 castleton is an area of rochdale, greater manchester, england,  south-southwest of rochdale town centre and  north-northeast of the city of manchester. historically a part of lancashire, castleton's early history is marked by its status as a township within the ancient parish of rochdale. prior to merging with the county borough of rochdale in 1900, castleton experienced rapid growth during the 19th century as a mill town in its own right, facilitated for the most part by the construction of the rochdale canal which is routed through the area. castleton's growth was significant; so much so, that for a time it was almost the same size of nearby rochdale. located between junctions 19 and 20 of the m62 motorway, castleton today is a predominantly residential area, with a total population of 9,715. ==history==  the most ancient known reference to castleton is found in the domesday book (1086). the name suggests a link with a fortification; the castleton area was the site of rochdale castle. the castle is believed to have been located on the south bank of the river roch, which runs through castleton. during the 13th century, castleton was known as castletown, or castle town. back around the time the canal was built, castleton was known as blue pits village, because of the blue cl
Areas_of_Rochdale_Borough