House prices

Taken from various adverts that appeared in the Rochdale Observer 12th April 1986;

Detached house- 4 bedrooms, L'Boro' £39,500
Detached house- 3 bedrooms, Rooley Moor Rd £30,950

Semi-detached house- 3 bedrooms, Buersil £29,950
Semi-detached house- 3 bedrooms, Kirkholt £14,250

Terraced- 2 bedrooms, L'Boro' £17,500
Terraced- 3 bedrooms, Hey St , Rochdale £11,500

Driver swallowed the evidence

A man ate his tax disc after being stopped by the police regarding motoring offences. He was charged with failing to provide a breath specimen, driving without a licence and using a car without a valid tax disc. After eating the tax disc the defendant said,'No tax disc, no evidence.'

Article taken from the Rochdale Observer dated 9th April 1986

Screen comedian in Rochdale

Stanley Lupino, the famous stage and screen comedian, paid a visit to Rochdale on Monday afternoon and attended the matinee performance at the Regal Cinema where the film 'Hold My Hand' in which he appears is being shown this week. There were not many people outside the cinema when he arrived, but the ovation he got when he appeared on stage after the completion of the film was an indication that his visit to Rochdale was much appreciated.

Taken from the Rochdale Observer dated 29th march 1939

Ashworth Valley

The following article appeared in the Rochdale Observer dated 25th March 1939 under the heading Public Notices.

ASHWORTH VALLEY

The management of the above wish to inform the public that the above grounds will be CLOSED
on GOOD FRIDAY, EASTER and until further notice.

H. LEACH
HURST FARM, ASHWORTH, ROCHDALE

Brotherod chimney felled

Brotherod chimney was felled at 8 o'clock last Saturday morning, Messrs Thomas Rawstron being the demolishers. There was something rather pathetic in watching this chimney being destroyed, especially to anyone who can see the actual beauty in the graceful lines of such structures. The method of felling adopted, was to undercut the brickwork on two sides and then with explosives to blow away a remaining pillar of brickwork. This was done and after the shot was fired the chimney seemed to pause as though not understanding it's doom; then slowly and gracefully it leaned over to it's last rest, falling exactly in the place expected. The chimney did not break up until it actually hit the ground.

Taken from the Rochdale Observer dated 22nd March 1939

Special train for the man left behind

A Rochdale businessman missed the early morning 5.44am train to Manchester on Monday morning. Baffled staff were puzzled as to how the man had managed to miss the train when he had been on the platform eight minutes before the train arrived. After appealing to the duty station inspector, stating that he had to catch a plane, a two coach diesel unit was commissioned to run the passenger non-stop to Victoria, where a taxi was waiting courtesy of British Railways, to take him to the airport bus station in St. Ann's Square.

Article taken from Rochdale Observer 30th March 1963

The Pen Shop

Advert that appeared in the Rochdale Observer 13th April 1963

A GUD PENN WOANT HELP YER SPELING

But it may improve the appearance of your writing.

W.T.WHATMOUGH
'The Pen Shop'
20, Drake Street, Rochdale
*Stockists of all the best pens*

Lancashire Dialect word of the day

Has-Bin - Has been ie, a thing of the past.

Rugby Union

A Prestige win over Huddersfield - Rochdale 16 Huddersfield 14

By defeating Huddersfield on Saturday, Rochdale enhanced their prestige in Yorkshire. Huddersfield are a senior side and the great feature of the game was the complete absence of rancour as Rochdale piled up a score which at one period reached sixteen points to six. There was not a single 'incident' in the match.

As reported in the Rochdale Observer 10th April 1957

Petrol ration books

Petrol Ration Books and Vehicle Licence Renewals

Next Monday (March 18th) the post office begins the second week of issuing the new basic ration books and motor licences. If your surname begins with E, F, G, H, I, J or K you are asked to apply next week. You are requested to apply in the early part of the week and try to avoid Saturdays.

Notice appeared in Rochdale Observer dated 16th March 1957

Shambles of Rochdale to Bacup Bus

Fight Among Teddy Boys Gang

A conductor had a finger brokenafter ordering two youths to leave a Rochdale to Bacup bus. A gang of Teddy Boys started a free for all fight after several youths persisted in ringing the bell. In the fight that followed the conductor was struck on the hand by a belt. Inspector A R Riley descibed the scene as a shambles. Two of the youths involved in the fracas were fined £5 each for disorderly behaviour and one of the said youths was sentenced to three months imprisonment for inflicting grevous bodily harm on the conductor.

Article taken from Rochdale Observer dated 16th March 1957

Lancashire Dialect word of the day

Chip (N.Lanc), v. to trip a person up.

Gender Specific jobs advertised

Adverts taken from the Rochdale Observer on 12th March 1966, page 21.

Gender and age specific jobs advertised with Conrah St. Margaret.

Male jobs as 'Knitter' with the age limit of 18 to 20.

Female jobs as operatives for Monday to Friday, 6pm to 10pm for under 35's.

Lancashire Dialect word of the day

Egg v. to urge on, to incite.

A word with a long history, also used by Chaucer in 1386:

"January hath caughtso gret a wille.
Through eggyng of his wyf, him for pleye
In his gardeyn."

Electrification of Manchester to London Railway line

Electrification of railway line

An advert posted in the Rochdale Observer on 2nd March 1966.

Offers advertised for trips to London from Manchester on the newly electrified line. The journey takes 2 hours and 40 minutes and there were eleven trains per day in each direction. The journey now takes just under 2 hours 10 minutes and there are three trains per hour.

Plans for a Folk Museum

Rochdale Observer Article published 2nd March 1966

Plans were put forward for a Folk Museum to be housed at Balderstone Hall, however the discovery of dry rot at the Hall somewhat stalled these plans.

Lancashire dialect word of the day

Kibe v. To pout the lip in scorn, to gibe, to mock.

Name that spells tragedy

Article appeared in Rochdale Observer dated 12th March 1983

The name Mitchell Hey has spelled tragedy twice in one hundred years for a Rochdale family.
Mr George Ashworth, 44 a weaver at Mitchell Hey Mills, died 1n 1884 when a loom and part of a collapsing wall fell on him. His Granddaughter Mrs Dora Stocks aged 83, died of head injuries last December after a window fell on her from the seventeenth floor of Mitchell Hey, College Bank.

Governors vote to retain corporal punishment

Article taken from Rochdale Observer dated 5th March 1983

Parents and governors at 14 out of 21 Rochdale secondary schools have voted to retain corporal punishment.
Corporal punishment in Rochdale's nursery, primary and special schools was abolished by the Education committee in 1981. Councillor Williams (labour) who was opposed to corporal punishment commented, 'to allow caning to continue was a compromise with evil'.

Don't Kill Your Wife

Advert from Rochdale Observer dated 21st March 1925

DON'T KILL YOUR WIFE!

Let us do your dirty work
by doing your laundry work

SEND YOUR CARPETS
TO US TO BE
BEATEN OR CLEANED

THE MILNROW
UNIVERSAL LAUNDRY
PHONE 36 MILNROW