Rochdale ( ) is a town in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...
, England, and the administrative centre of the
Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. Its largest town is Rochdale and the wider borough covers other outlying towns and villages, including Heywood, Greater Manchester, Heywood, Littleb ...
.
In the
2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wider borough.
Rochdale is in the foothills of the
South Pennines
The South Pennines is a region of moorland and hill country in northern England lying towards the southern end of the Pennines. In the west it includes the Rossendale Valley and the West Pennine Moors. It is bounded by the Greater Manchester co ...
and lies in the
dale (valley) of the
River Roch
The River Roch is a river in Greater Manchester in North West England, a tributary of the River Irwell.
Course
Rising on Chelburn Moor (south of Todmorden in the Pennines), the river flows south through Littleborough towards Rochdale where ...
, north-west of
Oldham
Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
and north-east of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
.
Rochdale's
recorded history
Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world h ...
begins with an entry in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086 as ''Recedham Manor'', but can be traced back to the 9th century. The
ancient parish of Rochdale
Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...
was a division of the
Salford Hundred
The Salford Hundred (also known as Salfordshire) was one of the subdivisions (a hundred) of the historic county of Lancashire in Northern England. Its name alludes to its judicial centre being the township of Salford (the suffix ''-shire'' mea ...
and one of the larger ecclesiastical parishes in England, comprising several
townships
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
. By 1251, the town had become of such importance that it was granted a
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
.
The town became a centre of
northern England
Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...
's
woollen
Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...
trade and, by the early 18th century, was described as being "remarkable for its many wealthy merchants."
In the 19th century, it became a
mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more List of types of mill#Manufacturing facilities, mills or factories, often cotton mills or factories producing textiles.
Europe
...
and centre for
textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
Textile manufacture during the British Industrial Revolution was centred in south Lancashire and the towns on both sides of the Pennines in the United Kingdom. The main drivers of the Industrial Revolution were textile manufacturing, iron foundi ...
. The town was historically in
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
and was a
county borough within it before 1974.
History
Toponymy
The town is recorded as ''Recedham'' in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
and ''Rachetham'' in 1193. Variations of ''Rechedham'' continue into the 13th century when the first element's termination is dropped as ''Rachedam'' became ''Racheham''. This change was soon followed with the suffix ''-ham'' (homestead) changing to ''-dale'' (wide valley).
''Rachdale'' is recorded as a name for the town in 1242, but may have been used earlier as a name for the valley,
Hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101.
In mathematics
100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
and Parish.
[Mills, A.D.: ''A Dictionary of English Place Names'', 2nd Edition, page 289, s.n. Rochdale. Oxford University Press, 1998] The Domesday Book's rendering of the name led
Eilert Ekwall
Bror Oscar Eilert Ekwall (8 January 1877 in Vallsjö – 23 November 1964 in Lund) was a Swedish academic, Professor of English at Sweden's Lund University from 1909 to 1942 and one of the outstanding scholars of the English language in the firs ...
to suggest a derivation from ''reced'', an obscure
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
element meaning "hall".
Although the name of the river is still pronounced (with a long vowel sound), Rochdale is pronounced (with a shorter ''o'' sound).
Early history

A
Roman road
Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...
, leading from
Mamucium
Mamucium, also known as Mancunium, is a former Roman fort in the Castlefield area of Manchester in North West England. The ''Castra, castrum'', which was founded c. AD 79 within the Roman province of Roman Britain, was garrisoned by a ...
(Manchester) to
Eboracum
Eboracum () was a castra, fort and later a coloniae, city in the Roman province of Roman Britain, Britannia. In its prime it was the largest town in northern Britain and a provincial capital. The site remained occupied after the decline of the ...
(
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
), crossed the moors at
Blackstone Edge
Blackstone Edge ( ) is a gritstone escarpment at above sea level in the Pennine hills surrounded by moorland on the boundary between Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire in England.
History
Crossing the escarpment is Blackstone Edge Long C ...
.
Rochdale was subjected to incursions by the
Danes
Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural.
History
Early history
Denmark ...
; the castle that
Castleton is named after, and of which no trace remains, was one of twelve Saxon forts possibly destroyed in frequent conflicts that occurred between the Saxons and Danes during the 10th and 11th centuries.
At the time of the
Norman Conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
, the manor was held by a Saxon
thegn
In later Anglo-Saxon England, a thegn or thane (Latin minister) was an aristocrat who ranked at the third level in lay society, below the king and ealdormen. He had to be a substantial landowner. Thanage refers to the tenure by which lands were ...
, Gamel. Rochdale appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Recedham'' and was described as lying within the hundred of Salford and the county of Cheshire. At that time, Rochdale was under the lordship of
Roger the Poitevin
Roger the Poitevin or Roger de Poitou (mid-1060s – before 1140) was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat possessing large holdings both in England and through his marriage in France during the early 12th century.
He was the third son of Roger of Montg ...
