| Rochdale | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 .jpg)  .JPG)  Rochdale Town Hall,St Chad's Church,Number One Riverside, Milkstone Mosque and Rochdale Town Centre skyline | |
  Rochdale Location withinGreater Manchester | |
| Area | 22 sq mi (57 km2) |
| Population | 111,261 [1] |
| • Density | 5,057/sq mi (1,953/km2) |
| OS grid reference | SD893130 |
| • London | 222 mi (357 km)SSE |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ROCHDALE |
| Postcode district | OL11, OL12, OL16 |
| Dialling code | 01706 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Rochdale (/ˈrɒtʃdeɪl/ROTCH-dayl) is a town inGreater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of theMetropolitan Borough of Rochdale.[2] In the2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wider borough.[1][3] Rochdale is in the foothills of theSouth Pennines and lies in thedale (valley) of theRiver Roch, 5 miles (8 km) north-west ofOldham and 10 miles (16 km) north-east ofManchester.
Rochdale'srecorded history begins with an entry in theDomesday Book of 1086 asRecedham Manor, but can be traced back to the 9th century. Theancient parish of Rochdale was a division of theSalford Hundred and one of the larger ecclesiastical parishes in England, comprising severaltownships. By 1251, the town had become of such importance that it was granted aroyal charter.
The town became a centre ofnorthern England'swoollen trade and, by the early 18th century, was described as being "remarkable for its many wealthy merchants."[4] In the 19th century, it became amill town and centre fortextile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. The town was historically inLancashire and was acounty borough within it before 1974.
The town is recorded asRecedham in theDomesday Book andRachetham in 1193. Variations ofRechedham continue into the thirteenth century when the first element's termination is dropped asRachedam becameRacheham. 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 and Parish.[5][6] The Domesday Book's rendering of the name ledEilert Ekwall to suggest a derivation fromreced, an obscureOld English element meaning "hall".
Although the name of the river is still pronounced/roʊtʃ/ (with a long vowel sound), Rochdale is pronounced/ˈrɒtʃdeɪl/ (with a shortero sound).
ARoman road, leading fromMamucium (Manchester) toEboracum (York), crossed the moors atBlackstone Edge.[7]
Rochdale was subjected to incursions by theDanes; the castle thatCastleton 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.[7] At the time of theNorman Conquest, the manor was held by a Saxonthegn, Gamel. Rochdale appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 asRecedham and was described as lying within the hundred of Salford and the county of Cheshire. At that time, Rochdale was under the lordship ofRoger the Poitevin.[8] Before 1212,Henry II granted the manor toRoger de Lacy, whose family retained it as part of theHonour of Clitheroe until it passed to the Dukes of Lancaster by marriage and then tothe Crown by 1399.[7][9] Inmedieval times, weekly markets were held from 1250 when Edmund de Lacy obtained a grant for a market and an annual fair.[7] The market was held outside the parish church where there was anOrator's Corner.[citation needed]
John Byron bought the manor in 1638 and it was sold by the poet,Lord Byron, to the Deardens in 1823, who hold the title. Rochdale did not have a manor house but theOrchard, 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 theManor House. It was demolished in 1922.[10]
Rochdale is a product of theIndustrial Revolution,[11] though the manufacture of woollen cloth, particularlybaize,kerseys andflannels, was locally important as far back as the 1500s. At that time, the textile industry was rooted in thedomestic system 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.[12] 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.[13] In 1804, theRochdale Canal opened, providing the first link over thePennines between Lancashire and Yorkshire.[14]
During the 19th century, Rochdale became one of the world's most prominent cotton processing towns rising to prominence and becoming a major centre fortextile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. It was aboomtown of the Industrial Revolution and was amongst the first everindustrialised towns.[15] By the end of the 19th century, Rochdale had woollen mills,silk manufacturers,bleachers anddyers, though cotton spinning and weaving were the dominant industries in the community.[16][17]
Thesocioeconomic change brought by the success of Rochdale's textile industry in the 19th century led to its rise toborough status and it became an important regional town based upon this economic success.[15]
TheRochdale Pioneers opened the firstCo-operative shop in Toad Lane in 1844.[18] The reformer andMember of Parliament,John Bright (1811–1889), was born in Rochdale and gained a reputation as a leader of political dissent and supporter of theAnti-Corn Law League.[19]
By the middle of the 20th century, Rochdale's economy was in decline, reflecting the broader economic situation in other textile manufacturing towns in theNorth West England. This decline was largely driven by the global availability of cheaper textile product offerings from abroad.[20][21]
During the 1950s and 1960s, Rochdale's lack of a diverse economic base became very apparent, with the closure of numerous textile manufacturing facilities.[22] 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.[20]
Lying within thehistoric county boundaries ofLancashiresince the early 12th century, Rochdale was recorded in 1066 as held by Gamel, one of the twenty-onethegns of theHundred of Salfordshire.[9]
The ancient ecclesiasticalparish of Rochdale was divided into four townships:Butterworth, Castleton,Hundersfield andSpotland. Hundersfield was later divided into four townships: Blatchinworth,Calderbrook,Wardleworth and Wuerdle & Wardle.
