Rochdale gets its name from its position on the River Roch at the edge of the Pennines. The Domesday Book records the town's name as Recedham, which is made up of Rached (Celtic river name) and ham (OE homestead). Over time this changed to Rachedale and finally Rochdale.
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 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.
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 Co-operative movement. A museum now exists at Toad Lane, the site of the Rochdale Pioneers. Rochdale College in Toronto, Canada, a now-closed 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.
Colin Baker, actor, althought not born in Rochdale Colin moved there and was raised in his early life.
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:
Backdoor Music Project, for local youths with bi-weekly performances at a number of venues.
Skylight Circus, allowing youths to practise many forms of circus performance arts.
M6 Theatre Company, a touring theatre company which creates plays for young people.
"Rochdale".
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