127-601: Glodwick is an area of Oldham , Greater Manchester , England. It is south-east of Oldham town centre. Glodwick is a multi-ethnic residential area in the south of Oldham , home particularly to a large community of Pakistanis and British Pakistanis . Glodwick is marked architecturally by Oldham's history with the Industrial Revolution , particularly cotton spinning . Much of Glodwick's housing remain as red-brick terraces, built originally as dwellings for Oldham's many cotton mill workers. The name Glodwick
254-429: A central business district in the town centre , which is the local centre of commerce. In 1849, Angus Reach of Inverness said: The visitor to Oldham will find it essentially a mean-looking straggling town, built upon both sides and crowning the ridge of one of the outlying spurs which branch from Manchester, the neighbouring 'backbone of England'. The whole place has a shabby underdone look. The general appearance of
381-615: A nickname for people from Oldham. It was not until the last quarter of the 18th century that Oldham changed from being a cottage industry township producing woollen garments via domestic manual labour , to a sprawling industrial metropolis of textile factories. The climate, geology, and topography of Oldham were unrelenting constraints upon the social and economic activities of the human inhabitants. At 700 feet (200 m) above sea level and with no major river or visible natural resources, Oldham had poor geographic attributes compared with other settlements for investors and their engineers. As
508-521: A parliamentary borough in 1832 , Oldham's first parliamentary representatives were the radicals William Cobbett and John Fielden . Winston Churchill began his political career in Oldham. Although unsuccessful at his first attempt in 1899, Churchill was elected as the member of Parliament for the Oldham parliamentary borough constituency in the 1900 general election . He held the constituency for
635-471: A Grade I rating. There is a mixture of high-density urban areas , suburbs , semi-rural and rural locations in Oldham. There is some permanent grassland but overwhelmingly the land use in the town is urban. The territory of Oldham is contiguous with other towns on all sides except for a small section along its eastern and southern boundaries, and for purposes of the Office for National Statistics , forms
762-640: A Scottish regiment under the Duke of Montrose was sent to the town. It was led by Captain Raines who made his headquarters at the Roe Cross Inn. Gangs of armed men destroyed power looms and fired mills. The disturbances in Stalybridge culminated with a night of violent rioting on 20 April 1812. The social unrest did not curb the growth of Stalybridge. By 1814, there were twelve factories and, by 1818,
889-832: A bimonthly basis, as the Stalybridge District Assembly. As a county palatine Cheshire was unrepresented in Parliament until the Chester and Cheshire (Constituencies) Act 1542 . From 1545 Cheshire was represented by two Knights of the Shire . On the passage of the Great Reform Act of 1832, the area of Stalybridge south of the Tame was included in the North Cheshire constituency. Between
1016-655: A county borough on 1 April 1889. The borough, while independent of Lancashire County Council for local government, remained part of the county for purposes such as the administration of justice and lieutenancy . In 1951 parts of the Limehurst Rural District were added to the County Borough of Oldham, and in 1954 further parts of the same district added to it on its abolition. Since 1961, Oldham has been twinned with Kranj in Slovenia . Under
1143-481: A depression, although it was not until 1964 that Oldham ceased to be the largest centre of cotton spinning. In spite of efforts to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of its production, the last cotton spun in the town was in 1998. Facilitated by its flourishing textile industry, Oldham developed extensive structural and mechanical engineering sectors during the 18th and 19th centuries. The manufacture of spinning and weaving machinery in Oldham belongs to
1270-475: A full year. During 1868, there were a number of violent disturbances and rioting created by this man who described himself as a "renegade Roman Catholic". In his lectures to the public, "pretending to expose the religious practices of the Roman Catholic Church", he became a master at whipping up a crowd into a frenzy. Newspaper reports of the time told of his common practice of waving a revolver in
1397-528: A house, farm or hamlet . Oldham is however known to be a derivative of Aldehulme , undoubtedly an Old Norse name. It is believed to be derived from the Old English ald combined with the Old Norse holmi or holmr , meaning "promontory or outcrop", possibly describing the town's hilltop position. It has alternatively been suggested that it may mean "holm or hulme of a farmer named Alda". The name
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#17327930546241524-479: A population change from under 2,000 in 1714 to 12,000 in 1801 to 137,000 in 1901 In 1851 its population of 52,820 made Oldham the 12th most populous town in England. The following is a table outlining the population change of the town since 1801, which demonstrates a trend of rapid population growth in the 19th century and, after peaking at 147,483 people in 1911, a trend of general decline in population size during
1651-538: A population of 96,555 and an area of 1,687 hectares (6.51 sq mi), giving a population density of 57.2 inhabitants per hectare (14,800/sq mi), while the Borough of Oldham had a population of 224,897, an area of 14,236 hectares (54.97 sq mi), and a population density of 15.8 inhabitants per hectare (4,100/sq mi). The toponymy of Oldham seems to imply "old village or place" from Eald ( Saxon ) signifying oldness or antiquity, and Ham (Saxon)
1778-488: A result, Oldham played no part in the initial period of the Industrial Revolution, although it did later become seen as obvious territory to industrialise because of its convenient position between the labour forces of Manchester and southwest Yorkshire . Cotton spinning and milling were introduced to Oldham when its first mill, Lees Hall, was built by William Clegg in about 1778, the beginning of
1905-521: A scattering of small and insignificant settlements spread across the moorland and dirt tracks that linked Manchester to York . Although not mentioned in the Domesday Book , Oldham does appear in legal documents from the Middle Ages , invariably recorded as territory under the control of minor ruling families and barons . In the 13th century, Oldham was documented as a manor held from
2032-468: A second bridge was built over the Tame. It was downstream of Staley Bridge and constructed of iron. The second Chartist petition was presented to Parliament in April 1842. Stalybridge contributed 10,000 signatures. After the rejection of the petition the first general strike began in the coal mines of Staffordshire . The second phase of the strike originated in Stalybridge. A movement of resistance to