Excluding the largechapelry ofSaddleworth, which lay entirely inYorkshire, the parish of Rochdale had an area of 65.4 square miles (169.4 km2).[9]
In 1825, commissioners for the social and economic improvement of the town were established. The town became part of aparliamentary borough 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.[9]
Under the terms of thePoor Law Amendment Act 1834, the town became the head of RochdalePoor Law Union, which was established on 15 February 1837, despite considerable local opposition.[24] In 1856, Rochdale was incorporated as amunicipal borough, giving itborough status in the United Kingdom, and it obtained the powers of the improvement commissioners after 1858.[2]
In 1872, the remaining area of Wardleworth township and parts of Castleton, Wuerdle and Wardle, Spotland and Butterworth townships were added to the borough.[2]
When theadministrative county of Lancashire was created by theLocal Government Act 1888, Rochdale was elevated to become theCounty Borough of Rochdale and was, in modern terms, aunitary authority area exempt from the administration ofLancashire County Council. In 1900, most of CastletonUrban District was added to the borough; thisurban district included parts of Castleton, Hopwood andThornham townships. In 1933, parts of Norden Urban District and Birtle with Bamford civil parish were added to the borough.[2]
Under theLocal Government Act 1972, the town's autonomouscounty borough status was abolished. The municipal boroughs ofMiddleton andHeywood andLittleborough,Milnrow andWardle urban districts are now part of theMetropolitan Borough of Rochdale, one of the ten metropolitan boroughs inGreater Manchester.[2]
TheRochdale constituency was created by theReform Act of 1832. The constituency was held for two decades during the 20th century byCyril Smith, first of theLiberal Party and then of theLiberal Democrats.[25]
Following the2010 general election, the town was represented bySimon Danczuk, who was elected as a LabourMP but was subsequently suspended and placed under investigation by theLabour Party.[26]
Tony Lloyd (Labour) was elected as MP for the Rochdale constituency in the2017 general election and represented the constituency until his death on 17 January 2024. The seat was subsequently won byGeorge Galloway, leader and founder of theWorkers Party of Britain, in the2024 Rochdale by-election on 29 February; the campaign was dominated by opposition to British involvement in theIsrael-Hamas war.[27] Six months later, Galloway was defeated in the2024 election by Labour'sPaul Waugh.
Rochdale is approximately 450 feet (137 m) abovesea level, 10 miles (16 km) north-north-east ofManchester city centre, in thevalley of theRiver Roch.Blackstone Edge,Saddleworth Moor and theSouth Pennines are close to the east; on all other sides, Rochdale is bound by other towns includingWhitworth,Littleborough,Milnrow,Royton,Heywood andShaw and Crompton, with little or nogreen space between them.
Rochdale'sbuilt environment 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-brickterraced houses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Rochdale's Town Hall, seven largetower blocks (locally nicknamedThe Seven Sisters) and a number of formercotton mills mark the town's skyline. Theurban structure of Rochdale is regular when compared to mosttowns in England; its form is restricted in places by its hilly upland terrain.
