Home > Lancashire > Rochdale > Tim Bobbin Tim Bobbin

Picture source: Jim Murphy

The Tim Bobbin was situated on Yorkshire Street. Not to be confused with the pub of the same name on Dale Street, this Wilsons pub closed c2002.

This pub was named after the famous local dialect writer John Collier, whose pen name was Tim Bobbin. For many years the pub hosted the Tim Bobbin Lodge of the Royal Antedeluvian Order of Buffaloes, of which my farther was a member for several decades. The ‘Buffs’ as it was commonly known was a Friendly Society providing some degree of security for working men, who paid a subscription which entitled them to some financial help if they became unemployed or sick. As with most Friendly Societies there were regular branch meetings [in the pub of course!] and regalia such as sashes and medals were worn, with members taking turns to hold offices such as President, Treasurer etc. There were also events such as children’s Christmas parties which I particularly remember from the 1950s, as every child of a member received a Christmas present paid for by the Buffs. At that time we lived in nearby Trafalgar St [formerly McKinnon Street] and my father was an overlooker in the cotton industry.

David Murray (March 2021)

Do you have any anecdotes, historical information, updates or photos of this pub? Become a contributor by submitting them here. Like this site? Follow us on

Contacts

Make email contact with other ex-customers and landlords of this pub by adding your details to this page.

Name	Dates	Comments
Malcolm Percy	1980s	I played amateur football and was the captain for the Tim Bobbin during the 1980’s and we pretty much won everything in the Rochdale Sunday League for a period of about 10 years. We also won the Lancashire Cup and Champion of Champions Cup being the first Rochdale team to do this. The various managers were Tony Ray, John Simpson and Dave Hall. Great times.