2159-469: A self-confident town. The earliest evidence of human activity in Stalybridge is a flint scraper from the late Neolithic /early Bronze Age . Also bearing testament to the presence of man in prehistory are the Stalybridge cairns. The two monuments are on the summit of Hollingworthall Moor 153 yards (140 m) apart. One of the round cairns is the best-preserved Bronze Age monument in Tameside, and
2286-501: A series of ceilings and skylights created by local artist Brian Clarke in celebration of the life and music of one of Oldham's famous sons, composer and conductor Sir William Walton . Stalybridge Stalybridge ( / ˌ s t eɪ l i ˈ b r ɪ dʒ / ) is a town in Tameside , Greater Manchester , England, with a population of 23,731 at the 2011 Census. Historically divided between Cheshire and Lancashire , it
2413-521: A spiralling process of urbanisation and socioeconomic transformation. Within a year, 11 other mills had been constructed, and by 1818 there were 19 – not a large number in comparison with other local settlements. Oldham's small local population was greatly increased by the mass migration of workers from outlying villages, resulting in a population increase from just over 12,000 in 1801 to 137,000 in 1901. The speed of this urban growth meant that Oldham, with little pre-industrial history to speak of,
2540-985: A stream leading from the Walkerwood Reservoir . In late June 2018, many properties in Stalybridge were threatened by a large wildfire advancing from Saddleworth Moor . 50 properties in the Carrbrook area of Stalybridge were evacuated on 26 June as the wildfire advanced towards them. In December 2023, during Storm Gerrit , a tornado caused damage in the Millbrook and Carrbrook areas of Stalybridge. The Municipal Borough of Stalybridge received its charter of incorporation on 5 March 1857, having been formed from part of Ashton-under-Lyne parish in Lancashire and parts of Dukinfield and Stayley parishes in Cheshire . The Royal Charter declared that
2667-424: A thriving economy during the 19th century, the local merchants were broadly reluctant to spend on civic institutions, and so the town lacks the grandeur seen in comparable nearby towns like Bolton or Huddersfield ; public expenditure was seen as an overhead that undermined the competitiveness of the town. Subsequently, Oldham's architecture has been described as "mediocre". The town has no listed buildings with
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#17327930546242794-508: A view to educating the growing number of workers. Only a year after the establishment of Manchester Mechanics' Institute , Stalybridge founded an Institute of its own. Its doors opened on 7 September 1825 on Shepley Street with a reading room on Queen Street. On 9 May 1828, the Stalybridge Police and Market Act received Royal Assent , establishing Stalybridge as an independent town with a board of 21 Commissioners. Every male over
2921-435: Is Alexandra Park . Greengate Street Mosque is Oldham's largest mosque. St Mark's Church stands on the hill above Oldham at Glodwick. It is the parish church for the area. Close to Glodwick is a disused quarry that has been designated as a Site of special scientific interest (SSSI) known as Lowside Brickworks. The site is only 3.5 acres (1.4 hectares) but has considerable geological interest. It has yielded bivalves from
3048-400: Is 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Manchester and 6 miles (9.7 km) north-west of Glossop . When a water-powered cotton mill was constructed in 1776, Stalybridge became one of the first centres of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution . The wealth created in the 19th century from the factory-based cotton industry transformed an area of scattered farms and homesteads into
3175-404: Is Oldham." Oldham's soils were too thin and poor to sustain crop growing, and so for decades prior to industrialisation the area was used for grazing sheep , which provided the raw material for a local woollen weaving trade. By 1756, Oldham had emerged as centre of the hatting industry in England. The rough felt used in the production process is the origin of the term "Owdham Roughyed"
3302-533: Is a nearby Metrolink stop, which is Oldham Mumps , currently providing links to Manchester and Chorlton . Oldham Oldham / ˈ oʊ l d ə m / is a town in Greater Manchester , England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock , 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Rochdale , and 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of Manchester . It
3429-402: Is another prominent landmark. The town centre itself is situated along the banks of the river between Ridge Hill to the north and Hough Hill 801 ft (244 m) to the south. Stalybridge Weather Station is staffed by volunteers and has been providing statistics since 1999. The local bedrock is millstone grit , covered by a thin layer of soil over clay , with surface rock outcrops . Over
3556-550: Is confirmed by an ancient Roman road and Bronze Age archaeological relics found at various sites within the town. Placenames of Celtic origin are still to be found in Oldham: Werneth derives from a Celtic personal name identical to the Gaulish vernetum , " alder swamp", and Glodwick may be related to the modern Welsh clawdd , meaning "dyke" or "ditch". Nearby Chadderton is also pre-Anglo-Saxon in origin, from
3683-558: Is protected as a scheduled monument . A branch of the Roman road between the forts at Manchester ( Mamucium ) and Melandra Castle ( Ardotalia ) is thought to run through Stalybridge to the fort of Castleshaw . The settlement was originally called Stavelegh, which derives from the Old English stæf leah , meaning "wood where the staves are got". The medieval Lords of the manor took de Stavelegh as their name, later becoming Stayley or Staley . The lordship of Longdendale
3810-546: Is regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year. On 23 November 1981, an F1/T2 tornado formed over Hollinwood and later passed over Oldham town centre, causing some damage. Oldham's topography is characterised by its rugged, elevated Pennine terrain. It has an area of 6.91 square miles (17.90 km ). The geology of Oldham is represented by the Millstone Grit and Coal Measures series of rocks. The River Beal , flowing northwards, forms
3937-519: Is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham , which had a population of 237,110 in 2019. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire , and with little early history to speak of, Oldham rose to prominence in the 19th century as an international centre of textile manufacture . It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution , and among the first ever industrialised towns, rapidly becoming "one of
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4064-489: Is understood to date from 865, during the period of the Danelaw . Cumbric alt , meaning "steep height, cliff", has also been suggested for the first element. The earliest known evidence of a human presence in what is now Oldham is attested by the discovery of Neolithic flint arrow-heads and workings found at Werneth and Besom Hill, implying habitation 7–10,000 years ago. Evidence of later Roman and Celtic activity