Much of Rochdale'sbuilt environment is centred around acentral business district in thetown centre, which is the local centre of both the town and borough.
Neighbouring towns, villages and places | |
|---|---|
There are a mixture of high-densityurban areas,suburbs, semi-rural andrural locations in Rochdale, but overwhelmingly theland use in the town is urban.
For purposes of theOffice for National Statistics, the Borough of Rochdale forms the fifth largest settlement of theGreater Manchester Urban Area,[28] theUnited Kingdom's third largest conurbation.
Like much of theBritish Isles, Rochdale experiences atemperatemaritime climate, with relatively cool summers and mild winters.
| Climate data for Rochdale (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.9 (44.4) | 7.5 (45.5) | 9.6 (49.3) | 12.5 (54.5) | 15.6 (60.1) | 18.2 (64.8) | 20.0 (68.0) | 19.6 (67.3) | 17.1 (62.8) | 13.4 (56.1) | 9.7 (49.5) | 7.2 (45.0) | 13.1 (55.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.5 (34.7) | 1.4 (34.5) | 2.5 (36.5) | 4.5 (40.1) | 7.2 (45.0) | 10.1 (50.2) | 11.9 (53.4) | 11.8 (53.2) | 9.6 (49.3) | 6.8 (44.2) | 3.9 (39.0) | 1.5 (34.7) | 6.1 (43.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 119.2 (4.69) | 97.1 (3.82) | 89.9 (3.54) | 68.4 (2.69) | 65.7 (2.59) | 82.9 (3.26) | 96.9 (3.81) | 100.2 (3.94) | 97.8 (3.85) | 116.8 (4.60) | 123.5 (4.86) | 138.9 (5.47) | 1,197.2 (47.13) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1 mm) | 17.1 | 13.7 | 13.4 | 11.8 | 10.9 | 12.6 | 13.1 | 14.8 | 13.2 | 15.3 | 17.2 | 17.6 | 170.8 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 32.2 | 49.8 | 98.9 | 152.7 | 175.4 | 152.8 | 170.8 | 153.5 | 116.3 | 78.7 | 41.6 | 42.7 | 1,265.5 |
| Source:Met Office[29] | |||||||||||||
At the2001 UK census, Rochdale had a population of 95,796. The population density was 11,186 inhabitants per square mile (4,319/km2), with a 100 to 94.4 female-to-male ratio.[30] Of those over 16 years old, 28.2% were single (never married), 44.0% married and 8.8% divorced.[31] Rochdale's 37,730 households included 30.4% one-person, 36.6% married couples living together, 8.4% wereco-habiting couples and 11.1% single parents with their children.[32] Of those aged 16–74, 37.1% had noacademic qualifications, similar to the figure for all of Rochdale, but higher than that of 28.9% in all of England.[33][34] Rochdale has the highest number ofJobseeker's Allowance claimants in Greater Manchester, with 6.1 per cent of its adult population claiming the benefit in early 2010.[35]
| 2001 UK census | Rochdale[36] | Rochdale Borough[37] | England |
| Total population | 95,796 | 205,357 | 49,138,831 |
| Ethnicity | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 78.7% | 88.6% | 91% |
| Asian | 19.9% | 9.8% | 4.6% |
| Black | 0.3% | 0.3% | 2.3% |
| Other | 1.1% | 1.3% | 2.1% |
| Religion | |||
| Christian | 62.7% | 72.1% | 71.7% |
| Muslim | 19.1% | 9.4% | 3.1% |
| Other religion | 7.8% | 7.7% | 10.6% |
| No religion | 10.4% | 10.8% | 14.6% |
Rochdale had a population of 107,926, which made it about the same size asSalford andStockport; this was an increase from 95,796 in 2001. It is one of four townships in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, along withMiddleton, Heywood and Pennine (a township which includesLittleborough andWardle). Rochdale is considered an Urban Subdivision by the local borough council.
| Rochdale compared 2011 | Rochdale | Rochdale (Borough) |
|---|---|---|
| White British | 65.2% | 78.6% |
| Asian | 27.5% | 14.9% |
| Black | 1.5% | 1.3% |
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.[38] This means that the town takes up almost 55% of the borough's population.