. Before 1212,
Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
granted the manor to
Roger de Lacy
Roger de Lacy (died after 1106) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, a Marcher Lord on the Welsh border. Roger was a castle builder, especially at Ludlow Castle.
Lands and titles
From his father, Walter de Lacy, he inherited Castle Frome, Here ...
, whose family retained it as part of the
Honour of Clitheroe
The Honour of Clitheroe is an ancient grouping of manors and royal forests centred on Clitheroe Castle in Lancashire, England; an honour traditionally being the grant of a large landholding complex, not all of whose parts are contiguous. In th ...
until it passed to the Dukes of Lancaster by marriage and then to
the Crown
The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
by 1399.
In
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
times, weekly markets were held from 1250 when Edmund de Lacy obtained a grant for a market and an annual fair.
John Byron
Vice-Admiral John Byron (8 November 1723 – 1 April 1786) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer. He earned the nickname "Foul-Weather Jack" in the press because of his frequent encounters with bad weather at sea. As a midshipman, he sa ...
bought the manor in 1638 and it was sold by the poet,
Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
, to the Deardens in 1823, who hold the title. Rochdale did not have a manor house but the ''Orchard'', built in 1702 and acquired in 1745 by Simon Dearden, was the home of the lords of the manor after 1823. It was described as "a red-brick building of no architectural distinction, on the north side of the river opposite the town hall" and sometimes referred to as the ''Manor House''. It was demolished in 1922.
Industrial Revolution
Rochdale is a product of the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
, though the manufacture of woollen cloth, particularly
baize
Baize is a coarse woollen (or in cheaper variants cotton) cloth, similar in texture to felt, but more durable.
History
A mid-17th-century English wikt:ditty, ditty – much quoted in histories of ale and beer brewing in England – r ...
,
kerseys and
flannel
Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of varying fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber. Flannel is commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, ...
s, was locally important as far back as the 1500s. At that time, the textile industry was rooted in the
domestic system
The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...
but, towards the end of the 18th century, mills powered by water started to appear.
Water power was replaced by steam power in the 19th century and local coal became important. The Deardens who were lords of the manor were among the local coal mine owners. By the mid-1800s, the woollen trade was declining and the cotton trade was rapidly growing in importance. Cotton manufacturing took advantage of new technological developments in spinning and weaving. In 1804, the
Rochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal is in Northern England, between Manchester and Sowerby Bridge, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. Its name refers to the town of Rochdale through which it passes.
The Rochdale is a broad canal be ...
opened, providing the first link over the
Pennines
The Pennines (), also known as the Pennine Chain or Pennine Hills, are a range of highland, uplands mainly located in Northern England. Commonly described as the "Vertebral column, backbone of England" because of its length and position, the ra ...
between Lancashire and Yorkshire.
During the 19th century, Rochdale became one of the world's most prominent cotton processing towns rising to prominence and becoming a major centre for
textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
Textile manufacture during the British Industrial Revolution was centred in south Lancashire and the towns on both sides of the Pennines in the United Kingdom. The main drivers of the Industrial Revolution were textile manufacturing, iron foundi ...
. It was a
boomtown
A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although t ...
of the Industrial Revolution and was amongst the first ever
industrialised
Industrialisation ( UK) or industrialization ( US) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive reorganisation of an economy for th ...
towns.
By the end of the 19th century, Rochdale had woollen mills,
silk
Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
manufacturers,
bleach
Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...
ers and
dye
Juan de Guillebon, better known by his stage name DyE, is a French musician. He is known for the music video of the single "Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical ele ...
rs, though cotton spinning and weaving were the dominant industries in the community.
Turner & Newall
Turner & Newall was a manufacturing business based in Manchester, United Kingdom. At its peak, it was a constituent of the FT 30 index of leading companies on the London Stock Exchange. As part of their business, the company was one of the first ...
was founded in Rochdale in 1871 to produce cotton-based mechanical packing, and in 1879 it became the first business in the United Kingdom to weave
asbestos
Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...
cloth with power-driven machinery.
The
socioeconomic
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
change brought by the success of Rochdale's textile industry in the 19th century led to its rise to
borough status
Borough status is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotland, si ...
and it became an important regional town based upon this economic success.
The
Rochdale Pioneers
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 ...
opened the first
Co-operative shop in Toad Lane in 1844.
The reformer and
Member of Parliament,
John Bright
John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies.
A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn La ...
(1811–1889), was born in Rochdale and gained a reputation as a leader of political dissent and supporter of the
Anti-Corn Law League.
Decline of textile manufacturing
By the middle of the 20th century, Rochdale's economy was in decline, reflecting the broader economic situation in other textile manufacturing towns in
North West England
North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of 7,4 ...
. This decline was largely driven by the global availability of cheaper textile product offerings from abroad.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Rochdale's lack of a diverse economic base became very apparent, with the closure of numerous textile manufacturing facilities. Textile manufacturing did remain a major contributor to the local economy, even into the 1970s. Regionally, numerous companies still have some connection to the textile industry.
