Historic church is a home to music
FOR centuries Rochdale Parish Church St Chad’s has stood on the hill overlooking Rochdale town centre.
Over the years the building has been re-shaped, re-built and restored, with later builders keeping faithful to the 1400s Perpendicular style.
It is one of our borough’s gems and well worth a visit to see the Burn-Jones, Faith, Hope and Charity stained glass west window and the medieval stonework.
The font has an interesting tale to tell, as it was buried in the mid-1600s, to hide it from Oliver Cromwell’s rampaging men, then rediscovered by a local workman digging a hole to plant a tree in 1893.
The gravestones tell stories of Rochdalians past and the ancient town stocks remind us of how ‘justice’ has changed over the years.
The church has recently become firmly established, along with its sister church St Mary in the Baum, as a venue for music of the highest quality, and there are regular concerts held there.
Upcoming concerts at Rochdale Parish Church St Chad’s are:
Saturday, April 28 Rhiannon Ashley and Emyr Lloyd Jones (soprano and baritone) from the Royal Northern College of Music, playing Mozart, Handel, Mendelssohn, Quilter and music by Welsh composer Robat Arwyn.
Saturday May 26 Cameron Biles-Liddell (pianoforte) fom the University of Manchester, playing Shostakovich, Barber, Chopin, Ravel and Bach.
Saturday, June 16 - CJ Carrington, from the University of Manchester, playing György Ligeti, Schubert, Katherine Stonham, Beethoven and Dvorak.
Friday, June 29 - at 7.30pm, Evening Celebrity Concert with Tom Hicks (pianoforte), from Northwestern University in Illinois, USA.
Saturday, July 14 Eleanor Hull and Mackenzie Paget (soprano and pianoforte), from the Royal Northern College of Music, playing Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Massenet, Fauré and Weill.
Saturday, July 28 - at 3pm, Afternoon Celebrity Concert with the Scott Brothers Duo, Jonathan and Tom Scott (piano duet), playing Four Hands at One Piano.
Admission to the concerts is £10, including tea, coffee and cakes.
Tickets are £5.50 on door, refreshments available from 11.20am (except July 28)