 672) was a 7th century Anglo-Saxon churchman who became Abbot Some parts of the church date from Norman times. The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. The town stocks (no longer in use) are in the churchyard.

War memorial

This monument, bearing four flags, is opposite the town hall (to the north). 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. Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, OM, KCIE, PRA, FRIBA, LLD ( 29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944 ^[15][16]

Transport

Rail and Metrolink

Demand for cross-Pennine trade (e. g. to support the local cotton, wool and silk industries) led to the building of George Stephenson's Summit Railway Tunnel and the Rochdale Canal (from Manchester to Yorkshire - re-opened in 2003 after years of neglect, including its division by a motorway). Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species Silk is a natural Protein Fiber, some forms of which can be woven into Textiles The best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons George Stephenson ( 9 June 1781 &ndash 12 August 1848) was an English Civil engineer and mechanical engineer The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" Canal in Northern England, part of the connected system of the Canals of Great Britain. Yorkshire is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in Great Britain. The Manchester and Leeds Railway opened a station, but the line passed about a mile south of the town centre. The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839 connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Rochdale railway station serves the town of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. The station remains open, but much reduced from its heyday. Trains run south (to Manchester Victoria), east (to Halifax, Bradford and Leeds) and to Manchester Victoria via the Manchester to Rochdale via Oldham Line, (also known as the Oldham Loop). Manchester Victoria station is the second of Manchester 's mainline railway stations Halifax is a large Market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England, with a population of 82056 in the Bradford ( lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a Metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. Leeds ( is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England The Manchester to Rochdale via Oldham line or Oldham Loop Line is a local railway route in Greater Manchester, England used by trains that run from Manchester Rochdale is to be served by an extension of the Manchester Metrolink tram system, which would see the Oldham Loop converted from heavy rail to light rail. Manchester Metro redirects here - for the Manchester Metroshuttle free bus routes see Metroshuttle or First Manchester Manchester Metrolink This extension was deferred in 2004 on grounds of cost. In July 2006, however, ministers approved plans for extension from Manchester Victoria as far as the planned Rochdale Rail Station stop just outside the station. Approval for extension into Rochdale town centre, extended down Drake Street and terminating opposite Rochdale bus station, as well as into Oldham town centre, is expected in 2008.

Bus

Rochdale Bus Station is located next to the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre under a multi-storey car park. There are plans to demolish the bus station and move it across the road, where it would eventually link up with the Metrolink to provide a transport interchange.

There are frequent journeys running from Rochdale to Manchester on First Manchester's 17 service, via Middleton, or on the 24, via Royton and Chadderton, to Oldham and Ashton-under-Lyne on the 409, and to Bury and Bolton on the 471. First Manchester is one of the bus companies serving Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. There are also cross-county services into Lancashire and West Yorkshire. Rossendale Transport's 464 service runs buses to Rawtenstall and Accrington. Rossendale Transport (RT is a Bus operator running within the Borough of Rossendale (including the towns of Rawtenstall, Bacup and First Calderdale & Huddersfield run three services from Rochdale. First Calderdale & Huddersfield is one of the bus companies serving the area of West Yorkshire, England. The 528 runs to Halifax via Ripponden, the 589 runs to Burnley via Todmorden and the 590 runs to Halifax via Todmorden.

Road

The M62 motorway passes to the south of the town. The M62 motorway is a west&ndasheast trans-Pennine Motorway in northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull The motorway 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.

Sports

Rochdale's professional football team Rochdale A.F.C. play home games at Spotland Stadium, which they share with Rochdale Hornets Rugby League team. Rochdale Association Football Club is a English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Spotland is a district of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. Rochdale Hornets is an English Rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. The town's main rugby union team is Rochdale R. U. F. C. , who play in Bamford. There are two adult amateur football leagues: the Rochdale Online Alliance League and the Rochdale and District Sunday Football League.

There are a number of golf courses in the town, including Rochdale Golf Club, Marland Golf Club and Springfield Park Golf Club. ^[17] The town also has a substantial number of cricket clubs, most of which play in the Central Lancashire League. The Central Lancashire League ( CLL) is a fifteen team Cricket league traditionally based in Lancashire, England.

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 Athletic Grounds is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Armagh, Northern Ireland. The 1970s venture provided a home for the British League Division Two Belle Vue Aces juniors and the team was known as Rochdale Hornets. The Belle Vue Aces are a British speedway team from Manchester in the north west of England. For the rugby league team see Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets were a British speedway team from Rochdale in the north Peter Collins, who went on to win the 1976 World Championship and other honours, was the most famous Hornets rider. Peter Collins may refer to Peter Collins (Australian politician Peter Collins (organ builder Peter Collins (racing driver

Public services

Wind farm on Scout Moor, overlooking Rochdale below. A wind farm is a group of Wind turbines in the same location used for production of electric power

Home Office policing in Rochdale is provided by the Greater Manchester Police. The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for security and order Greater Manchester Police (" GMP " is the Home Office Police force responsible for policing the Metropolitan county of Greater The force's "(P) Division" have their headquarters for policing the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale at central Rochdale. The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a Metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. Public transport is co-ordinated by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive ( GMPTE) is the public body ( Passenger Transport Executive) responsible for co-ordinating Public transport Statutory emergency fire and rescue service is provided by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, which has one station in Rochdale on Maclure Road. The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is the county-wide statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the Metropolitan county of ^[18]

The Rochdale Infirmary in north-central Rochdale and Birch Hill Hospital at the far northeast of Rochdale near the villages of Wardle and Littleborough, are NHS hospitals administrated by Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a NHS Trust established on April 1st 2002 to manage hospitals across the north and east of Greater Manchester, England Birch Hill occupies the former Rochdale Union Workhouse at Dearnley. A workhouse, colloquially known as a spike was a place where people who were unable to support themselves could go to live and work ^[19] The North West Ambulance Service provides emergency patient transport. The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was formed on 1 July 2006 as part of Health Minister Lord Warner's plans to reduce the number of NHS Other forms of health care are provided for locally by several small clinics and surgeries. Health care is the prevention treatment and management of illness and the preservation of mental health through the services offered by the medical, Nursing