The town of Rochdale's population was enumerated at 111,261; its ethnic makeup was 57.2%White, 34.3%Asian, 2.6%Mixed, 3.4%Black, 2.1% Other and 0.5%Arab. The town's religious makeup was 38%Christian, 36%Muslim, 24.2% No Religion and has smallHindu,Sikh,Buddhist andJewish communities.[1]
More than 40% of children in the Rochdale borough are living in poverty.[40]
There are four grade Ilisted buildings in the town: the Town Hall,[41] the Cenotaph,[42] theChurch of St Mary in the Baum,[43] andSt Edmund's Church.[44]
Rochdale Town Hall is aVictorian eratown hall "widely recognised as being one of the finest municipal buildings in the country."[45] It is the ceremonial headquarters ofRochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and houses local government departments, including the borough'scivil registration office.
Built in theGothic 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 240-foot (73 m)clock tower, topped by a wooden spire with a gilded statue ofSaint George and the Dragon, which were destroyed by fire on 10 April 1883. A new 191-foot (58 m) stone clock tower and spire in the style ofManchester Town Hall was designed byAlfred Waterhouse and erected in 1888. Art criticNikolaus Pevsner described the building as possessing a "rare picturesque beauty."[46] Itsstained glass windows, some designed byWilliam Morris, are credited as "the finest modern examples of their kind."[45][failed verification] It has been described as one of the United Kingdom's finest examples ofVictorianGothic revival architecture.[47]
The building came to the attention ofAdolf Hitler, who was said to have admired it so much that he wished to ship the building, brick-by-brick, toNazi Germany had the United Kingdom been defeated in theSecond World War.[48][49]
TheRochdale Cenotaph, a war memorial bearing four sculpted and painted flags, is located opposite the town hall. It commemorates those who died in conflicts since theFirst World War. The monument and surrounding gardens were designed bySir Edwin Lutyens.[50][51] Rochdale's cenotaph is one of eight designed by Lutyens in England. The earliest to be erected was atSouthampton in 1920; the last atNorwich 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. The cenotaph 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 10m tall and the top section is acatafalque, which includes a carving of a horizontal figure.
Adjacent to the town hall is a statue of the late singer, comedian and actressDame Gracie Fields. The statue was unveiled byRoy Hudd on 18 September 2016. It was created by sculptorSean Hedges-Quinn, who based the statue on Fields' look during the 1940s.[52] The statue was the first of a woman to be unveiled in Greater Manchester in more than 100 years[53] and was part of Rochdale Borough Council's wider regeneration of the town centre.
In Broadfield Park in the town centre, there is a statue ofJohn Bright MP, a BritishRadical andLiberal statesman, who is regarded as one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter offree trade policies. Bright was born in Rochdale; he became famous for his crusade to repeal Britain'scorn laws and his promotion of religious freedom andelectoral reform.
Worthy of note is a large industrial park, named theKingsway Business Park, for which planning permission for its construction began in 2009. The complex covers an area of 420 acres (0.66 sq mi; 1.7 km2).[54]
Public transport in Rochdale is coordinated byTransport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), which owns the bus station and co-ordinates transport services in the area.
Demand from the cross-Pennine trade to support localcotton,wool andsilk industries led to the building of theManchester and Leeds Railway. It opened in 1839 from Manchester to Littleborough and fromNormanton toHebden Bridge in 1840. The linking section opened on completion of theSummit Tunnel in 1841.
Rochdale railway station is located about a mile south of the town centre.Northern Trains operates services on the following routes:[55]
The stopping service to Manchester Victoria on theOldham Loop line ended in October 2009, in preparation for conversion of the line to an extension of theMetrolink 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 theOldham and Rochdale Line. The extension to Rochdale town centre, via Drake Street and terminating oppositeRochdale Interchange, opened on 31 March 2014.
Metrolink services operate currently toEast Didsbury tram stop, via Manchester city centre, on thePink line.[56]
The borough's bus service was provided by a municipal operator,Rochdale Corporation Transport, which was merged into theSELNEC Passenger Transport Executive in 1969.
