Rochdale Pioneers Museum
Polly Checkland Harding
The Rochdale Pioneers Museum – once a shop – is widely considered to be the birthplace of the co-operative movement. The Rochdale Pioneers Society opened their store here on 21 December 1844, selling butter, flour, sugar and oatmeal – all at fair prices and honest weights and measures. Visitors from Germany, Russia, Spain and Japan all feature in the visitors book and the model the Rochdale Pioneers used has spread globally. The shop became a storage site after the Pioneers moved to larger premises, and then a warehouse; it was reclaimed as a museum in 1931. Now, the Rochdale Pioneers Museum is home to a fascinating collection, with exhibitions and events year round.
