IN
A truly rural location, close to the open moors,
is WARDLE. The setting is magnificent
- the large hill of Brown Wardle over looking
the village to the west, Hades Hill, Crook Hill
and Shore Moor dominating the skyline.
This old weaving hamlet has a conservation area
based on its interesting square and old chapel,
recalling what Wardle once was, an important
staging post on the Long Causeway, a packhorse
road climbing over the moors. Once there was
another village further up the valley - now
submerged beneath the waters of Watergrove reservoir.
The village, three miles north of Rochdale,
is unusual in that it has two village greens,
one of which is the turning circle for traffic.
The name Wardle could be derived from Ward Hill,
perhaps meaning fortified. 'Brown Wardle' is
derived from the Celtic word 'bron', meaning
round hill.
SMALLBRIDGE had a reputation for being
one of the rowdiest areas in 19th century Rochdale
- probably because of the number of ale houses
in the area.
The main employment in Smallbridge was sandknocking
which involved crushing sandstone to sell the
sand door-to-door. Customers used it to over-flag
floors before carpets came into use.
The operation ran from a warehouse which was
situated across Halifax Road from the Red Lion
Hotel, and in 1973 it was renamed The Sandknockers
to commemorate the trade.
Source :
www.rochdaleobserver.co.uk
71 Church St, Littleborough 
