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Rochdale
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{{GBdot|Rochdale}}
'''Rochdale''' is a town in
Greater Manchester in north-west
England with a population of 94,000. It is the largest town in the
Rochdale (borough) Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale (which has a population of about 206,000 according to the 2001 census).
Location
The town is located at {{coor dms|53|37|00|N|02|09|00|W|}} (53.6167, -2.1500)
World_gazetteer 1.
Etymology
Rochdale gets its name from its position on the
River Roch at the edge of the
Pennines.
Twin towns
Rochdale is twinned with the towns of:
*
Bielefeld in Germany
*
Tourcoing in France
*
Sahiwal in Pakistan
Architecture
Rochdale town hall
It has a fine Victorian Town Hall, finished in 1871. The original clock tower was destroyed by fire in 1883, and the present tower was designed by
Alfred Waterhouse in 1887. The stained glass window, which is in the southernmost part of the building, was supposed to be one of Hitler's top-priority items for acquisition, should he win the war.
This town hall is built directly next to the underground location where the
River Roch flows underneath the town.
The front of the town hall has
gargoyles, as well as golden statues of lions which have the emblems of Rochdale, Lancashire and Yorkshire on them. These are said to be a commemoration of the peace between the two counties, Rochdale being one of the towns helping to achieve it.
The town hall is also home to the memorial for those who lost their lives during the war. It has four flags, and is dedicated to those whose memory will live on.
(Buildings of South Lancashire, C. Hartwell, 2004, p.595).
Other notable buildings
Another famous Rochdale landmark is the "Black Box", or the Council offices and bus station, built in the mid 1970s.
Transport
Railways
The borough's location as a crossroads for trade between east and west England saw the building of
George Stephenson's Summit Rail Tunnel and the
Rochdale Canal from Manchester to
Yorkshire (re-opened in 2003 following years of neglect after an east-west motorway cut through it) supporting local textile industries of
cotton,
wool and
silk.
The
Manchester and Leeds Railway opened a
Rochdale railway station station serving the town, but the line passed about a mile south of the town centre. The station remains open though much reduced in size from its heyday.
Roads
The
M62 motorway M62 motorway passes to the south of the town.
Metrolink
The town is to be served by an extension of the Manchester
Metrolink system, but this scheme is currently in abeyance.
The co-operative movement
Rochdale is perhaps best known for being the birthplace of the
Cooperative Co-operative movement. A museum now exists at Toad Lane, the site of the ''Rochdale Pioneers''.
Rochdale College in
Toronto,
Canada, a co-operative housing and alternative education experiment, was named in honour of the town of Rochdale as a tribute to its historic importance for the co-operative movement.
This Co-operative movement also includes the national supermarket chain, the
Co-operative supermarket, which once started where the town centre shopping centre was; a memorial of three brass sheep represents the Lancashire traditions and beginnings of the
Co-Op.
Notable people from Rochdale
Rochdale is known as the home town of:
*
10cc, rock music group
*
Autechre, electronic music group
*
John Bright, Free Trade orator and MP
*
Gracie Fields, singing star
*
Anna Friel, actress
*
Andy Kershaw, broadcaster
*
Cyril Smith, larger-than-life
Liberal politician
*
Lisa Stansfield, singer
Sport
Rochdale has a professional football team -
Rochdale A.F.C. (Association Football Club) - who play their home games at Spotland Stadium, a ground they share with the town's Rugby League team
Rochdale Hornets.
Arts
Arts organisations based in Rochdale include:
*
M6 Theatre Company, a touring theatre company which creates plays for young people.
*
Touchstones, an art gallery and museum.
Public utilities
In Rochdale it is now possible to get broadband connectivity. (upto 8Mb)
External links
-
Rochdale Council - Rochdale Official Council run website
-
Rochdale Online - Popular web portal to all things Rochdale
-
Rochdale Observer - Main local newspaper
-
M6 Theatre Company
Category:Rochdale
Category:Towns in Greater Manchester
de:Rochdale (Stadt)
eo:Rochdale
nl:Rochdale
pl:Rochdale
sv:Rochdale
Category:Towns in Greater ManchesterCategory:Greater Manchester
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