Heywood serves as a town and also unparished area inside the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England.[1] In the past part of Lancashire, at the 2001 census it possessed a population of 28,024.[2] The town is situated on the south bank of the River Roch and is 2.4 miles (3.9 km) east of Bury, 3.7 miles (6.0 km) west-southwest of Rochdale, and 7.4 miles (11.9 km) north of the city of Manchester. The town of Middleton can be found to the south, while to the north is the Cheesden Valley, open moorland, as well as Pennines. Heywood's nickname is Monkey Town, a reputation known to date dating back to 1857.