4191-606: The Oldham Riots - large scale rioting said to be fuelled by long-term under-lying racial tensions between local white and South Asian communities. The rioting gained international media coverage, and were said to be the worst racially-motivated riots in the United Kingdom for fifteen years prior, briefly eclipsing the sectarian violence seen in Northern Ireland . One of Glodwick's best-known features
4318-476: The Cambridge Platonist philosopher Ralph Cudworth ). The Cudworths remained lords of the manor until their sale of the estate (1683) to Sir Ralph Assheton of Middleton . Much of Oldham's history is concerned with textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution ; it has been said that "if ever the Industrial Revolution placed a town firmly and squarely on the map of the world, that town
4445-541: The Carboniferous period showing how they interacted with the sediment, which also helps understanding of their morphological variation . Lowside Brickworks is one of 21 SSSIs in the Greater Manchester area . On 24 December 1944, at 5.50am, a V-1 flying bomb fell on Abbey Hills Road near to the junction with Warren Lane. The explosion killed 32 people and destroyed a large number of houses. The bomb
4572-877: The Conservative Party until the 1906 general election , when he won the election for Manchester North West as a Liberal MP. After he became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1940, Churchill was made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Oldham , on 2 April 1941. In the 2016 European Union membership referendum , Oldham voted in favour of Brexit . The vote to leave was 60.9%. At 53°32′39″N 2°7′0.8″W / 53.54417°N 2.116889°W / 53.54417; -2.116889 (53.5444°, −2.1169°), and 164 miles (264 km) north-northwest of London, Oldham stands 700 feet (213 m) above sea level , 6.9 miles (11.1 km) northeast of Manchester city centre , on elevated ground between
4699-654: The Local Government Act 1972 , the town's autonomous county borough status was abolished, and Oldham has, since 1 April 1974, formed part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham , within the Metropolitan county of Greater Manchester . The boundaries of two parliamentary constituencies divide Oldham: Oldham East and Saddleworth , and Oldham West and Royton (which includes the town centre), represented by Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) Debbie Abrahams and Jim McMahon respectively. Created as
4826-423: The Metropolitan Borough of Tameside . Stalybridge is currently represented by the occupants of nine of the 57 seats on the local Metropolitan Borough Council. These seats are spread over three wards: Stalybridge North, Stalybridge South and Dukinfield Stalybridge. Stalybridge currently has four Labour councillors and five Conservative councillors. Since 1998 the nine Stalybridge councillors have held meetings on
4953-516: The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham . It has been extensively redeveloped during the last few decades, and its two shopping centres, Town Square and the Spindles, now provide one of the largest covered retail areas in Greater Manchester . The Spindles (named with reference to textile spindles ) is a modern shopping centre with over 40 retailers, banks, building societies and catering outlets. It houses several of Europe's largest stained glass works,
5080-542: The Old Welsh cadeir , itself deriving from the Latin cathedra meaning "chair". Although Anglo-Saxons occupied territory around the area centuries earlier, Oldham as a permanent, named place of dwelling is believed to date from 865, when Danish invaders established a settlement called Aldehulme. From its founding in the 9th century until the Industrial Revolution , Oldham is believed to have been little more than
5207-523: The Royal Charter . In 1854 John Platt was made the (fourth) Mayor of Oldham, an office he was to hold twice more in 1855–56 and 1861–62. John Platt was elected in 1865 to become a Member of Parliament (MP) for Oldham , and was re-elected in 1868; he remained in office until his death in 1872. A bronze statue of Platt existed in the town centre for years, though was moved to Alexandra Park . There have been recommendations for it to be returned to
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5334-532: The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 came into force on 23 December 1919 that women could become magistrates. Sitting ex-officio Ada Summers became the first woman magistrate in the country and was sworn in on 31 December. Ada Summers was, probably, the first woman to officially adjudicate in court. Ada Summers photo appeared in the weekly journal Great Thoughts , 5 June 1920, alongside an interview on "The First Woman JP" on her work. Ada Summers
5461-409: The deindustrialisation of Oldham in the mid-20th century, these industries have been replaced by home shopping , publishing , healthcare and food processing sectors, though factory-generated employment retains a significant presence. Many of the modern sectors are low-skill and low-wage. Oldham's town centre contains the highest concentration of retailing, cultural facilities and employment in
5588-411: The hundred of Salford . In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, Glodwick provided a base for many of the cotton mills that made Oldham the most productive mill town in the world. Spinning companies like Samuel Milne, Lees & Wrigley, James Collinge & Sons and Bagley & Wright brought employment to the area. In May 2001, Glodwick was the centre of controversy as it was at the heart of
5715-446: The thegnage estate of Kaskenmoor, which was held on behalf of King John by Roger de Montbegon and William de Nevill. The other parts of this estate were Crompton , Glodwick , Sholver , and Werneth . Oldham later formed a township within the ancient ecclesiastical parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham , in the hundred of Salford . In 1826 commissioners for the social and economic improvement of Oldham were established. The town
5842-406: The working classes . There has been a significant presence of " friendly societies ". It has been put that the people of Oldham became radical in politics in the early part of the 19th century, and movements suspected of sedition found patronage in the town. Oldham was frequently disturbed by bread and labour riots, facilitated by periods of scarcity and the disturbance of employment following
5969-593: The 17th century who lost part of their possessions due to the English Civil War . Waterhead , an upland area in the east of Oldham, traces its roots to a water cornmill over the border in Lees . Recorded originally as Watergate and Waterhead Milne , it was for a long time a hamlet in the parish of Oldham that formed a significant part of the Oldham Above Town registration sub-district. Derker
