Rochdale heritage hidden under staircase

John Bright statue currently out of sight at Rochdale Infirmary

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It has emerged that two artefacts of great historical value have been hidden under a flight of stairs at Rochdale Infirmary for over twelve months.

One of the items is an impressive model of Rochdale Infirmary, made from over twelve thousand corks. The model, which was found at the Infirmary’s Watson Offices, was made in 1883 by John Thomas.

The other item is a marble and stone bust statue of John Bright, who was born in Rochdale in 1811, and became MP for Manchester. Throughout his life he campaigned for causes which would improve the lives of working people; locally, nationally, and worldwide.

Councillor Jean Ashworth has been asked by many members of the public about why the items are not being put to good use and is growing increasingly concerned about them. She commented: “I don’t understand why such magnificent objects are stuck in a corner; they should be on show for all to see, whether it is in a museum or in the Infirmary. We need to keep our eye on things like this; they are important pieces of Rochdale’s heritage and have been out of view for nearly twelve months.”

Apparently this is not the only instance of the town’s history being hidden from the public. Councillor Ashworth continued: “On a recent visit to Birch Hill Hospital I noticed two huge murals of Cyril Smith with some wonderful images of Rochdale. On a return visit the murals had disappeared, and when I asked where they had gone I was told that they are being stored in cellars in the hospital. I have requested that the mural are put back on display, perhaps in the Infirmary. These things are going to get damaged; they should be in the museums where people can admire them, not in storage!”

The infirmary model itself actually belongs to Touchstones Museum but has been on a long term loan to the Infirmary for over ten years. Andrew Moore, a spokesperson from Touchstones commented: “We were not aware that the model was not on show in the Infirmary; if this is the case then it either needs to be returned to us or relocated to a more prominent position.”

A spokesperson for Rochdale Infirmary commented: “Rochdale Infirmary is full of art work which celebrates both the hospital and the town – anyone walking along the link corridor or towards the renal unit will see all those great paintings of staff in action. We were very proud to put the work of Hopwood Hall students on display recently which covered the broader themes about Rochdale, and what it means to them. That work was supported by a £5,800 grant from the Rochdale Youth Opportunity Fund, and arranged by our arts co-ordinator, Rob.

“We’d certainly welcome ideas on how to build the model into future work, but Councillor Ashworth hasn’t made any suggestions to us about this model that I’m aware of, either now or in the year previously. Rob is well-known around the Infirmary, so all she would need to do is have a word with him. There may be obvious restrictions on displaying a model of this size in certain areas, which is the main issue that I can think of. That said, if Touchstone’s say that they want it back, and it is theirs, then obviously we’d arrange that to their convenience.”