Governance
Lying within the
historic county boundaries of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
since the early 12th century, Rochdale was recorded in 1066 as held by Gamel, one of the twenty-one
thegn
In later Anglo-Saxon England, a thegn or thane (Latin minister) was an aristocrat who ranked at the third level in lay society, below the king and ealdormen. He had to be a substantial landowner. Thanage refers to the tenure by which lands were ...
s of the
Hundred of Salfordshire.
The ancient ecclesiastical
parish of Rochdale was divided into four townships:
Butterworth, Castleton,
Hundersfield and
Spotland
Spotland ( ) is a district of Rochdale in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseysi ...
. Hundersfield was later divided into four townships: Blatchinworth,
Calderbrook,
Wardleworth
Wardleworth was a Township (England), township at the geographic centre of the parish of Rochdale (ancient parish), Rochdale, in Salford (hundred), Salford hundred, Lancashire (now Greater Manchester), England and later a separate civil parish. T ...
and Wuerdle & Wardle.
Excluding the large
chapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century.
Status
A chapelry had a similar status to a Township (England), township, but was so named as it had a chapel of ease ...
of
Saddleworth
Saddleworth is a civil parishes in England, civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and Hamlet (place), hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the Saddleworth Moor, west ...
, which lay entirely in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
, the parish of Rochdale had an area of .
In 1825, commissioners for the social and economic improvement of the town were established. The town became part of a
parliamentary borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
in 1832. As there were no existing township boundaries, the commissioners and later the parliamentary constituency were deemed to cover a circular area extending three-quarters of a mile from the old market-place.
Under the terms of the
Poor Law Amendment Act 1834
The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 (4 & 5 Will. 4. c. 76) (PLAA) known widely as the New Poor Law, was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the British Whig Party, Whig government of Charles ...
, the town became the head of Rochdale
Poor Law Union
A poor law union was a geographical territory, and early local government unit, in Great Britain and Ireland.
Poor law unions existed in England and Wales from 1834 to 1930 for the administration of poor relief. Prior to the Poor Law Amendment ...
, which was established on 15 February 1837, despite considerable local opposition.
In 1856, Rochdale was incorporated as a
municipal borough
A municipal borough was a type of local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state.
Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...
, giving it
borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotlan ...
, and it obtained the powers of the improvement commissioners after 1858.
In 1872, the remaining area of Wardleworth township and parts of Castleton, Wuerdle and Wardle, Spotland and Butterworth townships were added to the borough.
When the
administrative county
An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until 1973 in Northern Ireland, 2002 in the Republic of Ireland. They are now abolished, although most Northern ...
of Lancashire was created by the
Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales. It came into effect ...
, Rochdale was elevated to become the
County Borough of Rochdale
Rochdale was, from 1856 to 1974, a local government district coterminate with the town of Rochdale in the northwest of England.
Municipal borough
In January 1856 the inhabitant householders of the Parliamentary Borough of Rochdale, Lancashir ...
and was, in modern terms, a
unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
area exempt from the administration of
Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashire is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Blackburn with Dar ...
. In 1900, most of Castleton
Urban District
An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter
Specific urban districts in some countries include:
* Urban districts of Denmark
* Districts of Germa ...
was added to the borough; this
urban district
An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter
Specific urban districts in some countries include:
* Urban districts of Denmark
* Districts of Germa ...
included parts of Castleton, Hopwood and
Thornham townships. In 1933, parts of Norden Urban District and Birtle with Bamford civil parish were added to the borough.
Under the
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
, the town's autonomous
county borough status was abolished. The municipal boroughs of
Middleton and
Heywood and
Littleborough,
Milnrow
Milnrow is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines, and forms a continuous urban area with Rochdale. It is east of Rochdale town centre, ...
and
Wardle urban districts are now part of the
Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. Its largest town is Rochdale and the wider borough covers other outlying towns and villages, including Heywood, Greater Manchester, Heywood, Littleb ...
, one of the ten metropolitan boroughs in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...
.
Parliamentary representation
The
Rochdale constituency was created by the
Reform Act of 1832. The constituency was held for two decades during the 20th century by
Cyril Smith
Sir Cyril Richard Smith (28 June 1928 – 3 September 2010) was a British Liberal Party and Liberal Democrat politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochdale from 1972 to 1992.
Smith was first active in local politics as ...
, first of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
and then of the
Liberal Democrats.
Following the
2010 general election, the town was represented by
Simon Danczuk
Simon Christopher Danczuk ( ; born 24 October 1966) is a British author and former Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) who represented the constituency of Rochdale (UK Parliament constituency), Rochdale between 2010 ...
, who was elected as a Labour
MP but was subsequently suspended and placed under investigation by the
Labour Party.