6096-607: The 1890s, twice the number of their nearest rivals Dobson & Barlow in Bolton and Asa Lees on Greenacres Moor . They were keen investors in the local area and at one time, were supporting 42% of the population. The centre of the company lay at the New Hartford Works in Werneth , a massive complex of buildings and internal railways on a site overlooking Manchester. The railway station which served this site later formed
6223-462: The 2001 census, over one in four of its residents identified themselves as from a South Asian or British Asian ethnic group. Cultural divisions along ethnic backgrounds are strong within the town, with poor cross-community integration and cohesion along Asian and white backgrounds. With only a small local population during medieval times, as a result of the introduction of industry, mass migration of village workers into Oldham occurred, resulting in
6350-402: The 20th century. In 2011, 77.5% of the Oldham metropolitan borough population were White British, 18.1% Asian and 1.2% Black. While in the town of Oldham, which had a 2011 population of 96,555, 55.4% of the population were White British, 37.6% Asian and 2% Black. For years Oldham's economy was heavily dependent on manufacturing industry, especially textiles and mechanical engineering. Since
6477-657: The 5th most populous settlement of the Greater Manchester Urban Area . This figure in conjunction with its area provides Oldham with a population density of 3,998 people per square mile (1,544 people/km ). The local population has been described as broadly " working class "; the middle classes tending to live in outlying settlements. Oldham, considered as a combination of the 2001 electoral wards of Alexandra, Coldhurst , Hollinwood , St. James, St. Marys, St. Pauls, Waterhead and Werneth , has an average age of 33.5, and compared against
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#17327930546246604-643: The Borough . In 1929, with no room for expansion at Stalybridge, the Summers sheet rolling and galvanising plants were transferred to Shotton in North Wales , having devastating effects on local employment; the new plant later became a component in the British Steel Corporation . By 1932, seven of the town's largest mills had closed and unemployment reached 7,000. In 1934, the borough council set up an Industrial Development Committee for
6731-462: The Buckton Vale overspill estate also took place in the early 1970s. The early 1980s saw the closure of the public baths after the completion of Copley Recreation Centre. One of the symbols of the late-19th century civic improvement, the baths were subsequently demolished. In 1991, for the first time since 1901, there was an increase in the population of Stalybridge to 22,295. The 1990s saw
6858-512: The Crown by a family surnamed Oldham , whose seat was at Werneth Hall . Richard de Oldham was recorded as lord of the manor of Werneth/Oldham (1354). His daughter and heiress, Margery (d.1384), married John de Cudworth (d.1384), from whom descended the Cudworths of Werneth Hall who were successive lords of the manor. A Member of this family was James I 's Chaplain, Ralph Cudworth (father of
6985-506: The Moulder's Arms, Grasscroft Street, Castle Hall. The band was known as the 4th Cheshire Rifleman Volunteers (Borough Band) until 1896. The founder and first conductor was Alexander Owen, who conducted the band until at least 1907. The character of Stalybridge altered over the 20th century. At the turn of the century, the cotton industry was still strong, and the population of the town reached its peak in 1901, at 27,623, but as trade dwindled
7112-566: The Public Health Acts 1873 and 1875 Stalybridge corporation, like other municipal boroughs governed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, was designated as the authority governing the urban sanitary district . The borough, both on the Lancashire and Cheshire sides of the river, was placed wholly within the administrative county of Cheshire in 1889, under the Local Government Act 1888 , and Cheshire
7239-525: The Ridgehill estate in January 1956. In 1955, after the adoption of the first post-war slum clearance plan, new housing estates were built to replace the slums and, gradually, redundant textile mills were occupied by firms in the various light industries. New applications of engineering principles, the manufacture of rubber goods, plastics, chemicals and packaging materials were all introduced, as well as
7366-631: The Stalybridge cotton mills rapidly ran short of cotton. Thousands of operatives were laid off. In October 1862, a meeting was held in Stalybridge Town Hall that passed a resolution blaming the Confederate States of America and their actions in the American Civil War, rather than U.S. blockades of seaports, for the cotton famine in Lancashire . By the winter of 1862–63, there were 7,000 unemployed operatives in
7493-590: The UK's largest textile factory Oldham reached its manufacturing zenith. At its peak, there were more than 360 mills, operating night and day; Oldham's townscape was dominated by distinctive rectangular brick-built mills. Oldham was hit hard by the Lancashire Cotton Famine of 1861–1865, when supplies of raw cotton from the United States were cut off. Wholly reliant upon the textile industry,
7620-650: The Victoria Bridge on Trinity Street was built. Victoria Market Hall was constructed in 1868 and the public baths were opened in May 1870. The baths were presented as a gift to the town by philanthropists and benefactors Robert Platt (1802–1882), born in Stalybridge, and his wife Margaret Platt (1819–1888), born in Salford . Stalybridge Borough Band was formed in March 1871, holding its first rehearsals and meetings at
7747-498: The addition of synthetic fibres to the textile trade, reducing unemployment. The plastics industry origin and growth are described by Craig and Bowes in "Cotton Mills to Chemical Plants" (2013). The early 1970s saw the development of private semi-detached and detached housing estates, particularly in the Mottram Rise, Hough Hill, Hollins and Carrbrook areas; the redevelopment of Castle Hall was also completed. The construction of
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#17327930546247874-541: The age of 21 who was the occupier of a rateable property under the act was entitled to vote at the election of the Commissioners. On 30 December 1831, Stalybridge Town Hall was officially opened. In 1833, the Commissioners set up the Stalybridge Police Force, the first of its kind in the country. By this year, the population of the town had reached 14,216 with 2.357 inhabited houses. In 1834,
8001-485: The air in "a most threatening manner". On one occasion, he incited a riot of such proportions that Fr. Daley, the parish priest of St. Peter's, took to the roof of the church to defend it. A man was shot. The parish priest was tried but eventually acquitted at the Quarter Sessions . Following this incident, the community began to settle down and Murphy chose to extend his political activities elsewhere. In 1867,
