Museums · North West England
Touchstones Rochdale
Touchstones Rochdale — art gallery, museum and local studies library in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Best time of year
- Year-round
- Nearest railway station
- Rochdale · 0.8 km
- Family-friendly
- Wheelchair accessible
About
Touchstones Rochdale is a museum in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1883. Heritage designation: Grade II listed building. Managed by Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council. Part of Greater Manchester Museums Group. Address: OL16 1AQ. Wikidata describes it as: "art gallery, museum and local studies library in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom". Coordinates: 53.6151°, -2.1622°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Touchstones Rochdale is an art gallery, museum, local studies centre, visitor information centre and café forming part of the Central Library, Museum and Art Gallery in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It is a Grade II listed building. The first part of the stone building was opened as a library in 1884 with the museum and gallery being added in 1903 and extended in 1913. It became an art and heritage centre in 2003.
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: Rochdale Canal SSSI
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: South Pennine Moors SSSI
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Touchstones Rochdale is an art gallery, museum, local studies centre, visitor information centre and café forming part of the Central Library, Museum and Art Gallery in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It is a Grade II listed building. The first part of the stone building was opened as a library in 1884 with the museum and gallery being added in 1903 and extended in 1913. It became an art and heritage centre in 2003. It houses collections relating to local history and related topics, with changing exhibitions over time.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The library was built first, opening in 1884, after a fire at Rochdale Town Hall destroyed the "Clock Tower Library" in 1883. The art gallery and museum were built and linked to the library in 1903, and an extension added in 1913. The building was converted into an art and heritage centre in 2003.
Architecture
It is in Yorkshire stone and has a slate roof. The library has one storey, a front of three gables with ball finials, a central porch with an arcaded parapet, an elliptical-headed doorway, and mullioned and transomed windows with elliptical heads and hood moulds. The museum and art gallery have two storeys, a four-bay central block, a three-bay gabled block to the right, and a diagonally-set gabled block to the left. On the gables are panels of carved figures.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 53.6151, -2.1622
- District
- Rochdale
- Parish
- Rochdale, unparished area
- Postcode
- OL16 1AQ
- Parliamentary constituency
- Rochdale
- Established
- 1883
- Nearest railway station
- Rochdale — 0.8 km
- Official site
- www.yourtrustrochdale.co.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q7828737 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Touchstones Rochdale (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Touchstones - geograph.org.uk - 1702342.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Touchstones Rochdale?
- Touchstones Rochdale is in North-West England, United Kingdom (postcode OL16 1AQ), in the parish of Rochdale, unparished area.
- When was Touchstones Rochdale built?
- Built or established in 1883.
- Who runs Touchstones Rochdale?
- Touchstones Rochdale is operated by Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council.
- Is Touchstones Rochdale a listed building?
- Touchstones Rochdale is officially recognised as Grade II listed building listed.
- Is Touchstones Rochdale a protected site?
- Yes — Touchstones Rochdale is part of the Rochdale Canal SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the South Pennine Moors SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- How do I get to Touchstones Rochdale?
- The nearest railway station is Rochdale, about 0.8 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode OL16 1AQ.