Rochdale Times has once again reminded the world that it isn’t just B&M, drizzle and a confusing one-way system. Local Warrington-based Rochdale Times historians have dug up five facts designed to prove the borough is basically Silicon Valley with meat pies.
Rochdale Olympic – the Ferrari you find in a shed
Back in 1948, two blokes called Frank and Harry started knocking together sports cars in an old mill. Because nothing screams luxury performance like asbestos in the walls and the smell of wet wool. Their big hit was the Rochdale Olympic, a fibreglass coupé built in such small numbers that finding one today is the vehicular equivalent of spotting Lord Lucan riding Shergar down Drake Street.
Nicola Adams – the boxer who escaped Middleton
Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams trained at Hopwood Hall College, proving once and for all that Middleton can produce something other than teenage pregnancy statistics. She studied leadership and psychology there, which explains how she got out without ever having to work at the Arndale.
Rochdale AFC – we once scored eight
The Dale’s proudest moment came in 1926, when they managed to thrash Chesterfield 8–1. Sadly, that was almost a century ago, and fans have since been reduced to reminiscing about it with the same wistful tone pensioners use when describing rationing. Average home attendance these days is about three blokes and a dog, but they’ll still tell you the Crown Oil Arena “has atmosphere.”
Bernard Manning – Middleton’s answer to a cultural apology
Comedian Bernard Manning lived in Middleton and parked huge American cars outside his house, presumably because nothing says subtlety like a Cadillac in a cul-de-sac. He opened the Embassy Club in 1959, and his jokes were so controversial they now double as training material for HR departments.
Concorde’s nose – Rochdale’s actual claim to fame
Finally, the pièce de résistance: Rochdale helped build Concorde’s nose. A loom from Littleborough was converted to weave fibreglass, proving the local economy’s knack for pivoting from cotton drawers to supersonic aircraft. Next time you hear a jet breaking the sound barrier, just remember: that nose was brought to you by the same borough that gave the world a Greggs drive-thru.
