Doors open in September as Rochdale borough celebrates its heritage

St Leonards, Middleton's Medieval Parish Church

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The borough of Rochdale is getting ready to celebrate its fantastic architecture and heritage next month with the return of the national Heritage Open Days festival.

Billed as England’s largest voluntary cultural event, this year marks the twentieth anniversary of ‘opening the doors’ on properties that are usually closed to the public or normally charge an entrance fee.

Running for four days, from Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 September, this is a once-a-year chance to enjoy events and activities which bring to life local history and culture. All free to explore, buildings of every age, style and function across the borough will be opening, along with fascinating guided walks, tours and talks.

Co-ordinated nationally by the Heritage Open Days National Partnership and locally by Link4Life Arts and Heritage Service, the borough’s cultural trust, the event thrives on the enthusiasm and expertise of local people as thousands of volunteers from all walks of life share their knowledge and memories. And with exciting new additions to the programme, festival co-ordinators are expecting this year to be even bigger and better.

Acknowledging the enthusiastic support received from the many different organisations taking part, Julian Jefferson from Link4Life said: “Our fantastic heritage offer is hard to beat and we are really excited about this year's programme. With over forty-five different things to do across the borough it will give local people the chance to explore our better known historical buildings as well as find hidden gems in unlikely places.”

Many of Rochdale’s historic and religious buildings will open including the Grade I listed Town Hall, the Pioneers Museum and Touchstones Rochdale which will welcome a visit by the mobile Yelloway Motor Coach Museum reliving over fifty years of memories of day trips and holidays. There will also be a behind the scenes visit to the Regal Moon pub, with its original features going back to the days when it was one of the town’s many cinemas.

A highlight of the festival in Middleton will be a ‘Grand Day Out’ of the town’s Golden Cluster, which includes the work of architect Edgar Wood, with a specially organised land train to take visitors around a circular route of places to visit combined with children’s activities in the town centre.

Heywood’s historic churches will open with a chance also to step back in time to the 1930s to visit the courtroom and cells of the town’s iconic former police station.

Littleborough will be inviting visitors to explore the Victorian history of Hollingworth Lake as “the Weighvers’ Seaport” with an arts and crafts festival at the country park. World War One memorabilia will also be on display in the Littleborough History Centre based in the original railway station buildings in the town centre.

Cabinet Member for Community, Culture and Tourism at Rochdale Borough Council, Councillor Daalat Ali said, “It will be an interesting and enjoyable four days and a real showcase for the richness and diversity of Rochdale borough’s local heritage. I would encourage everyone of all ages not to miss this chance to find out more about the many hundreds of years of history that have helped to shape this borough. Not just from books but from seeing with their own eyes and talking to those who know.” 

Rochdale Online Events Diary - Heritage Open Days programme