Rochdale Rambles Part 1

This is the statue of John Bright (1811-1889) a native of Rochdale. Bright was firstly the Liberal Mp for Manchester and, in 1858, he became the member of Parliament for Birmingham. He was a reformer and also a major campaigner for the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1839. Also, he was a member of The Society of Friends (Quakers) and was a mill owner in Rochdale (his father had earlier set up this very same mill). This very fine statue of Bright, a local landmark, stands proudly at the western side of Broadfield Park overlooking the esplanade and close to Rochdale Town Hall.

Just a short distance further back up the path overlooking the esplanade at the western side of Broadfield Park stands another interesting monument called 'The Dialect Writers Memorial' made of a red granite pedestal topped by an obelisk that was erected here in 1900. This tall granite monument stands in memory of the four Rochdale dialect writers, Edwin Waugh who died in 1890, Oliver Ormerod died 1879, Margaret Lahee died 1895 and John Clegg who died in 1895. However, the most famous of these undoutedly was the renowned poet Edwin Waugh born in 1817 and died 1890 the renowned Rochdale-born dialect poet and author. The monument is very carefully inscribed with the various poems and information on each of the writers' - along with their carved faces. It is well-worth having a much closer look at - and, also perhaps taking rather more time to read those interesting inscriptions. The photo shows the side pertaining to Edwin Waugh with related information.

From here go on into Broadfield Park - passing close to the statue of Alderman George Leach Ashworth (1823-1873), a former mayor of Rochdale. Opposite the bandstand and close to the St Alban's Road (Ordnance Survey grid reference SD.896 130) entrance where there is a curious round-shaped boulder, made of andecite, that is thought to weigh somewhere between five and seven tons. This is actually a relic of the last Ice-Age about 11,000-13,000 years ago. Apparently it used to lie in a field at Cown Top farm, on the moors above Rochdale, but it was given as a gift to the park. The glacial erratic boulder was transported to the Rochdale area in a retreating ice flow moving south from Borrowdale in the Lake District and scraping along the western sides of the Pennines.

Continuing our ramble around Rochdale head out of Broadfield Park and to Sparrow Hill where the beautiful Gothic ediface of St Chad's parish church can be found. There was a church, of sorts, here back in the 1100s on what was perhaps a Saxon site. Part of the square-shaped tower is thought to date back to that period. But what we see today is a Gothic revivalist restoration of the late 19th century. The building is though quite stunning. Above the main entrance there is an imposing statue of Saint Chad, who is looking down.

This very fine statue of St Chad, bishop of Lichfield (d 672) looks down, imposingly, from his splendidly carved niche above the main entrance to the church.

Close to St Chad's parish church we can see the railed-off grave of Tim Bobbin (John Collier) 1708-1786. He was born at Urmston near Manchester and spent much of his life in and around Rochdale, indeed he was a teacher at Milnrow. But Collier became a well-known Lancashire caricaturist and satirical dialect poet. He would sell his drawings and poems in the inns of Rochdale; his portraits of the folk who frequented these ale houses were often of a comical nature. Many of these drawings and dialect poems are still known to us today. Collier's gravestone with its worn epitaph is a pilgrimage site for many Lancashire poets. The worn epitaph can just be made out and has, apparently, a number of references to his wife Mary who he referred to as Moll.

And now the final part of our ramble takes us down 'Church Steps' 122 or 124 steps that lead down from St Chad's churchyard to the Town Hall. On descending the steps you will see on your left 'Packer Spout' where long ago packhorses paused for a cooling drink. At the bottom go through the carpark and there in front of you stands Rochdale Town Hall in all its splendour. Opened in 1871 it was built in the Victorian Gothic style by architect William Henry Crossland. It is a fine example of a Victorian municipal building. The clock tower, a local landmark. dominates the skyline and stands at 190 feet high and was opened in 1888. Locally, the tower is called "Little Big Ben". The stained-glass windows in the town hall are delightfully outstanding, in fact, the whole building is quite stunning with its gilded lions and other features. The interior is just as nice - if not better than the outside. It is certainly worth spending some time and having a closer look at the building - both inside and out.

Rochdale Town Hall clock tower is a local landmark that can be seen for miles around. Locally it is referred to as "Little Big Ben"

New Housing Complex on the site of Knowl View School.

This is the new housing complex called Cherry Wood House on Bamford Mews that was built on the site of Knowl View School in 1995. Strangely, the whole layout of the complex is very similar to the plan of the school, even the buildings look very similar. Many of the flats appear to be empty! Wonder if there were, or are, any ghosts there!

