Rochdale's medieval bridge reopens

A 14th century bridge that's been covered since the early 1900s has reopened in Rochdale. The bridge and the river were hidden away when tram lines were extended to the town at the turn of the century.

Now, thanks to a huge restoration project, the bridge and the river have been revealed once again.

The bridge played a key role in the development of Rochdale as a town, with merchants using it as a means to travel over to Yorkshire to buy wool, which was then finished in Rochdale’s mills. In the 1700s, as one of only two main routes from Lancashire into Yorkshire, it was used by people from far and wide, making Rochdale one of the most important towns in the region.

The restoration project has been captured in a timelapse video.

The re-opened river is expected to bring an extra £6.72m into Rochdale’s economy over the next ten years. The project also recently won a national planning award.

The river and bridge can also be seen in all its glory in this drone footage.