Video

The newest car I saw was a mark 3 1980-81 escort estate .

I would say this was around 1978

Possibly about 1986-1988, judging by Chelsea Girl and the hairdressers above, I worked as a Saturday Girl there, my aunt was a manageress of the hairdressers.

This is controversial, but it's got to be early 70s, no immigrants on show

Hi flared trousers, long hair on some of the guys, Middleton BS, l think the mid seventies as well.

The Musical is from the river caves at Blackpool pleasure beach

Its the same soundtrack and voice that the river caves in blackpool has in the first scene!!!! I think its kind of creepy TBF 😱😱🙄🤣

I remember no closed shops a decent market mostly nice people.

The year is 1980 - and what a great game working it out! I’ve lived in Rochdale for 57 years, and know t well. Nostalgia always has Rose-tinted glasses, but replacing the old markets with modern tat was a disaster. Why 1980? The Mk 3 Escort came out and the Middleton Building Society closed. Additional clues narrow it down - there is an Edwin P Lees electrical, closed Jan ‘83. The Bus station (opened 1978) must be open,the 469 Bury bus goes straight on down the Butts instead of turning right into the Town Hall square where it’s stop was before it was built. There is a Redifusion TV rental and a Mothercare, but no McDonalds, and so on. On a brighter note, the new town centre is actually shaping up quite well. Unfortunately no one will come, as the council hate cars and make no provision for them whatsoever :(

VW golf was produced 1974. So not before then. Transition of fashion and material suggests 77/78.

Bradley's Records!

back when it was fantastic, we even had a real market, i was only a kid.

I really miss the old England of the 80s before the child groomers, spongers and tattooed grey tracksuit wearing zombies. Just heartbreaking what has become of old Blighty.

3:00 it was a nice town once.

Around 1985 I'd guess.

Middleton building society operated from 1971-1980 and it’s clearly open here , so the latest this vid could be is 1980

Something different...cnt quite put my finger on it

The town has been overrun it’s very sad 😢

CHECK NUMBER PLATES WILL GIVE YOU A NEAR ENOUGH

It looks so lively, full of shops and people. To what we have now. No soul, empty and no decent shops .

I have commented on this video before. Just to say thank you once again for posting a piece of my childhood. What a wonderful place it was to grow up. I often watch it trying to spot my mum and dad but alas I cannot see them there that day. However, thanks to you, I can imagine them and all of us are walking up Yorkshire Street just like that

1983, im in the video, and now aged 42.

Great footage and very sad indeed. It is a lot different now, not many similar faces anymore. Greatly outnumbered by other types. Full of bin liners on legs.

This must be 1977. Rochdale Exchange was built in 1976 and the bus station was built in 1978 - there's no bus station on here (but it looks like the ground is being prepared) so it must be the in-between year of 1977.

I went and visited the town centre yesterday for the first time in a long while. Even with those new buildings, it seems to have lost its soul somehow. Just a feeling of sadness and despair seems to permiate. Like a peacock showing off, despite losing all its feathers. It's very sad.

Those people are all dead now 😮

I remember going on this as a kid

To this day i'll just randomly say "Welcome, to the River Caves" and sing the tune after it. Amazed that I still get it right!!! Great vid❤

Pre macdonalds by look of it.

good old days

I live not far from here. A modern comparison vid would be depressing.

Around 1981 i would say as i spotted a Mk3 Escort and they came out in 1980. Very noticible thing in the video is how much the population of the town has changed between then and now!!!

hmm - early 80's ...late 70's at an extreme push...

to be alive in the 80-90s

Remember Tiffany's nightclub too haha

1985 I'm guessing..loved living in Rochdale..very fond memories

Or 1977

Mini metro 1982

I hated Rochdale I went to knowl view School and I'm so happy I'm in Yorkshire

Later 1980 , Morris ital British Gas van 1980 first year of production. My brother had one

Can't see the McDonald's so it's before 1983.

Rochdale was absolutely fantastic back then. 👍

Thing is, if you're not from that area (like me, America) it's impossible to judge accurately a time/year/Era, since clothing and vehicles are totally different from Country to Country during the same time period. Wonder if they had any Chinese Restaurants back then?

When Rochdale had people in the shopping centre. It had a really good indoor and outdoor market. I don't know who came up with the idea to move it . Mistake huge mistake..

It's definitely before 86 as the middleton building society on corner of cheetham st merged that year

In 1975, I bought my first ever vinyl LP at that Marks & Spencer’s, Alice Coopers “ Billion Dollar Babies” for £2. 45p, still got it.

My sister used to go to Chelsea girls. Memories. All shite now.

Hi, l left in 1974-1977 Uni and then again permanently in 1979. I recognise the orange and cream livery of the buses as those of SELNEC. South East Lancs North East Cheshire l used to catch them outside Broadfield School in the Town Hall Square each lunchtime. The cost to my Bury Road stop was 3p old money. The reliant robin, ford Capri and original looking mini probably offer the best pointers. To the economist the deli shop window prices that l was too slow to clock are probably a good indicator. As others have said the town was never the same after they demolished the old outside and inside markets. I think l may have spotted a shoplifting outfit there. I mean what was the cross hand boogie stuff by the two,apparent old dears exiting the class C Marks and Sparks store there and making off at high speed…… not! I guess 1972-1974.

fake street/level built on top 1850mudflood

ground-level is not ground-level.