Tony Lloyd
Sir Anthony Joseph Lloyd (25 February 1950 – 17 January 2024) was a British Labour politician. He served as a member of Parliament (MP) for 36 years, making him one of the longest-serving MPs in recent history. He served as MP for Stretfo ...
(Labour) was elected as MP for the Rochdale constituency in the
2017 general election and represented the constituency until his death on 17 January 2024. The seat was subsequently won by
George Galloway
George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician, broadcaster, and writer. He has been leader of the Workers Party of Britain since he founded it in 2019, and is a former leader of the Respect Party. Until 2003, he was a member ...
, leader and founder of the
Workers Party of Britain
The Workers Party of Britain (WPB), also called the Workers Party of Great Britain (WPGB) or Workers Party GB, is a Socialism, socialist and Social conservatism, socially conservative political party in the United Kingdom, strongly identified ...
, in the
2024 Rochdale by-election
A by-election took place on 29 February 2024 in the UK Parliament constituency of Rochdale (UK Parliament constituency), Rochdale following the death of Labour Party (UK), Labour MP Sir Tony Lloyd. The winner was George Galloway of the Workers P ...
on 29 February; the campaign was dominated by opposition to British involvement in the
Gaza war
The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
. Six months later, Galloway was defeated in the
2024 election by Labour's
Paul Waugh
Paul Waugh (born 1966 or 1967) is a British politician and journalist who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochdale since 2024. Running under the Labour Co-op banner, he unseated George Galloway, the sole MP from the Workers Party ...
.
Geography
Rochdale is approximately above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...
, north-north-east of
Manchester city centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England, within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way, which collectively form an inner ring road. The City Centre ward had a ...
, in the
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
of the
River Roch
The River Roch is a river in Greater Manchester in North West England, a tributary of the River Irwell.
Course
Rising on Chelburn Moor (south of Todmorden in the Pennines), the river flows south through Littleborough towards Rochdale where ...
.
Blackstone Edge
Blackstone Edge ( ) is a gritstone escarpment at above sea level in the Pennine hills surrounded by moorland on the boundary between Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire in England.
History
Crossing the escarpment is Blackstone Edge Long C ...
,
Saddleworth Moor
Saddleworth Moor is a moorland in North West England. Reaching more than above sea level, it is in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park. It is crossed by the A635 road and the Pennine Way passes to its eastern side.
Geogra ...
and the
South Pennines
The South Pennines is a region of moorland and hill country in northern England lying towards the southern end of the Pennines. In the west it includes the Rossendale Valley and the West Pennine Moors. It is bounded by the Greater Manchester co ...
are close to the east; on all other sides, Rochdale is bound by other towns including
Whitworth,
Littleborough,
Milnrow
Milnrow is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines, and forms a continuous urban area with Rochdale. It is east of Rochdale town centre, ...
,
Royton
Royton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 21,284 in 2011. Close to the source of the River Irk, near undulating land at the foothills of the South Pennines, it is northwest of Ol ...
,
Heywood and
Shaw and Crompton
Shaw and Crompton is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, and lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines. It is located north of Oldham, south-east of Rochdale and north- ...
, with little or no
green space between them.
Rochdale's
built environment
The term built environment refers to human-made conditions and is often used in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, public health, sociology, and anthropology, among others. These curated spaces provide the setting for human ac ...
consists of a mixture of infrastructure, housing types and commercial buildings from a number of periods. Its housing stock is mixed, but has a significant amount of stone or red-brick
terraced house
A terrace, terraced house ( UK), or townhouse ( US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses sharing side walls. In the United States and Canada these are sometimes known as row ...
s from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The
Town Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
, seven large
tower block
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdiction. ...
s (locally nicknamed ''The Seven Sisters'') and a number of former
cotton mill
A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system.
Although some were driven ...
s mark the town's skyline. The
urban structure
Urban structure is the arrangement of land use in urban areas, in other words, how the land use of a city is set out. Urban planners, economists, and geographers have developed several models that explain where different types of people and busine ...
of Rochdale is regular when compared to most
towns in England
This is a list of towns in England.
Historically, towns were any settlement with a charter, including market towns and ancient boroughs. The process of incorporation was reformed in 1835 and many more places received borough charters, whilst other ...
; its form is restricted in places by its hilly upland terrain.
Much of Rochdale's
built environment
The term built environment refers to human-made conditions and is often used in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, public health, sociology, and anthropology, among others. These curated spaces provide the setting for human ac ...
is centred around a
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
in the
town centre
A town centre is the commerce, commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town. Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train ...
, which is the local centre of both the town and borough.
There are a mixture of high-density
urban areas
An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
,
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
s, semi-rural and
rural
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...
locations in Rochdale, but overwhelmingly the
land use
Land use is an umbrella term to describe what happens on a parcel of land. It concerns the benefits derived from using the land, and also the land management actions that humans carry out there. The following categories are used for land use: fo ...
in the town is urban.
For purposes of the
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics (ONS; ) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament.
