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Louise is passionate about art and culture, visiting the North West’s wealth of museums and galleries to gain inspiration for her own art and to write her bi-monthly Venture Arts blog.
The Rochdale Pioneers Museum is widely regarded as the home of the worldwide co-operative movement, which formed the modern co-op we know today. I chose to visit this museum as I haven’t been before and never realised that there was a museum about the co-op. I also love history and thought it was something new to visit outside Manchester and something rather different to see.
The cooperative started trading on 21st December 1844 and Rochdale is the birthplace for the movement. The cooperative movement has been around for nearly 180 years, which is very impressive. What I found most interesting though was when you first entered the museum you got to see what the first co-op shop looked like back in 1844. There were two large blackboards with the rules and regulations, which read “The Rochdale Principles” and “ The Laws and Objects of the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers”. These rules were used and based on how the cooperative would be run.
Standing inside the shop felt like going back in time. It was wonderful to see how things were set-up to be purchased and sold to the general public.
What I really like about this museum is that it is small and feels very unique, and it’s all on three levels. The entire museum tells the one story. There are no other special exhibitions or galleries. The museum also feels modern inside with nice open spaces.
What I didn’t like about the museum was that there wasn’t much information to tell you more detail about the story. But this was just on that day to be fair, because the final chapter of the story was on the third floor, and it was closed off the day I visited for a private school venue. Also there is no cafe inside, however, there is a small old fashioned pub next door where you could get a meal and drink, but this place was very expensive.
One of the exhibits I liked best at the museum was the original photograph of the pioneers in 1865. What is interesting about this photograph is that all the men are wearing hired suits and the background is painted on and the furniture isn’t real. Also the names of the pioneers are backwards, for example the name at the front are the names of the men sitting at the back and vice versa. This I found fascinating and remarkable considering back then they thought that common people didn’t have the right to run their own business, only those from wealthy backgrounds.
This museum visit reminded me of a previous exhibition I saw back in Manchester in July 2023 at the People’s History Museum, called ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’. It reminded me of the the co-op movement banners I saw during the exhibition and the banner that stood out for me was the one in black and gold. It also reminded me of how hard it was to write that blog and how proud of myself I am for doing it. Unfortunately this exhibition has not inspired me for any of my own artwork at the moment.
The accessibility inside the museum was very good and there was a lift to all levels of the museum. Public transport to the museum was not that great. It took me over 2 hours on public transport from where I live and the museum was on a very steep hill. Not good for people in wheelchairs or mobility issues.
My overall thought of the museum was that it was very interesting and holds a lot of value for people interested in the history of the retail industry and cooperatives.
To find out what’s on at Rochdale Pioneers Museum visit their website: https://www.co-operativeheritage.coop/
