Museum education and lectures
Touchstones Rochdale is an integrated arts and heritage
service providing schools and community groups with a fantastic
opportunity to access local studies, art and museum collections all
under one roof!
What does the education programme offer teachers and group
organisers?
- A full programme of workshops and activities to complement our
collections tailored to the needs of both schools and community
groups.
- Help in planning visits.
- Advice, ideas, suggestions, practical information.
- Resources for preparation or follow-up .
- Pre-visit planning session
- Loan boxes –containing artefacts to complement the teaching of
National Curriculum history units.
- Inset sessions -tailor made to suit the needs of your
particular school.
Educational aims of Touchstones
- To promote an interest in art and heritage through contact with
original sources, evidence and local resources
- To offer specialist advice, resources and assistance to
educational users of the museum, galleries and archives
- To encourage the development of historical understanding and
research skills
About Touchstones Rochdale
Touchstones Rochdale is based in the town’s former Central
Library in a building dating back to 1884. With the assistance of a
grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund a new museum and local
studies/archive centre opened in the building in 2002. They joined
four art galleries, a heritage gallery, a tourist information
centre, bookshop, café and education centre. Touchstones Rochdale
also has facilities for hire for meetings and presentations.
The service also operates an off site arts and heritage
resource centre. This is a purpose-equipped store and research
facility giving access to a huge number of artefacts, documents and
art works not currently on public display.
About our collections
Our Museum collections are varied and include:
- archaeology
- costume
- social history
- decorative arts
- Egyptian artefacts
- Objects related to prominent Rochdale personalities
Our Art collections includes prints, paintings, drawings and
sculpture including Victorian genre paintings, landscape and
portraits, 18th and 19th century watercolours, 20th century
Modernist paintings and a small collection of 17th century Old
Masters paintings.
Our Local Studies Centre houses local photographs, censuses,
logbooks, electoral rolls, newspapers etc.