Followingderegulation 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 byRossendale Borough Council between 1986 and 2017 until being sold toTransdev 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 themulti-storey car park and municipal offices (known locally asThe Black Box), to make way for the new Rochdale Riverside retail and leisure development.[57] Its replacement, Rochdale Interchange, is located next to the council office and main library buildingNumber One Riverside and is linked withRochdale Town Centre tram stop.
Since September 24, 2023 (Route 471) / March 24th 2024 (All Other Routes except 464/587/590) bus service in Rochdale has been provided byBee Network under the franchising system. As of 2025, Stagecoach Manchester operates the409 to Oldham/Ashton and the principal17 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 byFirst 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.[58]
The earliest routes around Rochdale were tracks andpackhorse routes, with a paved track over Blackstone Edge into Yorkshire that had Roman origins.[59] As trade increased, the Blackstone Edgeturnpike road was built in 1735.
TheM62 motorway passes to the south of the town and is accessed via theA627(M), which starts at Sandbrook Park in Rochdale and runs to Elk Mill inChadderton. The A627(M) also provides access to Oldham.
The idea for theRochdale Canal emerged in 1776, whenJames Brindley was commissioned to survey possible routes betweenSowerby Bridge and Manchester.
However, it was not until 4 April 1794 that an Act of Parliament was obtained. The broad canal which linked theBridgewater Canal in Manchester with theAire and Calder Navigation at Sowerby Bridge became a major artery of commerce between Lancashire and Yorkshire for cotton, wool, coal, limestone, timber and salt.[60] TheRochdale Canal has the highest concentration of canal locks in the regional northern canal system; it houses 91 locks over 32 miles (51 km).[61]
Hollingworth Lake is part of the canal system. It was designed originally 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 theAshton Canal was restored as part of theCheshire Ring in 1974. The rest of the canal was restored and reopened in 2003. Local activist groups have worked to further improve the canal.
Hopwood Hall College is afurther education college with a campus in Rochdale. It offers vocational courses for school leavers and adult learners, with somehigher education.
Rochdale Sixth Form College opened in September 2010; it is the primary provider ofA-Level courses in Rochdale and the wider metropolitan borough. Most secondary schools in the area no longer offersixth form courses.
Local news and television programmes are provided byBBC North West andITV Granada. Television signals are received from theWinter Hill TV transmitter.[62]
Local radio stations areBBC 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.[63]
Rochdale is served by a local newspaper, theRochdale Observer, and by a regional newspaper, theManchester Evening News.[64]
St Chad's Church is a grade II* listed building.[65] It was the mother church ofancient parish of Rochdale and was founded before 1170, possibly on anAnglo-Saxon site. Much of the current building is the result of lateVictorian restoration. Other Anglican churches include the grade I listedChurch of St Mary in the Baum.[43]
St John the Baptist Catholic Church was built in 1927 inByzantine Revival style and is a grade II* listed building.[66]
Marland Grange[67] was aCistercian grange ofStanlow,Cheshire, then ofWhalley. The grange was founded before 1212.
Rochdale is home to 21 mosques ofvarious denominations. Rochdale Central Masjid [Idara] is the largest of Rochdale's mosques.[68]
Home Office policing in Rochdale is provided byGreater Manchester Police and the Rochdale Division has headquarters at Town Meadow, adjacent to themagistrates' court.
Statutory emergency fire and rescue services are provided by theGreater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, which has fire stations in Rochdale, Littleborough and Heywood.[69]
Emergency healthcare is provided byNorthern Care Alliance. The Trust operates four hospitals in the North Manchester area, including the Rochdale Infirmary for theNHS. Patient transport is provided by theNorth West Ambulance Service.
Rochdale Infirmary is the main hospital serving the town since the closure ofBirch Hill Hospital, which occupied the former Rochdale UnionWorkhouse at Dearnley, in 2007.[24] 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; it provides care for children and adults on both an inpatient and out-patient basis.
