Interesting things to know about the borough of Rochdale

Pioneering and historical: information about the borough

  • In 2010, archaeologists unearthed a ‘mini Stonehenge' on the moors of Rochdale. An oval ring of collapsed slabs and a 30-metre circle of rounded stones were discovered by a team who believed them to be ancient burial sites dating back as far as 5,000 years.
  • Rochdale appears in the Domesday Book under the name Recedham Manor and was part of the Salford Hundred.
  • Castleton was home to Rochdale castle until the early 13th century when it was abandoned. Buildings have been built over the castle bailey and in the 19th century, a house was constructed on the motte.
  • Thomas Langley, once Bishop of London and Durham was born in Middleton. Langley estate is named after him as well as Cardinal Langley RC High School.
  • The Flodden Window (a war memorial dedicated to The Middleton Archers), in the Grade I-listed Church of St Leonard in Middleton, is said to be the oldest war memorial in the United Kingdom. Sir Richard Assheton of Middleton (who built St Leonard) was granted knighthood from King Henry VIII.
  • A member of the Heywood family and resident of Heywood Hall, Peter Heywood, was among the party that arrested Guy Fawkes during the gunpowder plot that aimed to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605.
  • There has been a church in the current location of St Chad’s church for more than 1,000 years. The town stocks dated 1688 are there.
  • Milnrow has been described as "the centre of the south Lancashire dialect". John Collier (who wrote under the pseudonym of Tim Bobbin) was an acclaimed 18th century caricaturist and poet from Milnrow who wrote in a broad Lancashire dialect.
  • In 1745, Yates’s wine lodge in Town Hall Square was the home to the Stead family. The initials S.S are still visible at the top of the building.
  • The Grade-II listed Olde Boar’s Head pub in Middleton dates back to the 14th Century and Bonny Prince Charlie is said to have taken refuge at the inn in 1745. Highwayman Dick Turpin is said to have stopped off at The Olde Boar’s Head on his way to York where he was later executed.
  • During the 18th century, Rochdale was described as being 'renowned for many wealthy merchants' and it was at the centre of Britain’s burgeoning wool trade.
  • Quaker, politician, statesman, social reformer and British radical John Bright was born in Greenbank Rochdale in 1811.
  • Edwin Waugh, the composer of “Come Whoam to thi' childer an’ me” was born in Rochdale.
  • The Rochdale Pioneers, the founding fathers of the worldwide Cooperative movement, opened the first-ever Co-Operative shop on Toad Lane in 1844.
  • John ‘Earthquake’ Milne, credited with developing the seismograph, was raised in Milnrow.
  • Arts and Crafts architect Edgar Wood was born in Middleton; he had a romantic, arty approach to his work with the majority of it in Middleton and Rochdale. There is a conservation area in Middleton where a number of buildings designed by Wood can be seen
  • John Bright and assassinated US President Abraham Lincoln were friends and enjoyed a special relationship of mutual respect. Lincoln had a portrait of Bright on the walls of his reception room and in 1864 a bust of Bright was installed at the White House and is still on display today.
  • The world’s first railway tunnel was built in Rochdale at Healey Dell.
  • Construction of Rochdale’s Grade I-listed town hall finished in 1871. The cost of building it was £160,000 (£13,440,000 in 2017). Adolf Hitler reportedly planned to take it, stone by stone, back to Germany had they defeated the United Kingdom in World War II. Rochdale Town Hall
  • Britain’s most notorious hangman John Ellis was involved in a total of 203 executions and was born in Balderstone.
  • Joel Halliwell was awarded the highest military honour, the Victoria Cross, “for most conspicuous bravery and determination displayed during the withdrawal of the remnants of the Battalion when closely engaged with the enemy.” He repeated this performance several times, and succeeded in rescuing 1 officer and 9 other ranks.
  • During the early part of 20th century, Hollingworth Lake was known as 'weavers’ seaport' because of popularity with mill workers who holidayed there.
  • W F Cody performed his famous ‘Buffalo Bills Wild West Show’ in Rochdale at an athletics ground in 1904.
  • The world’s largest factory under one roof was once in Rochdale (Dunlop Mill).
  • Sir Edward Lutyens (one of Britain’s greatest ever architects) designed the cenotaph located near the Town Hall.
  • A single lavatory was built inside the town hall especially for Queen Victoria but, despite it being in full working order, it has never been used.
  • Rochdale sports cars made by Rochdale Motor Panels and Engineering were produced from 1959 to 1973. The cars are now rare collectors’ items as only an average of 210 cars of each model were made.
  • Belfield Community School was Britain’s first community primary school.
  • Captain Matthew Webb used Hollingworth Lake as a training camp before becoming the first person to swim the English Channel in 1875.
  • During the Industrial Revolution, the Rochdale canal was one of the UK’s most important commerce routes.
  • The cars are now rare collectors’ items as only an average of 210 cars of each model were made.