College Bank Exhibition - Ellie Waters
Rochdale, a town famous for many things in its history. The birthplace of the co-operative movement and the many famous people that grew up here such as the England lioness Keira Walsh, Gracie Fields and others. This is something that Rochdale can always pride itself on, its people. One such dale-born citizen, Ellie Waters, shares images she has taken but also the pictures taken by her grandfather, M J Burgess in the Notes from College Bank exhibition.
This exhibition began at perhaps one of the most famous and interesting parts of Rochdale, the “Seven Sisters” blocks of flats and continued through the centre of the borough while stopping periodically to hear aural recollections from different people from the borough and their experiences of living here. This really added a layer of emotion to the whole exhibition as an example of a heartfelt moment was the line ‘I think he likes me- just doesn't love me enough to stay with me’ was a sentence that truly hit deep within.
Another emotion that should be noted here also is the feeling of nostalgia from the way Rochdale used to be. This was generated by images of the black box and pictures of carnivals, old buildings that are no longer standing and other such infrastructure of the past. But all these buildings tell a story, a story of grit, passion and determination of workers from the mills, factories and other such labour-intensive work that made Rochdale what it was, what it is and what it will be.
Overall, however, this event is all connected to one central driving force – the story of Ellie and her grandfather. This project found its spark when Ellie returned to England in 2021after hearing of her grandfather’s tragic passing that year. From this, after pleading to her grandmother that she does not discard of these images, she has spent the last three years scanning the photos of the past left by her grandfather. From this came the idea for this project as she wanted to tell his story but also the story of the people of College Bank, a community that seems to be the focus of his photos.
This is something that was stated by Ellie herself and a realisation that many have made as almost all the photos taken of outdoor areas seem to be shadowed by the tall, monument-like pillars of this industrial town – the Seven Sisters. These buildings of cultural significance are the centrepiece of the town as they are at the centre of the Rochdale borough both geographically but also ideologically as they represent the ingenuity of the people, even if their current, less than desirable reputation precedes them. Rochdalian Sarah talks about this reputation on her piece of the aural resource as she details what the flats were like in the past. She states that when she first moved in, she was on a rather long waiting list before she was given the opportunity to gain her residence in the then highly prestigious establishment. Sadly, however, she recalls her experience of the deterioration of her home and the environment around her as drug fuelled individuals and the homeless flood what once was prosperous monoliths of the borough.
One observer of the event, Nuria Lopez, said this about her experience: “Ellie Waters’ art walk was a beautiful and moving experience. I loved hearing the stories of local residents - each voice brought a real sense of place and personal history to the photographs. The project felt deeply rooted in community, especially with the involvement of Seven Sisters residents. It thoughtfully touches on the housing crisis, weaving in powerful personal narratives”. From this, one can see the extent to which this event is rooted in Rochdalian culture, people and a sense of community and it is possible to state that this is what Ellie Waters desired to display through her and her grandfather’s work: to bring people together through their cultural likeness.
To summarise, Ellie has done great work to craft an event that strongly portrays Rochdale’s culture and paints a picture of the boroughs transition from prosperous to stagnation. However, with aid from Rochdale being selected for the town of culture of 2025, could we perhaps see the ‘Dale thrive once again?
You can find a free walking guide at Rochdale town hall for this event. This exhibition will stay up as long as Ellie can so check her work out!