8128-501: The amount of coal in the town was somewhat overestimated however, and production began to decline even before that of the local spinning industry. Today, the only visible remnants of the mines are disused shafts and boreholes. Oldham's social history , like that of other former unenfranchised towns, is marked by politicised civil disturbances , as well as events related to the Luddite , Suffragette and other Labour movements from
8255-480: The average demographics of the United Kingdom , has a high level of people of South Asian heritage, particularly those with roots in Pakistan and Bangladesh . Due to the town's prevalence as an industrial centre and thus a hub for employment, Oldham attracted migrant workers throughout its history, including those from wider-England, Scotland, Ireland and Poland. During the 1950s and 1960s, in an attempt to fill
8382-436: The basis of Oldham Werneth railway station . The main building exists to this day. Platts gained prestigious awards from around the world, and were heavily involved with local politics and civic pride in Oldham. John and James Platt were the largest subscribers for promoting Oldham from a township to a Borough , pledging £100 (more than double the next largest sum) in advance towards any expenses which may have been incurred by
8509-471: The boundary between Oldham on one side and Royton and Shaw and Crompton on the other. To the east of this river the surface rises to a height of 1,225 ft (373 m) at Woodward Hill, on the border with the parish of Saddleworth . The rest of the surface is hilly, the average height decreasing towards the southwest to Failsworth and the city of Manchester . The ridge called Oldham Edge, 800 ft (240 m) high, comes southward from Royton into
8636-490: The centre of the town. Oldham's built environment is characterised by its 19th-century red-brick terraced houses , the infrastructure that was built to support these and the town's former cotton mills – which mark the town's skyline. The urban structure of Oldham is irregular when compared to most towns in England , its form restricted in places by its hilly upland terrain. There are irregularly constructed residential dwellings and streets clustered loosely around
8763-430: The cotton famine created chronic unemployment in the town. By 1863 a committee had been formed, and with aid from central government, land was purchased with the intention of employing local cotton workers to construct Alexandra Park , which opened on 28 August 1865. Said to have over-relied upon the textile sector, as the importation of cheaper foreign yarns grew during the 20th century, Oldham's economy declined into
8890-436: The council should consist of a Mayor , 6 Aldermen and 18 Councillors . The Borough was divided into three wards: Lancashire; Staley and Dukinfield. A list of Burgesses was published on 21 April 1857 and the first election of councillors was held on 1 May 1857. The contesting parties were the "whites" and the "yellows". The council met for the first time on 9 May and elected the first six Aldermen, from among those councillors
9017-429: The course of the 20th century the population of the town declined, after the demolition of the mid-19th century high-density housing. At the 2001 census Stalybridge had a population of 22,568. The town includes the localities of Heyheads , Buckton Vale, Carrbrook , Millbrook , Brushes Estate , Copley , Mottram Rise, Woodlands, Matley , Hough Hill, Castle Hall, Hollins Street , Hydes, Rassbottom, Waterloo, Cocker Hill,
9144-525: The day on weekdays, while Manchester Community Transport runs an hourly evening service and Stagecoach Manchester runs the Sunday service. The 410 and 411 services, operated by Manchester Community Transport , provide a circular service around various parts of east Oldham running along Waterloo Street in Glodwick. There is no railway station nearby, Glodwick Road station having closed in 1955, but there
9271-453: The early 12th century , Glodwick, one of the oldest parts of Oldham, was recorded in 1212 as being one of five parts of the thegnage estate of Kaskenmoor, which was held on behalf of King John by Roger de Montbegon and William de Nevill. The other parts of this estate were Crompton , Oldham , Sholver and Werneth . Glodwick later formed part of the township of Oldham within the ancient ecclesiastical parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham , in
9398-533: The family estates were dispersed. Stamford Street, Grey Street, Groby Street, Stamford Park, Stamford Golf Club and the two Stamford Arms public houses in Stalybridge are all named after the Grey family. As Stayley expanded in the 18th century, it reached the banks of the River Tame . After the construction of a bridge in 1707, the settlement was commonly referred to as Stalybridge, meaning the bridge at Stayley. By
9525-512: The first Mayor, William Bayley, was elected. The Arms of Stalybridge were granted by the College of Arms after the town received its charter of incorporation. The arms incorporated features from the coat of arms of the Stayley, Assheton, Dukinfield and Astley families who had all been land owners in the town. The motto, absque labore nihil , means "nothing without labour". Under the terms of
9652-494: The following days and weeks. The 2001 riots prompted governmental and independent inquiries, which collectively agreed on community relations improvements and considerable regeneration schemes for the town. There were further fears of riots after the death of Gavin Hopley in 2002. Lying within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire since the early 12th century , Oldham was recorded in 1212 as being one of five parts of
9779-484: The foothills of the Pennines , straddling the River Tame . The river forms part of the ancient boundary between Lancashire and Cheshire . On the boundary of the Peak District national park . The highest point in the town is the summit of Wild Bank at 1,309 feet (399 m). Harridge Pike is the second highest peak at 1,296 ft (395 m). Buckton Hill, the site of the mediaeval Buckton Castle ,
9906-800: The fourth largest settlement of the Greater Manchester Urban Area , the United Kingdom's third largest conurbation . The M60 motorway passes through the southwest of Oldham, through Hollinwood , and a heavy rail line enters Oldham from the same direction, travelling northeast to the town centre before heading northwards through Derker towards Shaw and Crompton. Many of Oldham's present divisions and suburbs have origins as pre-industrial hamlets, manorial commons and ancient chapelries. Some, such as Moorside , exist as recently constructed residential suburbia , whilst places like Hollinwood exist as electoral wards and thoroughly industrialised districts. Throughout most of its recorded history , Oldham
10033-459: The gathering and organising of civil registration information, and output of census data. The Local Government Act 1888 created elected county councils to administer services throughout England and Wales. Where a municipal borough had a population of more than 50,000 at the 1881 Census it was created a county borough , with the powers and duties of both a borough and county council. As Oldham had an 1881 population of 111,343 it duly became
