The village had it all...
ALMOST everything ‘from a thimble to a fur coat, from a packet of lard to a motor car’ can be bought in Castleton.
So wrote the Observer in a Christmas shopping feature on the village on December 4, 1968.
Alongside adverts for the likes of Elizabeth High Class Gowns, Uni-Store drapery and Lees bicycles, all on Manchester Road, Alice & John Boutique on Queensway and Connie Thomas bakery on Heywood Road, the Observer praised the range and quality of goods on offer.
The report read: “There was a time when Castleton was a tiny hamlet devoid of industry.
“But as the Industrial Revolution gained momentum and railways and canals were introduced, Castleton grew up too.
“In less than a century Castleton’s population more than doubled.
“But despite its population and industrial growth Castleton has retained its ‘village’ atmosphere when it comes to shopping.
“Its shops vie with those in Rochdale for the quality and quantity of goods sold. From Partington Street to Queensway there is an almost continual row of shops on both sides of road and many of the other streets contain shops that sell anything and everything.
“There are shops nearby wherever one lives in Castleton.”
For more pictures of old Rochdale like these like the Rochdale Local History page on Facebook.