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Working life in 1871

The ceiling panels show workers in Rochdale when the town hall was built. How far did the decorators have to look for their inspiration?

The answer is right on the Town Hall’s doorstep. An archaeological dig next to the Town Hall uncovered evidence of all kinds of occupations in Packer St, metres away from where you’re stood now.

In the 1700s and 1800s Packer Street was a hive of trades and businesses. The dig revealed remains of the Roch foundry that was once here and yards and service buildings. These were cleared in the early 1860s to enable the construction of the Town Hall and associated square.

Parish records give an insight into the range of trades and crafts done by the inhabitants of these buildings. There were weavers working at home, whilst other trades included shoemaking, tailoring and hatting, bread baker and a grocer. Boar bristles found during the dig were used by shoemakers before the invention of the sewing machine.

Fusiliers and the Town Hall

The Lancashire Fusiliers and Royal Regiment of Fusiliers have had close links with the people of Rochdale for over 160 years.

The silverware and the Book of Remembrance here are vivid reminders of this shared history, whilst the Town Hall has hosted many Fusilier events and activities

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A soldier’s sacrifice

The name of 2nd Lieutenant Cecil Freer is engraved on an ashtray in the Town Hall’s collection of regimental silverware. His name also appears in the Book of Remembrance.

Cecil Freer was born in Rochdale in 1913. Before the war, he worked as an overseer at Rochdale Post Office. In 1936, he was commissioned to the 6th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers and rose to the rank of Major. He was drafted to Sierra Leone, in West Africa. Here he happened to meet a fellow Rochdalian, Captain Harry Dutton.

The two became friends and even wrote to the Rochdale Observer in June 1944. They shared their story of meeting in the heart of the African bush, thousands of miles away from home, and of reminiscing about their hometown. Sadly, Cecil died in an aircraft crash later that year.