10160-471: The growing town containing 76,000 spindles. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal was completed in 1811 and still runs through the town. The rapid growth of industry in Stalybridge was due to the introduction of machinery. This was, however, met with violent opposition. After the arrival of the Luddites in the area the doors of mills were kept locked day and night. Military aid was requested by the mill owners and
10287-577: The imposition of wage cuts in the mills, also known as the Plug Riots , it spread to involve nearly half a million workers throughout Britain and represented the biggest single exercise of working class strength in 19th century Britain. On 13 August 1842, there was a strike at Bayley's Cotton Mill in Stalybridge and roving cohorts of operatives carried the stoppage first to the whole area of Stalybridge and Ashton , then to Manchester , and subsequently to towns adjacent to Manchester, using as much force as
10414-514: The introduction of cotton-spinning machinery . On 20 April 1812, a "large crowd of riotous individuals" compelled local retailers to sell foods at a loss, whilst on the same day Luddites numbering in their thousands, many of whom were from Oldham, attacked a cotton mill in nearby Middleton . On 16 August 1819, Oldham sent a contingent estimated at well above 10,000 to hear speakers in St Peter's Fields at Manchester discuss political reform; it
10541-416: The last decade of the 19th century, when it became a leading centre in the field of engineering . The Platt Brothers , originated in nearby Dobcross village, but moved to Oldham. They were pioneers of cotton-spinning machinery, developing innovative products that enabled the mass-production of cotton yarn. Platt Brothers became the largest textile machine makers in the world, employing over 15,000 people in
10668-657: The legs of an electricity pylon . The market hall closed on New Year's Eve 1999 and became the Civic Hall in 2001. Four years later, the area designated for retail space became exhibition space. There were plans to reopen the market and let the retail hall out to private contractors, though this came to naught. The town's cinema, the Palace, closed on 31 August 2003, with the last film being American Pie 3: The Wedding . The cinema has since been converted to become Rififi Nightclub and Amber Lounge Bar & Restaurant, which itself
10795-466: The local cotton industry and the town's inhabitants, though there is evidence of small scale coal mining in the area as early as the 16th century. The Oldham Coalfield stretched from Royton in the north to Bardsley in the south and in addition to Oldham, included the towns of Middleton and Chadderton to the west. The Oldham Coalfield was the site of over 150 collieries during its recorded history . Although some contemporary sources suggest there
10922-422: The local economy. The town centre is the focus of a project that aims to transform Oldham into a centre for further education and the performing arts . It is, however, still distinguished architecturally by the surviving cotton mills and other buildings associated with that industry. In the 2011 United Kingdom census Oldham Built-up area subdivision , as defined by the Office for National Statistics , had
11049-567: The manor of Staley was first mentioned between 1211 and 1225. The first records of the de Stavelegh family as Lords of the Manor of Staley date from the early 13th century. Staley Hall was their residence. The present hall was built in the late 16th century on the same site as an earlier hall of the Stayley family which dated from before 1343. Sir Ralph Staley (descendant of the de Stavelegh family) had no male heirs but an only daughter, Elizabeth Staley, who married Sir Thomas Assheton and united
11176-474: The manors of Ashton and Staley. Elizabeth and Thomas had two daughters and no sons. Margaret, the eldest of their two daughters, married Sir William Booth of Dunham Massey . The younger daughter Elizabeth was widowed and without children, and continued to live at Staley Hall until her death in 1553. In her will her share of the lordships of Staley and Ashton were left to the Booths. The manor of Staley remained in
11303-463: The mid-18th century Stalybridge had a population of just 140. Farming and woolen spinning were the main means of subsistence at this time. In 1776, the town's first water-powered mill for carding and spinning cotton was built at Rassbottom. In 1789, the town's first spinning mill using the principle of Arkwright 's Water Frame was built. By 1793, steam power had been introduced to the Stalybridge cotton industry; by 1803 there were eight cotton mills in
11430-400: The most important centres of cotton and textile industries in England." At its zenith, it was the most productive cotton spinning mill town in the world, producing more cotton than France and Germany combined. Oldham's textile industry fell into decline in the mid-20th century; the town's last mill closed in 1998. The demise of textile processing in Oldham depressed and heavily affected
11557-411: The most productive cotton-spinning town in the world. In 1871, Oldham had more spindles than any country in the world except the United States, and in 1909, was spinning more cotton than France and Germany combined. By 1911 there were 16.4 million spindles in Oldham, compared with a total of 58 million in the United Kingdom and 143.5 million in the world; in 1928, with the construction of
11684-413: The number had increased to sixteen. The Industrial Revolution led to a rapid increase in the town's population in the early part of the 19th century. The population of the town by 1823 was 5,500. In the following two years, partly because of an influx of Irish families seeking better wages, the population rose to 9,000. Stalybridge was among the first wave of towns to establish a Mechanics' Institute with
11811-410: The operatives' houses is filthy and smouldering. In the 1870s, John Marius Wilson described Oldham as consisting of: ... numerous streets, and contains numerous fine buildings, both public and private; but, in a general view, is irregularly constructed, presents the dingy aspect of a crowded seat of manufacture, and is more notable for factories than for any other feature. Although Oldham had
11938-406: The original Hollinwood site was operated by Siemens Metering and Semiconductor divisions. The remainder of the site is occupied by Mirror Colour Print Ltd; the printing division of Reach , which prints and distributes thirty-six major newspapers, and employs five hundred staff. On the back of the Industrial Revolution, Oldham developed an extensive coal mining sector, correlated to supporting
