Rochdale Pioneers Museum

The Birthplace of the Modern Co-operative Movement
The Rochdale Pioneers Museum celebrates the success of the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers’ Society, which is widely regarded as being the first successful retail co-operative society.

For as long as the Co-operative Movement endures, the story of the Rochdale Pioneers will be told and there is no better or more significant memorial to them than the actual shop in which they commenced trading.

The Museum is housed in the original building where the Pioneers opened their doors for trading for the first time on 21 December 1844. From these humble beginnings, with just 28 members and £28 in capital, has grown the International Co-operative Movement with more than 800 million members in over 100 countries around the world.

There is no substitute for visiting the Museum, where Pamela, the enthusiastic and knowledgeable warden, will help to bring the Pioneers story to life.

The Museum is now closed for refurbishment and will not be re-opening until 2012, apart from a special open day at the Museum on Saturday 11 September.

The open day will celebrate the Heritage Open weekend and the visit of the Tour of Britain to Rochdale. The Museum will be open from 10am to 4pm.

This website is designed to support the work of the wardens and make the Pioneers’ remarkable story accessible to those who are unable to visit Rochdale.