Cotton Famine Road: Coal Legacy Episode 1 Coal Wars. Rooley Moor Rochdale.

Rooley Moor road is gaining fame throughout the country due to the events in the 1860's when the textile towns of Great Britain came to a standstill due to the American Civil War. A Central fund was set up to finance works in the area so as to prevent total deprivation befalling the population. This scheme financed the resurfacing of at least half the length of Rooley Moor road and today the roads stands as a symbol to the textile workers of Lancashire's experiences during that tumultuous moment in history. There is far more to this ancient road than that one window in history which can even be traced back to Viking times. Rooley Moor, formerly known as Shore Moor and owned by Lord Byron, was a place of great industrial activity and also supported its own coal industry for hundreds of years. Today we examine a little known event from the first decade of the 19th century when the lessees of one of the collieries were battling with Freeholders who also had a claim on the Moor's coal reserves. In today's episode we go in search of that old colliery and explain a little history of this fantastic area of England