St Chad's Church, Rochdale

St Chad's was the mother church of the ancient parish of Rochdale and was founded before 1170, possibly on an Anglo-Saxon site. Much of the current building is the result of late Victorian restoration. A local legend relates that the site was chosen by spirits and fairies as on several occasions stone for the church building was moved from near the river to the hill on which St. Chad's stands. The church is accessed from the town below by a flight of 124 steps. The town stocks (no longer in use) are in the churchyard. St Chad's Church is a medieval foundation; however this is not apparent from its outside aspect. The advowson of the church was granted to the Cistercian community at Stanlow…