12065-811: The passing of the Second Reform Act in 1867, and the general election of 1918, the town was represented in its own right through the Stalybridge Borough constituency . Since the 1918 general election the town has been represented in Parliament by the member for the Stalybridge and Hyde county constituency . The current Member of Parliament is Jonathan Reynolds , a former Tameside Councillor. At 53°29′0″N 2°2′24″W / 53.48333°N 2.04000°W / 53.48333; -2.04000 (53.483, −2.040) Stalybridge lies in
12192-515: The population began to decline, and despite the intensified employment of the war years, the main industry of Stalybridge continued to fail. There were floods in Millbrook in May 1906. Mrs Ada Summers was elected first woman mayor of Stalybridge in November 1919. At that time, mayors of boroughs were justices, as well as chairmen of borough benches, by right of office. However, it was not until
12319-566: The possession of the Booth family until the death of George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington on 2 August 1758. Upon his death, the Earldom of Warrington became extinct. His only daughter, Lady Mary Booth, the wife of Harry Grey, 4th Earl of Stamford , inherited all the Booth estates. The manor of Staley was owned by the Grey family until the extinction of the Earldom of Stampford on the death of Roger Grey, 10th Earl of Stamford in 1976. At this point,
12446-484: The proliferation of Mock Tudor style estates at Moorgate and along Huddersfield Road, close to Staley Hall; this continued into the 21st century with the completion of the Crowswood estate in Millbrook. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal , which had been culverted in the early 1970s, was reinstated to the town centre between 1999 and May 2001 as part of a two-year multimillion-pound refurbishment. The canal now runs under
12573-622: The purpose of encouraging new industries to settle in the town. The committee purchased Cheetham's Mill and rented it out to small firms engaged in a wide variety of enterprises. By 1939, unemployment in the town had almost disappeared. Stalybridge experienced intensive black-out periods and frequent air-raid warning during the Second World War . Bombs dropped by enemy aircraft mainly landed in open country and there were no civilian casualties. On 19 July 1946, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Stalybridge. The town's war memorial
12700-517: The relief committee decided to substitute a system of relief by ticket instead of money. The tickets were to be presented at local grocery shops. An organised resistance was organised culminating on Friday 20 March 1863. In 1867, Stalybridge was disturbed by the arrival of William Murphy. Records of this man indicate that his sole interest was to sow the seeds of dissent between Roman Catholics, who by this time had grown to significant proportions, and Protestants. He succeeded in this goal only too well for
12827-568: The rivers Irk and Medlock . Saddleworth and the South Pennines are close to the east, whilst on all other sides, Oldham is bound by other neighbouring towns, including Ashton-under-Lyne , Chadderton , Failsworth , Royton and Shaw and Crompton , with little or no green space between them. Oldham experiences a temperate maritime climate , like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters. There
12954-401: The semi-rural east of the town, in the most sought after area in areas such as the village Moorside , although terraces are found in almost all parts of Oldham. One of the oldest recorded named places of Oldham is Hathershaw , occurring in a deed for 1280 with the spelling Halselinechaw Clugh . Existing as a manor in the 15th century, Hathershaw Hall was the home of a Royalist family in
13081-403: The shocking filth, and the repulsive effect of Stalybridge, in spite of its pretty surroundings, may be readily imagined. John Summers first established an iron forge in Stalybridge in the 1840s. Later, he and his sons developed this into a major business and employed over 1,000 local men in their factory, the largest in the town. The Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway Company
13208-519: The shortfall of workers and revitalise local industries, citizens of the wider Commonwealth of Nations were encouraged to migrate to Oldham and other British towns . Many came from the Caribbean and Indian subcontinent and settled throughout the Oldham borough. Today, Oldham has large communities with heritage from Pakistan , India , Bangladesh and parts of the Caribbean. At the time of
13335-610: The site of considerable industry and commerce, including coal mining , cotton spinning and hat manufacture. It is said to have been the scene of an action in the English Civil War in which the Parliamentarians were defeated. According to data from the United Kingdom Census 2001 , Oldham had a total resident population of 103,544, making it the 55th most populous settlement in England, and
13462-544: The town around Hollinwood and Werneth and provided enough coal to accelerate Oldham's rapid development at the centre of the cotton boom. At its height in the mid-19th century, when it was dominated by the Lees and Jones families, Oldham coal was mainly sourced from many small collieries whose lives varied from a few years to many decades, although two of the four largest collieries survived to nationalisation . In 1851, collieries employed more than 2,000 men in Oldham, although
13589-425: The town centre. Abraham Henthorn Stott, the son of a stonemason , was born in nearby Shaw & Crompton in 1822. He served a seven-year apprenticeship with Sir Charles Barry , before starting a structural engineering practice in Oldham in 1847 that went on to become the pre-eminent mill architect firm in Lancashire . Philip Sydney Stott, third son of Abraham and later titled as Sir Philip Stott, 1st Baronet ,
13716-629: The town, whilst many Oldhamers protested in support of the emancipation of slaves . The Riot Act was read in 1852 on election day following a mass public brawl over the Reform Act , and irregularities with parliamentary candidate nominations. For three days in late May 2001, Oldham became the centre of national and international media attention. Following high-profile race-related conflicts, and long-term underlying racial tensions between local White British against British Pakistani and British Bangladeshi communities, major riots broke out in
13843-514: The town. Occurring with particular intensity in the Glodwick and Coldhurst areas of the town, the 2001 Oldham riots were the worst racially motivated riots in the United Kingdom for fifteen years prior, briefly eclipsing the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland in the media. At least 20 people were injured in the riots, including 15 police officers, and 37 people were arrested. Similar riots took place in other towns in northern England over
13970-497: The town. Only five of the town's 39 factories and 24 machine shops were employing people full-time. Contributions were sent from all over the world for the relief of the cotton operatives in Lancashire; and at one point three-quarters of Stalybridge workers were dependent on relief schemes. By 1863, there were 750 empty houses in the town. A thousand skilled men and women left the town, in what became known as "The Panic". In 1863,
