Michael Portillo visits Rochdale on his great train journey

Rochdale Train Station

The latest episode of 'Great British Railway Journeys', the documentary series in which Michael Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country by train, aired on BBC2 this evening (Wednesday 8 January) and featured Rochdale.

Mr Portillo started the latest leg of his journey at Preston and came to Rochdale via Pleasington, Church & Oswaldtwistle and changing at Hebden Bridge to take the train to Rochdale.

Mr Portillo is following an old railway guide, Bradshaw, which describes Rochdale as a textile town, a modern borough that returns one MP to Parliament. The book further explains that Rochdale was connected to Manchester by canal in 1804 and railway in 1838.

Whilst in Rochdale, Mr Portillo met up with Gillian Lonergan, who manages the National Co-operative Archive and the Rochdale Pioneers Museum.

Ms Lonergan showed Mr Portillo around Rochdale Town Hall and when asked why Rochdale had such a grand town hall, she explained that there was a lot of competition between neighbouring towns and a lot of wealth.

Ms Lonergan explained about Bright and Cobden getting the Corn Law repealed and of course how the co-operative movement started in 1844 with the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers on Toad Lane - now the site of the Pioneers Museum.

Following a visit to the museum, Mr Portillo left Rochdale on a train back to Hebden Bridge.