Touchstones Rochdale

Touchstones is based in the former Carnegie Library building and celebrated its centenary as an art gallery in 2003. Following Heritage Lottery funding, the new Touchstones Rochdale opened in the summer of 2002. The new arts and heritage centre combines an award-winning, hands-on museum, a heritage gallery, four art galleries, a local studies centre and an education/performance studio with tourist information centre, shop and café.

Rochdale's art collection includes Northern European 17th century portraits; a substantial collection of Victorian genre, narrative and landscape paintings; early British modernist art; 20th century British figurative work; a significant collection of paintings by local artists from the 19th century to the present day; and a small contemporary art collection.

Creative Tension includes major pieces from Rochdale's collection by British Impressionists including: Lavery, Clausen and Lucien Pissarro as well as significant avant-garde works by Nevinson, Gertler and Matthew Smith.