Britannia

Rochdale Pioneers Museum

Rochdale · 6.2 miles

The former 18th-century warehouse at 31 Toad Lane, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, is recognised as the site where the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society opened its shop on 21 December 1844, an event widely regarded as the birthplace of the modern co-operative movement. The building, now a Grade II listed structure, houses the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, which is owned and run by the Co-operative Heritage Trust and offers free entry. It is fully step-free, providing wheelchair access throughout. Inside, visitors encounter a recreation of the original shop, complete with the simple furniture, scales and goods that were on sale in 1844. Exhibits trace the development of early co-operatives, the Rochdale Principles, and the broader social impact of the movement, covering topics such as women’s rights, education, fair trade and social reform. The museum also highlights notable individuals, the evolution of retail, and the international spread of co-operation. The site’s recent history includes a major renovation funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, completed in 2012, which added new rooms, restored the third floor and improved displays. Earlier structural repairs in the 1970s involved inserting a reinforced concrete cage to stabilise the walls while preserving the historic façade. The museum’s location on Toad Lane is accessible from the town centre, and the surrounding area features cobbled streets, 19th-century gas lamps and a Victorian post box, reflecting the setting restored by Rochdale Council.

Touchstones

Rochdale · 6.2 miles

A combined art gallery, museum, local-studies centre, visitor information point and café is housed within a Grade II listed building on the Rochdale town centre. Constructed of Yorkshire stone with a slate roof, the structure presents a one-storey library front characterised by three gables with ball finials, an arcaded parapet over the central porch and mullioned, transomed windows with elliptical heads. The adjoining museum and gallery rise two storeys, featuring a four-bay central block, a three-bay gabled wing to the right and a diagonally set gabled wing to the left, each adorned with carved figure panels on the gables. The library opened in 1884 following the destruction of the Clock Tower Library by fire the previous year, while the art gallery and museum were added in 1903 and expanded in 1913. In 2003 the complex was re-purposed as an art and heritage centre. Its collections span social history, costume and textiles, archaeology, Egyptology, geology, natural history and decorative arts, and they are regularly refreshed through temporary exhibitions. Among the holdings is a portrait by Katherine Ashton Simpson depicting her sister, the writer and composer Florence Eva Simpson. Access for wheelchair users is step-free, and visitors can make use of the on-site café and information facilities while exploring the varied displays.

Peel Tower

Holcombe · 6.8 miles

Rising 128 feet above Holcombe Moor, the stone monument known locally as Holcombe Tower marks the spot where Robert Peel, the former Prime Minister and founder of the modern police force, was commemorated after his death in 1850. Situated near Ramsbottom in Greater Manchester, the tower sits at an elevation of roughly 1 100 feet (335 metres) and forms a prominent landmark on the moorland that separates the town from the surrounding countryside. Construction began shortly after Peel’s passing, driven by a public appeal and overseen by a committee chaired by industrialist William Grant. The gritstone used for the structure was quarried on-site, leaving a visible pit beside the base. The tower’s crenellated base bears the name “Peel” above its entrance, and the four-stage shaft features mullioned windows and battlements that support a viewing platform. In 1929 the original wooden staircase was replaced with iron, and a marble panel bearing an excerpt from Peel’s 1846 speech to the House of Commons was added. During the Second World War the tower served as a lookout post; later corrosion led to its closure until a new concrete staircase was installed and the monument was rededicated in November 1985. Today the structure is owned by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council, holds Grade II listed status (designated 1984), and is occasionally accessible to visitors on Sundays when the flag at its summit is flying, the flag being maintained by volunteers.

Clarence Park

Chesham · 7.5 miles

Clarence Park is a Green Flag awarded public park located in Bury, Greater Manchester. It is the largest urban park in the borough, and was opened to the public in 1888.

Burrs Country Park

Brandlesholme · 7.5 miles

Set on the banks of the River Irwell, Burrs Country Park occupies a 36-hectare site north of Bury in Greater Manchester, close to the Brandlesholme suburb. Acquired by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council in 1986, the area was transformed from the derelict grounds of the former Burr and Higher Woodhill cotton mills. While most mill structures were removed, the chimney, a section of the mill floor and the water-wheel pit remain as visible reminders of its industrial past. The park also contains the feeder canal for Elton Reservoir, three sculptures that form part of the Irwell Sculpture Trail, and the Bury Agricultural Society Show Ground, which relocated here in 2001. A limited Countryside Warden office occupies an old mill cottage on Stock Street, and the park holds Green Flag accreditation for 2007/08 together with a Fields in Trust “Much Loved” award. A range of leisure pursuits is available within the park. The Irwell Sculpture Trail, National Cycle Route 6 and marked walking and orienteering routes provide opportunities for exploration, while interpretation boards detail the site’s industrial archaeology. Canoe training facilities, a slalom course and the long-established Bury Canoe Club support water-based activity; fishing is permitted by licence, and birdwatchers may spot herons, dippers and kingfishers. Additional amenities include a playground, picnic tables, the Lamppost Café, the Brown Cow public house, and a Caravan and Motorhome Club site. The park is served by several bus routes (472, 474, 477) from Bury Interchange, and by Burrs Country Park railway station on the heritage East Lancashire Railway, which operates weekend services year-round with extra trains from Easter to the end of September. Access by car or bicycle is possible via Bury Bridge on the A58, and footpaths link the park with Brandlesholme, Walmersley, Seedfield and Limefield.

The Fusilier Museum

Buckley Wells · 8.7 miles

Visitors can view the uniforms, medals and artefacts of the Lancashire Fusiliers within a museum set in Bury, Greater Manchester, close to Buckley Wells. The displays occupy the former Bury Arts and Crafts Centre on Broad Street, a building that originally opened as a Technical School for Bury Borough Council in 1893. Designed by local architect Joshua Cartwright in a Neo-Renaissance style, the façade bears the inscription “Technical School” and a frieze of five panels depicting crafts such as mathematics, science, engineering, printing, pottery, literature and music. After serving as an Arts and Crafts Centre, the structure was repurposed as the Fusilier Museum in 2009; the Duke of Kent officially opened the new premises on 25 September 2009. The museum’s collection chronicles more than three centuries of the regiment’s history, including a set of Victoria Crosses awarded to five members for actions during the First World War. Adjacent to the exhibition space lie the Gallipoli Garden and the Grade II*-listed Lancashire Fusiliers War Memorial, providing a quiet context for reflection. Although the Lancashire Fusiliers Regiment merged into the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in 1968, the museum forms part of a network of Fusilier museums that also includes sites in Alnwick Castle, Warwick and the Tower of London. The building’s Grade II listing recognises its architectural and historic significance, while the collection offers insight into the regiment’s long-standing military heritage.