29, Rochdale Road

29 Rochdale Road, Todmorden

A co-operative shop dating from the early 20th century, originally constructed as a house in the early to mid-19th century. The building is of stone construction, comprising three storeys plus a lower ground floor and attic, with a distinctive two-storey shopfront. It forms part of a terrace of mixed commercial and residential buildings.

The front elevation shows three storeys, whilst the rear elevation displays four storeys. The building has ridge stacks to each end of the roof. The shopfront, added in the early 20th century, spans the full width and includes a two-storey painted frontage with a tall ground floor. The ground floor features low stall risers with slender cast-iron mullions and frame, topped by a glazed panel with curved and circular timber mouldings continuing across a recessed entrance. The recessed entrance to the ground floor centre has curved corners and is set behind shaped iron gates. The door itself is partly glazed with curved glazing bars and surrounds incorporating large glazed panels with mixed horizontal and vertical glazing bars. A deep fascia displays a gilded inscription reading 'TODMORDEN INDUSTRIAL & CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY LIMITED', with canopy mechanisms to each side. The first-floor display window contains four wide plate glass panels separated by extremely slender cast-iron mullions, with shaped air vents in the spandrels and a plain fascia above. The second floor has two one-over-one sash windows. The rear elevation features ashlar surrounds to windows and doors, with a range of sash windows of varying sizes, including eight-over-eight and two-over-two examples. Several windows have been blocked up or replaced, and there is evidence of a former arched stair window with keystones.

Internally, the ground floor retains original shop fittings and fixtures including full-height wall shelving with fluted pilaster detailing, composite capitals, entablature with moulded cornice and dentil band, and mirrored top panels. An original counter features carved Ionic pilasters at each corner. Radiators with moulded decoration survive. A wide central stair of 17th-century style oak rises from the ground floor store to the first floor with carved tapered balusters linked by round arches at half-landing and first floor levels, and by bracket-style carvings to the ascending flights, beneath a moulded handrail. The stair sweeps out to ground floor with decorative carved newel posts set at 45-degree angles, bearing carved panels reading 'TICS' (Todmorden Industrial & Co-Operative Society) in stylised letters and surmounted by large foliate finials. A tall mirror is positioned at half-landing level. The first floor is open-plan and contains a tall haberdasher's display case set to the north-east wall with moulded entablature, three glazed panels to front and one to each side return, and brass door knobs. A truncated measuring table stands in front. Low partition walls and café equipment have been inserted to the west corner. An open-well stair to the rear left rises to the second floor with alternate stick and wavy balusters and a moulded and wreathed handrail. A large inner landing to the rear of the second floor features moulded cornicing and is lit by an oval flat-domed skylight with moulded surround. Four-panel doors with moulded architraves provide access to rooms, with built-in cupboards surviving in some. A Jacob's ladder provides access to the attic. The lower ground floor contains four rooms to the right side and two to the left, including a former store with a small original Co-Op safe. A large cast-iron range survives in the front right room.

The building is believed to date from the early to mid-19th century when it functioned as a residence. Around 1910, it was converted by the Todmorden Industrial & Co-Operative Society Ltd, with the ground floor becoming a store with a haberdashery department to the first floor. The building has remained largely unaltered since this date, except for the removal of later partition walls that had been inserted to create a flat and storage areas on the first floor. The first floor space was reopened and converted to a café around 1993.