TO CHURCH....., THEN ROCHDALE

Having left Bedlam behind, we next pay a quick visit to Church & Oswaltwistle station, where a DMU calls in 1981. 

 

Church itself is to the north, but we head south to Oswaltwistle, first reached by Accrington's trams in 1907.

Continuing south, we come across Lower Darwen L&YR station.

Darwen station is still open, but not as busy as it was in L&YR times.

Darwen's centre revolves around its town hall (Creative Commons License).

Many of the buses serving Darwen terminate outside the town hall. This one belonged to an independent called J&S Travel.

Having taken over Darwen Corporation Transport, Blackburn's municipal buses terminated at this point too.

Darwen Corporation Transport had a depot close by, full of Leylands in this 1968 view.

After the takeover, Blackburn Transport continued using the old Darwen garage. Inhabitants included some Leylands, an ex Leicester Bristol RE and a Guy service vehicle.

I'm not certain that this free house, just called "The Pub", still exists.

The Black Horse was an excellent boozer when visited in 2004. It has a Facebook page.

Still heading in a southerly direction, we come to Entwistle station, quite a grand affair in L&YR times.

Today, Entwistle consists of a single platform.

We now go across moorland, in an easterly direction, crossing at right angles (see the map here) our own footsteps. Our next stop is Edenfield, once served by Ramsbottom's trolleybuses.

Continuing across country, we arrive in the suburbs of Rochdale, on Shawclough Road, at the Healey pub, a Robinson's house.

Close by is another pub, the Albion.

We move on into town and where better to start our visit than at the town hall, on the Esplanade? As one can see, Rochdale once had trams.

Prior to those modern electric machines, Rochdale's trams were once hauled by steam engines. The last one is seen at the depot in 1905.

An electric tram on the Broadway.

As well as the open-top double deckers, Rochdale also used single deck cars, such as No. 61 at The Butts in the town centre.

Now we see an early Rossendale motorbus in Rochdale.

Rochdale Corporation ran motorbuses too. This one was photographed in the centre of town.

Before I conclude this post, it's only fair that I include a couple of Rochdale's pubs. First stop, the Regal Moon, quite a decent Wetherspoons.

Finally, for today, the Flying Horse Hotel, a free house in the town hall square.

There's plenty more to see in Rochdale, but you'll have to await the next post (coming soon).