Did You Know?

Rochdale appears in the Domesday Book under the name Recedham Manor and was part of the Salford Hundred.

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. 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.

Dame Gracie Fields CBE, a world-famous actress, singer and comedian, was born and brought up in Rochdale. A statue of her has been erected in town hall square and there is a heritage trail of places associated with her around the town.

A single lavatory was built inside the town hall especially for Queen Victoria but despite it being in full working order has never been used.

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.

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.

Great Britain Olympic silver medallist swimmer Keri-Anne Payne, Manchester United and England footballer Paul Scholes, actor Steve Coogan (best known for his role as Alan Partridge) all attended Cardinal Langley RC High School, Middleton.

Rochdale Town Hall finished being built in 1871 and apparently costed only £155,000 to build. It is considered one of the finest Victorian Town Halls in Britain. It is also said that at one point Hitler wanted the Town Hall and requested for it to be taken 'brick by brick' and built in Germany. 

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.

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.

Rochdale is twinned with Lviv in Ukraine, Bielefeld in Germany, Sahiwal in Pakistan and Tourcoing in France.

Rochdales Parish Church, St Chads, overlooks Rochdale Town Hall. There has been a church at this location for over 1000 years. The old stocks are still visible.

28 men who, in 1844 kick-started the Co-operative movement when they opened a shop in Toad Lane, made Rochdale famous across the world. On August 13 1994, the Co-Operative broke the world record for cooking the largest pancake, marking their 150th anniversary in their hometown, Rochdale.

A cotton loom machine from Littleborough was converted to weave fibreglass after the decline of the cotton industry. It went on to produce the moulds that were used to make the Concorde aeroplanes’ nose cone.

Writer, composer, comedian and actor Bill Oddie OBE was born in Rochdale, as was film and TV actor Anna Friel.

Irish comedian Jimmy Cricket lives in Rochdale and in 2015 was awarded a Papal Knighthood for his services to charitable causes.

The hit BBC drama Waterloo Road (starring Denise Welch and Laura Aikman) was filmed in Rochdale from 2006-2012.