Overview
The ONS is responsible fo ...
, the Borough of Rochdale forms the fifth-largest settlement of the
Greater Manchester Urban Area, the
United Kingdom's second-largest conurbation.
Divisions and suburbs
* Ashworth
* Balderstone, Greater Manchester, Balderstone
* Bamford, Greater Manchester, Bamford
* Belfield, Greater Manchester, Belfield
* Buckley, Greater Manchester, Buckley
* Buersil
* Burnedge
* Caldershaw
*
Castleton
* Cronkeyshaw
* Cutgate
* Deeplish
* Dernley
* Falinge
* Fieldhouse
* Firgrove
* Foxholes
* Halfacre
* Hamer
* Healey, Greater Manchester, Healey
* Hurstead
* Kingsway
* Kirkholt
*
Littleborough
* Lowerfold
* Lowerplace
* Marland
* Meanwood
* Newbold
* Nook Farm
* Norden, Greater Manchester, Norden
* Oakenrod
* Oulder Hill Leadership Academy, Oulder Hill
* Passmonds
* Prickshaw
* Rooley Moor
* Shawclough
* Smallbridge, Greater Manchester, Smallbridge
* Smithy Bridge
* Sparth Bottom
*
Spotland
Spotland ( ) is a district of Rochdale in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseysi ...
* Sudden
* Syke
*
Thornham
* Turf Hill
*
Wardleworth
Wardleworth was a Township (England), township at the geographic centre of the parish of Rochdale (ancient parish), Rochdale, in Salford (hundred), Salford hundred, Lancashire (now Greater Manchester), England and later a separate civil parish. T ...
Climate
Like much of the British Isles, Rochdale experiences a temperate Oceanic climate, maritime climate, with relatively cool summers and mild winters.
Demography
2001
At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 UK census, Rochdale had a population of 95,796. The population density was , with a 100 to 94.4 female-to-male ratio. Of those over 16 years old, 28.2% were single (never married), 44.0% married and 8.8% divorced. Rochdale's 37,730 households included 30.4% one-person, 36.6% married couples living together, 8.4% were cohabitation, co-habiting couples and 11.1% single parents with their children. Of those aged 16–74, 37.1% had no National Qualifications Framework, academic qualifications, similar to the figure for all of Rochdale, but higher than that of 28.9% in all of England.
[ Retrieved on 17 August 2008.]
• Retrieved on 17 August 2008. In 2010, Rochdale had the highest number of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants in Greater Manchester, with 6.1 per cent of its adult population claiming the benefit.
2011
Rochdale had a population of 107,926, which made it about the same size as Salford and Stockport; this was an increase from 95,796 in 2001. It is one of four townships in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, along with
Middleton, Heywood and Pennine (a township which includes
Littleborough and
Wardle). Rochdale is considered an Urban Subdivision by the local borough council.
34.8% of Rochdale's population were non-White British, compared with 21.4% for the surrounding borough. Rochdale town also has almost double the percentage of Asians compared with the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, which had a population of 211,699 in 2011.
This means that the town takes up almost 55% of the borough's population.
2021
The town of Rochdale's population was enumerated at 111,261; its ethnic makeup was 57.2% White people in the United Kingdom, White, 34.3% British Asians, Asian, 2.6% Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category), Mixed, 3.4% Black British people, Black, 2.1% Other and 0.5% British Arabs, Arab. The town's religious makeup was 38% Christianity in the United Kingdom, Christian, 36% Islam in the United Kingdom, Muslim, 24.2% No Religion and has small Hinduism in the United Kingdom, Hindu, Sikhism in the United Kingdom, Sikh, Buddhism in the United Kingdom, Buddhist and British Jews, Jewish communities.
More than 40% of children in the Rochdale borough are living in poverty.
Landmarks
There are four Grade I listed buildings in the town: the Town Hall, the Cenotaph, the Church of St Mary in the Baum, Rochdale, Church of St Mary in the Baum,
and St Edmund's Church, Rochdale, St Edmund's Church.
Rochdale Town Hall is a Victorian era town hall "widely recognised as being one of the finest municipal buildings in the country."
[Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, ''Metropolitan Rochdale Official Guide'', n.d., Ed. J. Burrow & Co., p. 43] It is the ceremonial headquarters of Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and houses local government departments, including the borough's civil registry, civil registration office.
Built in the Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival style, it was inaugurated on 27 September 1871. The architect, William Henry Crossland, won a competition held in 1864. The town hall had a clock tower, topped by a wooden spire with a gilded statue of Saint George and the Dragon, which were destroyed by fire on 10 April 1883. A new stone clock tower and spire in the style of Manchester Town Hall was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and erected in 1888. Art critic Nikolaus Pevsner described the building as possessing a "rare picturesque beauty."
Its stained glass windows, some designed by William Morris, are credited as "the finest modern examples of their kind."
It has been described as one of the United Kingdom's finest examples of Victorian era, Victorian Gothic revival architecture.
