Touchstones Rochdale facts for kids
Touchstones Rochdale is a super interesting place in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It's an art gallery, a museum, a local history center, and even has a cafe! It's all part of the Central Library, Museum and Art Gallery. This building is very special because it's a Grade II listed building, meaning it's protected for its history and design.
The first part of this stone building opened as a library in 1884. Later, a museum and art gallery were added in 1903. It got even bigger with an extension in 1913. In 2003, it became the art and heritage center we know today. Touchstones holds amazing collections about local history and other cool topics. They also have new exhibitions that change often, so there's always something new to see!
Contents
The Story of Touchstones
The story of Touchstones Rochdale began with a fire! In 1883, a fire at Rochdale Town Hall destroyed the town's old library. Because of this, a brand new library was needed.
Building the Library and Museum
The new library was built first. It opened its doors to the public in 1884. It was a big step for the town after losing their old library.
Later, in 1903, an art gallery and a museum were built. These new parts were connected to the library. This made the building a much bigger place for learning and fun.
The building grew even more in 1913 when an extension was added. This gave more space for all the amazing collections and art. Finally, in 2003, the whole building was changed into the Touchstones art and heritage center.
What You Can See: Collections
The museum at Touchstones has many different collections. They help us learn about the past and the world around us.
Exploring the Collections
You can find items related to social history. This includes how people lived and worked long ago. There are also collections of old costumes and textiles, showing how clothes have changed.
The museum also has items from archaeology. These are things dug up from the ground that tell us about ancient times. There's even a small collection about Egyptology, which means ancient Egypt!
You can also see collections about geology (rocks and earth) and natural history (plants and animals). Plus, there are decorative arts, which are beautiful objects made by hand.
Rochdale's Cotton Story
A special part of the collection focuses on the American Civil War. It shows how this war affected the cotton industry in Rochdale. This was during a tough time called the Lancashire Cotton Famine in the 1860s. The museum explains how people in Rochdale dealt with this challenge.
All the collections at Touchstones are officially recognized by Arts Council England. This means they are well-cared for and important. The museum also hosts new exhibitions regularly, so there's always something fresh to explore!
The Building's Design
Touchstones Rochdale is a beautiful building made from Yorkshire stone. It has a slate roof, which is a common and strong type of roof.
Library Features
The library part of the building has one main floor. The front has three gables, which are the triangular parts of a wall under a sloping roof. Each gable has a round decoration called a ball finial on top.
There's a central entrance with an arcaded parapet. An arcade is a row of arches, and a parapet is a low wall. The main doorway has an elliptical (oval-shaped) top. The windows have mullions (vertical bars) and transomed (horizontal bars) with elliptical tops and hood moulds (decorative stone over the window).
Museum and Art Gallery Features
The museum and art gallery sections have two floors. There's a central part with four bays, which are sections of the building. To the right, there's a three-bay gabled section. To the left, there's another gabled section set at an angle. You can also see panels with carved figures on the gables, adding to the building's unique look.
See also
- Listed buildings in Rochdale