Primary care services in Rochdale are provided by the Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale NHS Primary Care Trust. In 2006, it was announced that Accident & Emergency facilities at Rochdale Infirmary would be closed by 2011, leaving Oldham and Bury as the closest departments serving Rochdale.[70] Confirmation that the unit would close was met with protest locally, including a march through the town centre.[71]
Waste management was coordinated by thelocal authority from 1986, via theGreater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority,[72] and since 1 April 2018 via its representation on theGreater Manchester Combined Authority.[73]
Rochdale'sdistribution network operator for electricity wasUnited Utilities until 2010, when its electricity subsidiary was sold toElectricity North West. There are nopower stations in the town, following the closure ofRochdale power station in 1958.Scout Moor Wind Farm was built on the high moors betweenRawtenstall and Rochdale; it has 26 turbines and generates 65MW of electricity.[74]
United Utilities manages Rochdale'sdrinking andwaste water.[75] Water supplies are sourced from several reservoirs in Rochdale's outlying moorland, includingWatergrove,Blackstone Edge,Greenbooth andPiethorne.[75]
Rochdale has two professional teams:Rochdale A.F.C. (football) andRochdale Hornets (rugby league); both play home games at theSpotland Stadium.
Rochdale AFC were founded in 1907 and joined theFootball League in 1921, when the newFootball League Third Division (North) was created.[76] 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 theFootball League Cup Final in 1962 and lost toNorwich 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.[77]
The town was home to former non-league football club,Rochdale Town,[78] but still hostsNational Conference League amateur rugby league clubRochdale Mayfield. Rochdale R.U.F.C. who play inBamford. 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, atSpringfield Park.[79] 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.[80]
Speedway racing was staged at theAthletic Grounds in 1928–30 and returned at the start of the 1970s when it provided a home for the British League Division TwoBelle Vue Aces juniors andRochdale Hornets.Peter Collins, who won the 1976 World Championship, was a Hornets rider.[81]Stuart Smith[82][83] and Doug Cronshaw[84] competed inBriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars between 1965 and 1984.
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Sahiwal council has received many gifts, such as fire brigade trucks, ambulances and grants for hospitals from the people of Rochdale.[85]
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Lancashiredialect poetEdwin Waugh (1817–1890) was born and brought up in the town.
The aristocrat and poetGeorge Gordon Byron was Lord Byron of Rochdale. Rochdale has a proud liberal political heritage, as shown by such people asJohn Bright, one of the first Quakers to sit in the House of Commons, andRev. Joseph Cooke, the inspiration behind the Methodist Unitarian movement. In the 20th century, another prominent political personality wasCyril Smith, who was posthumously found to have sexually abused children.
Among Rochdale's residents have been several musicians, including singersPiri,Gracie Fields,Lisa Stansfield (born inHeywood) andBarb Jungr and bandsKaliphz also known as Kaleef,Autechre, andTractor.
BroadcastersJohn Peel andMark Chapman also have links with the town; Peel lived there for a period of time and Chapman was born here. ActorsAnna Friel,Bill Oddie andChristine Bottomley were born in Rochdale.Don Estelle, who was born and brought up inCrumpsall, lived for much of his life in Rochdale and was buried there in August 2003.[86]
Sajid Javid, the formerChancellor of the Exchequer was born in Rochdale toBritish Pakistani parents.
Other notable residents include businessman and philanthropistSir Peter Ogden, novelistNicholas Blincoe,Monica Coghlan, a prostitute caught up in theJeffrey Archer scandal, and the bankerRev. Paul Flowers.
NovelistAnna Jacobs was born in Rochdale. World Series of poker winnerJake Cody grew up in Rochdale.
The footballerEarl Barrett was born there in April 1967 toJamaican immigrant parents.[87] Great Britain OlympianCraig Dawson, represented hometown clubRochdale andBolton Wanderers atfootball. England women's national team player and GB OlympianKeira Walsh who previously has played forBlackburn Rovers,Manchester City and current teamBarcelona. A mural depicting Walsh playing for theLionesses was completed in June 2024.[88]
. Retrieved25 April 2009.. Retrieved25 April 2009.. Retrieved25 April 2009.. Retrieved25 April 2009.. Retrieved25 April 2009.
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