The building came to the attention of Adolf Hitler, who was said to have admired it so much that he wished to ship the building, brick-by-brick, to Nazi Germany had the United Kingdom been defeated in the Second World War.
The Rochdale Cenotaph, a war memorial bearing four sculpted and painted flags, is located opposite the town hall. It commemorates those who died in conflicts since the First World War. The monument and surrounding gardens were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It is one of eight designed by Lutyens in England. The earliest to be erected was at Southampton Cenotaph, Southampton in 1920; the last at Norwich War Memorial, Norwich in 1927. The monument is made from Cornish granite and sits on the site of a building known as Manor House, which was used as a recruiting station during World War I. It was built by Hobson Ltd of Nottingham at a cost of £12,611. It was unveiled by the Earl of Derby on 26 November 1922 and dedicated by the Archdeacon of Rochdale. It is about tall and the top section is a catafalque, which includes a carving of a horizontal figure.

Adjacent to the town hall is a statue of the late singer, comedian and actress Gracie Fields, Dame Gracie Fields. The statue was unveiled by Roy Hudd on 18 September 2016. It was created by sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn, who based the statue on Fields' look during the 1940s. The statue was the first of a woman to be unveiled in Greater Manchester in more than 100 years. It was commissioned as part of Rochdale Borough Council's wider regeneration of the town centre.

In Broadfield Park in the town centre, there is a statue of
John Bright
John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies.
A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn La ...
MP, a British Radicals (UK), Radical and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal statesman, who is regarded as one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies. Bright was born in Rochdale; he became famous for his crusade to repeal Britain's Corn Laws, corn laws and his promotion of religious freedom and electoral reform.
Worthy of note is a large industrial park, named the Kingsway Business Park, for which planning permission for its construction began in 2009. The complex covers an area of .
Transport
Public transport in Rochdale is coordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), which owns the bus station and co-ordinates transport services in the area.
Railway and Metrolink

Demand from the cross-Pennine trade to support local cotton, wool and
silk
Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
industries led to the building of the Manchester and Leeds Railway. It opened in 1839 from Manchester to Littleborough and from Normanton, West Yorkshire, Normanton to Hebden Bridge in 1840. The linking section opened on completion of the Summit Tunnel in 1841.
Rochdale railway station is located about a mile south of the town centre. Northern Trains operates services on the following routes:
* to , via and ; alternate services extend to
* Leeds to , via , and
* to , via Manchester Victoria, and .
The stopping service to Manchester Victoria station, Manchester Victoria on the Oldham Loop line ended in October 2009, in preparation for conversion of the line to an extension of the Manchester Metrolink, Metrolink light rail system. It was deferred in 2004 on grounds of cost but, in July 2006, plans were approved for the extension from Manchester Victoria as far as Rochdale railway station; it opened on 28 February 2013, as the Oldham and Rochdale Line. The extension to Rochdale town centre, via Drake Street and terminating opposite Rochdale Interchange, opened on 31 March 2014.
Metrolink services currently operate to East Didsbury tram stop, via Manchester city centre, on the ''Pink'' line.
Buses
The borough's bus service was provided by a municipal operator, ''Rochdale Corporation Transport'', which was merged into the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive in 1969.
Following Bus deregulation in Great Britain, deregulation of bus services across England, Rochdale was host to a number of bus operators. First Manchester (previously GM Buses North) established itself as the dominant company for interurban routes to destinations such as Manchester, Shaw, Oldham, Bury and Bolton. Rossendale Transport (rebranded Rosso in 2013) owned by Borough of Rossendale, Rossendale Borough Council between 1986 and 2017 until being sold to Transdev Blazefield, Transdev was the largest operator of local bus routes within Rochdale operating brands such as Rochdale Rovers, the 464 and Lakeline.
Rochdale's old bus station closed in November 2013 and was demolished in April 2014, along with the multi-storey car park and municipal offices (known locally as ''The Black Box''), to make way for the new Rochdale Riverside retail and leisure development. Its replacement, Rochdale Interchange, is located next to the council office and main library building Number One Riverside and is linked with Rochdale Town Centre tram stop.
Since 24 September 2023 (route 471) / 24 March 2024 (all other routes except 464/587/590), bus services in Rochdale have been provided by the Bee Network under the franchising system. As of 2025, Stagecoach Manchester operates the Greater Manchester bus route 409, 409 to Oldham/Ashton and the principal Greater Manchester bus route 17, 17 which is the direct bus to Middleton/Manchester. Go North West operates the 471 to Bury/Rochdale while all other local Bee Network routes to destinations such as Bury/Littleborough are provided by First Manchester out of their Rochdale depot.
Cross-county services are provided by Rosso to Rawtenstall and Accrington; First Halifax to Todmorden; Team Pennine to Halifax, via Ripponden; and National Express to London.
