Heywood is a town in the
Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale,
Greater Manchester, England.
Historically part of
Lancashire, it had a population of 28,205 at the 2011 Census. The town lies on the south bank of the
River Roch, east of
Bury, west-southwest of
Rochdale, and north of
Manchester.
Middleton lies to the south, whilst to the north is the
Cheesden Valley, open
moorland, and the
Pennines. Heywood's nickname, Monkey Town, is known to date back to 1857.