Waste management is co-ordinated by the local authority via the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority. Waste management is the collection Transport, processing, Recycling or disposal of Waste materials Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. The Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA is a Waste disposal authority created under the Local Government Act 1985 to carry out the Waste ^[20] Rochdale's Distribution Network Operator for electricity is United Utilities;^[21] there are no power stations in the town, but a Wind farm exists on Scout Moor which consists of 26 turbines on the high moors between Rawtenstall and Rochdale. Distribution Network Operators (DNOs are companies licensed to distribute electricity in Great Britain by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets. United Utilities (UU ( is a British utility company with its headquarters in Warrington which operates mainly in the North West England A power station (also referred to as generating station, power plant or powerhouse) is an industrial facility for the generation of A wind farm is a group of Wind turbines in the same location used for production of electric power Rawtenstall (pronounced "Rottenstall" ˈrɒtənˌstɔːl or ˈrɒʔnˌstɔːl is a town at the centre of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, The wind farm generates 65MW of electricity. The watt (symbol W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one Joule of energy per Second. ^[22] United Utilities also manages Rochdale's drinking and waste water;^[21] water supplies are sourced from several local reservoirs, including Watergrove, Blackstone Edge and Piethorne in Rochdale's outlying moorland. Water of sufficient quality to serve as drinking water is termed potable water whether it is used for drinking or not Distinguish from Wastwater (a lake in the Lake District in northwest England Watergrove Reservoir is a reservoir close to Wardle in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, within Greater Manchester, England. Blackstone Edge Reservoir is a reservoir in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Lancashire, England. Piethorne Reservoir is the largest of several reservoirs in the Piethorne Valley in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, within Greater Manchester ^[21]

Notable people

The 19th-century Lancashire dialect poet Edwin Waugh (1817–1890) was born and raised in the town. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of Edwin Waugh (1817 - 1890 Poet, son of a shoemaker was born at Rochdale and after a little schooling apprenticed to a printer Amongst Rochdale's most notable historical residents are a number of musicians, including female singers Gracie Fields, Lisa Stansfield (born in Heywood) and Barb Jungr, and bands Autechre, Tractor, The Chameleons and The Mock Turtles. Dame Gracie Fields, DBE ( January 9 1898 &ndash September 27 1979) born Grace Stansfield, was an English / Lisa Jane Stansfield (born April 11 1966) is a Grammy Award -nominated and BRIT Award -winning English R&B and soul Barb Jungr born 9 May 1954 in Rochdale, England is a Musical performer, Composer and Writer, of Autechre are an English Electronic music group consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth both natives of Rochdale, England. Tractor is a band founded in Rochdale, Lancashire, England by guitarist/vocalist Jim Milne and drummer Steve Clayton in 1971 The Chameleons (called The Chameleons UK on some American releases were a Dream pop / Post-punk band that formed in Middleton, For the comic opera of the same name see Mock Turtles (opera. Good Charlotte drummer Dean Butterworth also hails from Rochdale. Good Charlotte is an American rock band from Waldorf Maryland that formed in 1996 Dean "Deano" Butterworth (born September 26, 1976) is a professional Drummer. 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. John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004 known professionally as John Peel, was an English Disc jockey, radio Mark Chapman may refer to Mark David Chapman, assassin of John Lennon Mark Lindsay Chapman, British-born TV and film actor Liz Kershaw (born 30 July, 1958, in Rochdale, Lancashire) is a high-profile female UK music broadcaster Andy Kershaw (born November 9 1959 in Rochdale, Lancashire) is a British broadcaster Rochdale can also boast a number of actors and actresses; Colin Baker, Anna Friel, Bill Oddie and the aforementioned Gracie Fields all were either born or bred in Rochdale. Colin Baker (born London, 8 June 1943 is an English Actor who is best known for playing the sixth incarnation of the Doctor Anna Friel (born July 12 1976 is a Golden Globe -nominated English actress from Rochdale, in Greater Manchester. William Edgar Oddie, OBE (born 7 July 1941 is an English Actor, Writer, Comedian, Natural history Presenter Don Estelle, who was born and raised in Crumpsall, Manchester, lived for much of his life in Rochdale and was buried there in August 2003. Don Estelle ( May 22 1933 - August 2 2003) was a British actor and singer Crumpsall is a district and suburb of the city of Manchester, England. ^[23] The bestselling poet John Siddique was brought up in Rochdale and has referenced the town in several poems.

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 export Cyril Smith. John Bright ( 16 November 1811 &ndash 27 March 1889) Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal Samuel Bamford ( 28 February 1788 &ndash 13 April 1872) English radical and writer was born in Middleton, Rev Joseph Cooke (1775-1811 a Free Christian, was expelled by the Wesleyan Methodists on doctrinal grounds and became the inspiration behind the Methodist Sir Cyril Smith MBE (born June 28 1928 Rochdale) is a former British Liberal Democrat Politician.

Other notable residents of Rochdale include 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 infamously convicted wrongly of sexual assault. Nicholas Blincoe is an English author critic and screenwriter Baron Byron, of Rochdale in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of England. Monica Coghlan ( 3 May 1951 &ndash 27 April 2001) was the Prostitute at the centre of a scandal that involved English The Lesley Molseed murder involved the murder of an 11-year-old British girl in 1975

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• www.rochdale.gov.uk Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council website.
• www.link4life.org, Rochdale Boroughwide Cultural Trust.