Apart from the Town Hall there are several fine buildings in Rochdale town centre, a few of them banks or former banks.

Royal Bank of Scotland, RBS:-

This has “bank” inscribed in the stone above the door but is somewhat anonymous now:-

Lloyd’s Bank (the rounded building):-

If you look closely at the above picture you can see a blue plaque. It was once the Union Flag Inn. In 1745 a confrontation between the Jacobite forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the town authorities took place here:-

Beside Lloyd’s Bank is the very modern Beales and behind and above both a building with faded writing on the brick. “Rochdale (something I can’t make out; equitable?) Pioneer Society (something I can’t make out.)” The Co-operative movement started in Rochdale (see later post):-

This building has a fine cupola:-

Lloyd’s Bank in full. Part of the building also appeared in my post entitled Art Deco in Rochdale (ii):-

This one has aspects of Deco styling. At the time I visited it seemed to house an information centre about Rochdale:-

From side:-

This one now houses a Vet’s:-

Wynsor’s:-

Poundworld as was. (It won’t be a Poundworld now.)

Watan Cash and Carry. (Photo taken hastily from passenger window of the car I was being driven in.)

A tin in the Co-operative Museum, showing the Co-operative’s Art Deco former Tea Warehouse in Salford, Manchester:-

The Marks and Spencer in Rochdale is a typical 1930s building:-

Roofline:-

Window detail:-

Reverse view from first. Note Lloyd’s Bank to the left:-

As I spotted the Regal Cinema I looked down a side street and saw a Deco roofline. I made a mental note but when we worked round to the main street I saw it again. Right beside the building which houses Lloyds Bank.

This building isn’t really curved. The picture is a stitch of two photos to show it all. Good frieze here above the circular feature. At the extreme right in the photo above is the building with the roofline I’d seen earlier. It has a strong corner element:-

Even before those two I’d already photographed Middletons. Good windows and the detail on the roofline at the angled frontage is pleasing:-

Melton Mowbray’s Bargain Buys might be deco. Nice brickwork, whatever.

Bailey’s definitely fits the bill though. Good strong horizontals and verticals:-