The incredible story of Dame Gracie Fields rise from a young girl working in a Rochdale mill to international superstar will be told on a new trail around Rochdale town centre and its surrounding areas.
The trail will be marked by a series of purple plaques to be erected over the coming months in places which were significant in the life of the late singer, actress and comedienne.
Council Leader Richard Farnell unveiled the first plaque on Saturday 9 January 2016 in Molesworth Street, exactly 118 years after she was born above a chip shop there. The building where she was born has now been demolished, but visitors can see the plaque nearby.
The Gracie Fields Appreciation Society and the Rotary Club of Rochdale East have worked closely with the council to develop the trail, which will also take in such key sites as Newgate House in the town centre. This was the site of ‘The Old Circus’, where Gracie first performed on stage at the age of seven. The Old Circus was later demolished and replaced with The New Hippodrome Theatre, which was built nearby. Gracie made her professional debut at the New Hippodrome, which itself was demolished in 1970.
Other sites of significance which people will be able to learn more about are the Regal Cinema (now the Regal Moon pub), where Gracie performed in 1938 and was presented with her portrait, commissioned by the Rochdale Observer and paid for by the people of Rochdale.
Leader of Rochdale Borough Council, Richard Farnell, said: “It’s wonderful to think that a girl who was born in unassuming circumstances bove a chip shop in Rochdale went on to become an international star.
“Dame Gracie Fields put Rochdale on the map and her incredible success deserves real recognition. That’s why I’m proud to have unveiled this plaque on what would have been Gracie’s 118th Birthday. This is the first of many plaques we will be installing over the coming months, which, together, will chart Rochdale’s deep connection with the Gracie Fields story.”
A plaque will also adorn Rochdale Town Hall, as this was the focal point for Gracie’s many return visits to Rochdale. She often regaled the crowds from the town hall balcony and was awarded the Freedom of the Borough there in 1937. Her last visit to the town hall was in 1978, just a year before her death.
As well as being a well-known singer and comedienne, Gracie also appeared on the silver screen and was believed to be the highest paid actress in the world during the 1930s.
She was awarded the CBE for services to entertainment in 1938 and made a Dame in 1979.
Frank Hauxwell, from the Rotary Club of Rochdale East, said: “We’re delighted that the first of the plaques to mark Gracie’s life and career in Rochdale has been unveiled.
“Our past President Donald Stewart has a particular connection to the Molesworth Street location as his father had the cobblers shop next door to the chip shop which was owned by Gracie’s grandmother Sarah Bamford.
“We look forward to the remaining plaques being installed over the coming months, followed by the unveiling of Gracie’s statue in the summer.”
Sebastian Lessandro, from the Gracie Fields Appreciation Society, said: “2016 is looking to be an important year for remembering Gracie, and it’s excellent that she’s finally being recognised in her home town properly. Although she was made a Freeman of the Borough in 1937 and she opened the Gracie Fields theatre in 1979, it’s about time a lasting tribute to her was paid.
“Although Gracie lived around the world, she always called Rochdale home and never denied her love of the town with frequent return trips and charity weeks.”
The full trail will be ready, with all the plaques installed, by the summer. Its completion will coincide with the erection of a statue Gracie Fields statue in Packer Street, Town Hall Square. The statue is currently being created by sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn and a macquette, a small scale model of the statue, is set to be completed by the end of January 2016.
