Page 24 - Real-Rochdale-07

The hidden

history of

Healey Dell

Like the hidden folds of the Dell itself, the history of The Healey Dell Heritage Centre and Tea Rooms
the area is hidden in the mists of time. on Dell Road is a great starting point for local
information and includes permanent heritage
About 8,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice information on display. The venue is full of
Age, humans first appeared in the Rochdale area. character, in a stunning and scenic natural setting
They were nomadic tribes but later began to on the banks of the Spodden river.
settle during the Bronze Age (6000-2000 BC). By
70 AD, a tribe known to the conquering Romans as For more information, visit Trip Advisor, Healey
the Brigante first settled in the Dell area. Dell Tea Rooms or alternatively call 01706 350459.
Disabled parking and toilet facilities are available
1,000 years later, it was the Normans who sub-let at the Heritage Centre.
the land to the De Healey, who built Healey Hall,
and the area consequently came to be known as In the next edition of Real Rochdale we will focus
the Healey Dell. on the period of the Industrial Revolution and the
establishment of the railways in Healey Dell.
Sheep farming was prevalent here and the animals
grazed the surrounding area extensively. The
meandering Spodden formed an ideal base for
many small mills, which subsequently saw the
development of woollen mills and later, cotton.
Packhorse routes emerged, markets flourished,
and the area became one of the most affluent
in the region.

A number of local families lived here. These
included the Ashtons, Butterworths,
Chadwicks, Gartsides, Halliwells, Healeys, Holts,
Schofields and Twedales, among others.

Tucked away in the Dell today you will find stone
rubbing mills (Th’owd Mill I’th Thrutch – the old mill
in the thrutch), waterfalls and rapids, ‘fairies chapel’,
the disused railway station at Broadley Mill, the
Rochdale to Bacup disused railway line (which was
converted to a walking/cycling trail), reservoirs, and
the remains of a wartime munitions factory. There
are also seven distinct walking trails in the area.

Many thanks to Phillip Blackshaw and Allan Marshall
who contributed significantly to researching the
history of Healey Dell.

REAL ROCHDALE - WINTER 2019 24