Roads
The earliest routes around Rochdale were tracks and packhorse routes, with a paved track over Blackstone Edge into Yorkshire that had Roman origins. As trade increased, the Blackstone Edge Turnpike trust, turnpike road was built in 1735.
The M62 motorway passes to the south of the town and is accessed via the A627(M) motorway, A627(M), which starts at Sandbrook Park in Rochdale and runs to Elk Mill in Chadderton. The A627(M) also provides access to Oldham.
Canals
The idea for the
Rochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal is in Northern England, between Manchester and Sowerby Bridge, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. Its name refers to the town of Rochdale through which it passes.
The Rochdale is a broad canal be ...
emerged in 1776, when James Brindley was commissioned to survey possible routes between Sowerby Bridge and Manchester.
However, it was not until 4 April 1794 that an Act of Parliament was obtained. The broad canal which linked the Bridgewater Canal in Manchester with the Aire and Calder Navigation at Sowerby Bridge became a major artery of commerce between Lancashire and Yorkshire for cotton, wool, coal, limestone, timber and salt.
The Rochdale Canal has the highest concentration of canal locks in the regional northern canal system; it houses 91 locks over .
Hollingworth Lake is part of the canal system. It was originally designed to regulate water levels and was part of the original engineering initiative. By the 1950s, the canal had fallen into general disuse and was abandoned in the 1960s, along with many other industrial areas that had supported traditional industries. The lower section from the Bridgewater Canal to the junction with the Ashton Canal was restored as part of the Cheshire Ring in 1974. The rest of the canal was restored and reopened in 2003. Local activist groups have worked to further improve the canal.
Education
Hopwood Hall College is a further education college with a campus in Rochdale. It offers vocational courses for school leavers and adult learners, with some higher education.
Rochdale Sixth Form College opened in September 2010; it is the primary provider of A-Level courses in Rochdale and the wider metropolitan borough. Most secondary schools in the area no longer offer sixth form courses.
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill transmitting station, Winter Hill TV transmitter.
Local radio stations are BBC Radio Manchester, Heart North West, Smooth North West, Greatest Hits Radio Manchester & The North West, Capital Manchester and Lancashire and Rochdale Valley, a community based radio station.
Rochdale is served by a local newspaper, the ''Rochdale Observer'', and by a regional newspaper, the ''Manchester Evening News''.
Religion
St Chad's Church, Rochdale, St Chad's Church is a Grade II* listed building. It was the mother church of the
ancient parish of Rochdale
Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...
and was founded before 1170, possibly on an Anglo-Saxon site. Much of the current building is the result of late Victorian restoration. Other Anglican churches include the Grade I listed Church of St Mary in the Baum, Rochdale, Church of St Mary in the Baum.
St John the Baptist Church, Rochdale, St John the Baptist Catholic Church was built in 1927 in the Byzantine Revival style and is a Grade II* listed building.
Marland Grange was a Cistercian monks, Cistercian grange of Stanlow Abbey, Stanlow, List of monastic houses in Cheshire, Cheshire, then of Whalley Abbey, Whalley. The grange was founded before 1212.
Rochdale is home to 21 mosques of Muslim denominations, various denominations. Rochdale Central Masjid [Idara] is the largest of Rochdale's mosques.
Public services

Home Office policing in Rochdale is provided by Greater Manchester Police and the Rochdale Division has headquarters at Town Meadow, adjacent to the magistrates' court (England and Wales), magistrates' court.
Fire service in the United Kingdom, Statutory emergency fire and rescue services are provided by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, which has fire stations in Rochdale, Littleborough and Heywood.
Emergency healthcare is provided by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Northern Care Alliance. The trust operates four hospitals in the North Manchester area, including Rochdale Infirmary for the National Health Service (England), NHS. Patient transport is provided by the North West Ambulance Service.
Rochdale Infirmary is the main hospital serving the town since the closure of Birch Hill Hospital, which occupied the former Rochdale Union Workhouse at Dearnley, in 2007.
New facilities were established at the infirmary as part of a restructuring of the town's healthcare services. Mental health services are found to the back of the former Birch Hill Hospital, which provides care for children and adults on both an inpatient and out-patient basis.
Primary care trust, Primary care services in Rochdale are provided by the Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale NHS Primary Care Trust. In 2006, it was announced that accident and emergency facilities at Rochdale Infirmary would be closed by 2011, leaving Oldham and Bury as the closest departments serving Rochdale. Confirmation that the unit would close was met with protest locally, including a march through the town centre.
Waste management was coordinated by the local authority from 1986, via the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, and since 1 April 2018 via its representation on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Rochdale's distribution network operator for electricity was United Utilities until 2010, when its electricity subsidiary was sold to Electricity North West. There are no power stations in the town, following the closure of Rochdale power station in 1958. Scout Moor Wind Farm was built on the high moors between Rawtenstall and Rochdale; it has 26 turbines and generates 65Megawatt, MW of electricity.