Knowl View School

This was the boarding school that I attended on Norden Road, Bamford, from 1969-1972.

Ruined chimney at the Coal Bank cotton-spinning mill in Carr Woods about 1980.

The Coal Bank cotton-spinning mill complex beside the Naden brook, in Carr Woods, near Norden, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, which is also known as Fester Clough at Ordnance Survey Grid Reference: SD 85592 14167  came into use in the 1800s, but, then later it became a bleach works - one of many in this area - such as for example the Deeply Vale Mills. The Coal Bank mill finally closed down in the early part of the 20th century.The photo (above) shows the old brick chimney belonging to the works, which was, sadly, pulled down in 2006.

This colour photo shows the cobbled and flagged walkway over the Naden brook at the site of Coal Bank mill in Carr Woods (Wolstenholme Fold), near Norden. The photo is from the 1980s when the place was being tidied up. Some of the ruins still quite visible at either side of the path and brook.

A rough map drawn by myself, from memory, in the late 1970s of Carr Woods showing where the Coal Bank mill was located and the ruined chimney etc. I have put the ruined buildings on to show the probable likely location, again from memory. [Map not to scale]

Map showing the general area of Carr Woods with the site of the Coal Bank mill/works roughly in the centre just to the left of the old mill chimney where the Naden brooks flows merrily along in the direction of Norden.

At School In Bamford

I was at school in Bamford from 1969-1972. Although this was a not a happy time for me at Knowl View School, which was a boarding school for children with emotional problems, I sought solace by walking around Bamford, near Rochdale, and in the countryside around there. In particular, I enjoyed exploring Carr Woods and the Naden brook between Bamford and Norden. I found the old ruined mill and bleach/dye works at Coal Bank of particular interest and would often sit beside the ruins and brook until it was time to get back for tea and the special school that I attended. Not good memories of the school, which I hated, but some good and happy memories of the surrounding countryside. For a couple of hours at least I was able to forget all my problems and surround myself in the rich industrial history of the Ashworth Valley, Carr Woods and the Naden brook. Despite all the bad things - there were "some" good times at Knowl View.

My life at Knowl View School was not a good one, but I had to go there because I had made my mind up that I wasn't going to a mainstream school. Most of the other boys there came from poor backgrounds, many being emotionally disturbed and, quite a few unable to attend proper schools due to their disruptive behaviour and inability to adapt to ordinary school life. The boys at Knowl View were aged from about 7 years to 16 years of age. There were four dormitories: Nirvana,Valhalla, Bliss and Lilliput. Myself, I started off in Nirvana - a pretty dreadful place with some unpleasant kids - the other dorms not much better, perhaps even worse. I wouldn't say the school was run in a military way but at times it seemed like that to me. Some of the teachers were quite nice, others were awful characters who probably shouldn't have been teachers at all. This school was most probably the only one that would take them.
                       
 I hated Knowl View School and I hated everything that 'it' stood for - the very bricks and mortar of the building, the windows, doors, roof, furniture and everything else inside the place. I would look out from my little bedroom window in lilleput dormatory at the world outside this wretched place - the world outside in Bamford and Rochdale. The bus which I hoped would take me away from here came into the village every half hour, then it made its way back to Rochdale and, to home beyond that. The bus was on time, turning around to get to its 'waiting position'. If only I could "be" on that bus, if only, that was the big question.

I loved Bamford, Carr Woods, Norden and Rochdale, but I hated Knowl View School to its very guts. I would lay in bed in the darkness of the night, maybe the only other period that I found peace and quiet, wishing that the morning would never come but, of course, it did. The nightime was my little bit of heavenly solitude for a few hours at least, but the morning always seemed to come very quickly - 7.30 it was rise and shine!

And lastly a footnote: A school friend of mine called Michael took me to a ladies house down on Bury Old Road. She had a stables with horses. Mrs G was a lovely lady and, very motherly. I think she 'felt sorry for the boys at the Knowl View'. She plied me with freshly cooked buns as I remember. I think I told her 'that I wouldn't be able to eat my tea'!. Afterwards me and Michael went to look at the horses where a very nice young lady was mucking out. I think she was Mrs G's daughter. But I can't remember much else about this visit, sadly. But I wished I'd been able to visit Mrs G more often. Thankyou Mrs G for being so nice.