The Rochdale Pioneers Museum is housed in the building where the

Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, founded in 1844, was an early consumers' co-operative, and one of the first to pay a patronage dividend, forming the basis for the modern co-operative movement. Although other co-operatives preceded it, ...

started trading on 21 December 1844. The museum is regarded as the birthplace of the modern

co-operative movement The history of the cooperative movement concerns the origins and history of cooperatives across the world. Although cooperative arrangements, such as mutual insurance, and principles of cooperation existed long before, the cooperative movement bega ...

. It is located in

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...

, England. The museum includes a recreation of the original shop, containing its rudimentary furniture, scales, items that were sold at the store, etc. Moreover, the museum transmits the influence of the co-operative movement on issues such as

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

, poverty, education, fair trade and social reform. The museum is owned by the Co-operative Heritage Trust and managed by the

Co-operative College Co-operative College is a British educational charity dedicated to the promotion of co-operative values, ideas and principles within co-operatives, communities and society. Origins and development The Co-operative College was established in 1919 ...

History

Rochdale Pioneers Interior A 29 July 2017

The building

31 Toad Lane was originally an 18th-century warehouse, on a busy road which then extended to the centre of the town. In 1844 the Co-operative Society rented the ground floor, the upper floors being used by the Methodist society. A counter was made with a plank on barrels, and the shop began. From 1849 the Co-op rented the whole building and developed a library, meeting room, and boot and shoe department. In the 1860s other buildings were rented and in 1867 the society moved out to new purpose-built premises. The building became a pet shop.

The museum

The Rochdale Pioneers quickly became an inspiration for a wide part of the society, and the co-operative movement started to be known nationally and internationally. As a result, the Co-operative Union purchased the building at 31 Toad Lane in 1925, expressly to create a museum that enhanced the birthplace of co-operation. The museum opened for the first time in 1931. In the 1970s, the museum was closed for some years because structural problems were found in the building; but it was successfully restored. Rochdale Council redeveloped the remaining section of Toad Lane outside of the building, which had been a cul-de-sac since the 1960s. The new characteristics of the area were

cobbled Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fr ...

streets, flanked by 19th-century

gas lamps Gas lighting is the production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, such as hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, coal gas (town gas) or natural gas. The light is produced either directly ...

and a unique Victorian post-box. The official reopening was in 1981 and this commemorative ceremony was attended by Princess Alexandra. In 2000, the management of the Rochdale Pioneers Museum was transferred to the Co-operative College, and it became recognised as a registered museum in 2001. In 2010 it received a £1.3M

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

award, and re-opened in 2012 after a £2.3M revamp, which included an extension with additional rooms as well as restoration of the third floor, and improvements to the displays.

The museum exhibition

Rochdale Pioneers Interior B 29 July 2017

The museum provides an insight into the

from its roots in Rochdale, to the circumstances that brought about the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers and to the subsequent social impact and growth of the domestic and international co-operative movement. The museum also wants to highlight importance of the personalities who have had a significant impact on the movement. The main themes of the museum are: *the development of the early co-operative movement *the Rochdale Principles *inspirational co-operators *history of retail *the growth of the movement, and its 20th-century social history *international co-operation

References

External links

Official website