United Utilities manages Rochdale's drinking water, drinking and waste water.
Water supplies are sourced from several reservoirs in Rochdale's outlying moorland, including Blackstone Edge Reservoir, Blackstone Edge, Greenbooth Reservoir, Greenbooth, Piethorne Reservoir, Piethorne, and Watergrove Reservoir, Watergrove
Sport
Rochdale has two professional teams: Rochdale A.F.C. (Association football, football) and Rochdale Hornets (rugby league); both play home games at the Spotland Stadium.
Rochdale AFC were founded in 1907 and joined the Football League in 1921, when the new Football League Third Division (North) was created. The club has never played above the third tier of the English league divisional structure and, before its promotion at the end of the 2009/10 season (their first promotion since 1969), had played continuously in the Football League's lowest division since 1974. However, the club reached the Football League Cup Final in 1962 and lost to Norwich City F.C., Norwich City.
Rochdale Hornets is one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, making it one of the world's first rugby league teams.
The town was home to former non-league football club, Rochdale Town F.C., Rochdale Town, but still hosts National Conference League amateur rugby league club Rochdale Mayfield. Rochdale R.U.F.C. who play in Bamford, Greater Manchester, Bamford. There are two adult amateur football leagues: the Rochdale Online Alliance League and the Rochdale and District Sunday Football League.
Golf courses around the town include Rochdale Golf Club and Marland Golf Course, at Springfield Park (Rochdale), Springfield Park. The town also has a number of cricket clubs, most of which play in the Pennine Cricket League (PCL). Rochdale Sub-Aqua Club was formed in 1959 and remains active.
Motorcycle speedway, Speedway racing was staged at the Athletic Grounds, Rochdale, Athletic Grounds in 1928–30 and returned at the start of the 1970s when it provided a home for the British League Division Two Belle Vue Aces juniors and Rochdale Hornets (speedway), Rochdale Hornets. Peter Collins (speedway rider), Peter Collins, who won the 1976 World Championship, was a Hornets rider.
Stuart Smith and Doug Cronshaw competed in BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars between 1965 and 1984.
Twin towns – sister cities
* Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (since 1953)
* Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine (1992)
* Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan (1998)
* Tourcoing, Nord (French department), Nord, Hauts-de-France, France (1956)
Sahiwal council has received many gifts, such as fire brigade trucks, ambulances and grants for hospitals from the people of Rochdale.
Notable people
Lancashire dialect poet Edwin Waugh (1817–1890) was born and brought up in the town.
The aristocrat and poet Baron Byron, George Gordon Byron was Lord Byron of Rochdale. Rochdale has a proud liberal political heritage, as shown by such people as
John Bright
John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies.
A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn La ...
, one of the first Quakers to sit in the House of Commons, and Rev. Joseph Cooke, the inspiration behind the Methodist Unitarian movement. In the 20th century, another prominent political personality was Sir Cyril Smith, Cyril Smith, who was posthumously found to have sexually abused children.
Among Rochdale's residents have been several musicians, including singers Gracie Fields, Lisa Stansfield (born in
Heywood), Barb Jungr, and Piri, and bands Kaliphz also known as Kaleef, Autechre, and Tractor (band), Tractor.
Broadcasters John Peel and Mark Chapman (broadcaster), Mark Chapman also have links with the town; Peel lived there for a period of time and Chapman was born here. Actors Anna Friel, Bill Oddie and Christine Bottomley were born in Rochdale. Don Estelle, who was born and brought up in Crumpsall, lived for much of his life in Rochdale and was buried there in August 2003.
Sajid Javid, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer was born in Rochdale to British Pakistani parents.
Other notable residents include businessman and philanthropist Sir Peter Ogden, novelist Nicholas Blincoe, Monica Coghlan, a prostitute caught up in the Jeffrey Archer scandal, and the banker Paul Flowers (banker), Rev. Paul Flowers.
Novelist Anna Jacobs was born in Rochdale. World Series of poker winner Jake Cody grew up in Rochdale.
The footballer Earl Barrett was born there in April 1967 to Jamaican immigrant parents. Great Britain Olympian Craig Dawson, represented hometown club Rochdale F.C., Rochdale and Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers at Association football, football. England women's national team player and GB Olympian Keira Walsh who previously has played for Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City and current team Barcelona. A mural depicting Walsh playing for the England women's national football team, Lionesses was completed in June 2024.
See also
* Listed buildings in Rochdale
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
* Higgins et al. (2020). ''British Cotton Textiles: Maturity and Decline: Maturity and Decline''. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780367595159
*
* Roethe, Johanna and Williams, Mike (2019), ''Central Rochdale, Greater Manchester: Historic area assessment'' (Historic England Research Report Series no. 56–2019
available online
External links
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
{{Authority control
Rochdale,
Towns in Greater Manchester
Unparished areas in Greater Manchester
Former civil parishes in Greater Manchester
Geography of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale