An iconic Rochdale landmark built in the 14th Century has reopened after it was obscured from the public for over a hundred years.
The bridge over the river Roch in heart of Rochdale’s town centre was partly obliterated in a terrorist incident in 1903, and then paved over to make way for Rochdale’s pioneering new tram network.
A 5 million pound revamp, part of a 250 million pound regeneration programme in the city due to finish in 2019, has seen it open to the public in a spectacular opening ceremony, with the first person to cut the ribbon and cross it being local celebrity lollipop lady Mrs Gillian Duffy, 76. Mrs Duffy told us ‘I was over the moon when they asked me! You could have knocked me down with a feather, it’s a great priviledge for me’.
The bridge was originally used by wool merchants from the Middle East who travelled to Rochdale and carried their wares across to the new mills, as Rochdale at the time was a burgeoning linchpin in the booming industrial revolution. Nowadays, you are more likely to see young mothers crossing the bridge taking their children to school or the Mosque, or local businessmen going about their daily activities.