14097-664: Was a notable member of the Suffragette movement credited with sparking off suffragette militancy when she heckled Winston Churchill , and later (with Emmeline Pankhurst ) the first Suffragist to be imprisoned. Oldham Women's Suffrage Society was established in 1910 with Margery Lees as president and quickly joined the Manchester and District Federation of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies . The Chartist and Co-operative movements had strong support in
14224-544: Was adopted as the postal county for the entire town. The town is now part of the SK postcode area . On 1 April 1936 Stalybridge was enlarged by gaining part of Matley civil parish , which had previously been part of Tintwistle rural district . Stalybridge was twinned, in 1955, with Armentières , France. In 1974 the area and assets of the Municipal Borough were combined with those of others districts, to form
14351-868: Was closed down late in 2012 after two violent incidents on the same night. In 2004, the Metropolitan Borough Council announced that they had granted permission for a developer to build 16 homes next to Staley Hall. A condition of the planning consent was that the hall be restored. As of 2008, the hall is still deteriorating. It is now listed as being in "very bad" condition on the English Heritage buildings at risk register. As of 2015 Staley Hall has been renovated and redeveloped into apartments. Stalybridge suffered from Storm Angus on 21 November 2016 when 3 inches (7.6 cm) of rain fell on Tameside in five hours. Mottram Road and Huddersfield Road, Millbrook were flooded by water from
14478-406: Was coal mining in Oldham at a commercial scale by 1738, older sources attribute the commercial expansion of coal mining with the arrival in the town of two Welsh labourers, John Evans and William Jones, around 1770. Foreseeing the growth in demand for coal as a source of steam power, they acquired colliery rights for Oldham, which by 1771 had 14 colliers. The mines were largely to the southwest of
14605-433: Was effectively born as a factory town . Oldham became the world's manufacturing centre for cotton spinning in the second half of the 19th century. In 1851, over 30% of Oldham's population was employed within the textile sector, compared to 5% across Great Britain. It overtook the major urban centres of Manchester and Bolton as the result of a mill building boom in the 1860s and 1870s, a period during which Oldham became
14732-587: Was extended after the war, to bear the names of an extra 124 men from the town; it was unveiled on 23 April 1950. In the post-war period council housing was provided by the local authority as separate council estates . The Buckton Vale estate was built between January 1950 and March 1953, and the Stamford Park estate between January 1953 and January 1955; the Copley estate commenced building in August 1954 and
14859-548: Was formed on 19 July 1844 and the railway was connected to Stalybridge on 5 October 1846. On 9 July 1847, the company was acquired by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway . On 1 August 1849, the Manchester, Stockport and Leeds Railway connected Stalybridge to Huddersfield and later to Stockport . This line later became part of the London and North Western Railway . On the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861,
14986-638: Was made part of a parliamentary borough , in 1832, though it was in 1849 when Oldham was incorporated as a municipal borough , giving it borough status in the United Kingdom , and in 1850 the Borough Council obtained the powers of the improvement commissioners. In 1880, parts of the Hollinwood and Crossbank areas of Chadderton and Ashton-under-Lyne townships were added to the Borough of Oldham. Oldham Above Town and Oldham Below Town were, from 1851 until c. 1881, statistical units used for
15113-636: Was necessary to bring mills to a standstill. The movement remained, to outward appearances, largely non-political. Although the People's Charter was praised at public meetings, the resolutions that were passed at these were in almost all cases merely for a restoration of the wages of 1820, a ten-hour working day, or reduced rents. In writing The Condition of The Working Class in England (1844), Friedrich Engels used Stalybridge as an example: ... multitudes of courts, back lanes, and remote nooks arise out of [the] confused way of building ... Add to this
15240-504: Was one of over thirty released that morning by a large formation of German Heinkel He 111 bombers just off the North East coast of England . There are a few bus services that serve the Glodwick area. First Greater Manchester 's frequent 425 service runs through Glodwick to Holts Estate via Abbeyhills and to Fitton Hill via Oldham. First's 408 service runs a handful of service to Stalybridge via Abbeyhills and Shaw via Oldham during
15367-519: Was one of the ancient feudal estates of Cheshire and included the area of Stalybridge. Buckton Castle , near Stalybridge, was probably built by one of the earls of Chester in the 12th century. William de Neville was the first lord of Longdendale, appointed by the Earl of Chester between 1162 and 1186. The lordship of Longdendale included the manors of Staley, Godley , Hattersley , Hollingworth , Matley , Mottram , Newton , Tintwistle and Werneth;
15494-489: Was recorded as a place of residence in 1604 with the name Dirtcar . Bound by Higginshaw to the north, Derker is the location of Derker railway station and, said to have terraced residencies "unsuited to modern needs", is currently being redeveloped as part of the Housing Market Renewal Initiative . Coldhurst , an area along Oldham's northern boundary with Royton , was once a chapelry and
15621-520: Was recorded first as Glodic in the 1190s. The first element may be a Brittonic word related to Welsh clawdd , meaning "ditch, hedge". Gloddaeth in Wales may have a similar etymology. The second part of the name is harder to explain, but may be the Old English dic , likewise meaning "ditch", added later to the Brittonic word. Lying within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire since
15748-406: Was surrounded by large swathes of moorland , which is reflected in the placenames of Moorside, Greenacres moor , Littlemoor, Northmoor among others. A large portion of Oldham's residences are "low value" Victorian era Accrington red-brick terraced houses in a row formation, built for the most part from 1870 to 1920, to house the town's cotton mill workers. There is more modern housing in
15875-614: Was the largest contingent sent to Manchester. John Lees, a cotton operative and ex-soldier who had fought at Waterloo , was one of the fifteen victims of the Peterloo Massacre which followed. The 'Oldham inquest' which proceeded the massacre was anxiously watched; the Court of King's Bench , however, decided that the proceedings were irregular, and the jury were discharged without giving a verdict. