United Kingdom · England · Rochdale
Heywood, Rochdale — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Heywood stands on the south bank of the River Roch between Bury and Rochdale. The Cheesden Valley opens north.
About Heywood
Where to stay in Heywood
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
Rooms are thin on the ground in Heywood itself. Most visitors end up choosing between the town's own streets near the Church of Saint Luke and the wider choice at Rochdale, the borough town four miles north-east, or Bury two miles west. Manchester lies eight miles south.
That distance is short enough that a bed there still serves a day spent on the Roch.
About Heywood
What are the main landmarks in Heywood?
Heywood's landmarks are mostly parish churches. The Church of Saint Luke, St James Church and the Church of All Souls account for most of what is recorded here, with St John the Evangelist making a fourth. Harefield Hall is the exception.
It is the one entry on Heywood's list that is not a church, and the Harefield name attaches to a hall rather than to a parish.
What is the history of Heywood?
Heywood's file records no founding date. What survives instead is a run of parish churches, Saint Luke, All Souls and St James, together with Harefield Hall, which stands apart from them as the only hall on the list. Heywood answers to the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale inside Greater Manchester, with Middleton to the south and the Cheesden Valley moorland behind it to the north.
Where is Heywood?
The Roch runs past the north side of Heywood, with Bury two miles west and Middleton to the south. Open moorland lies past the Cheesden Valley.
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Updated August 2026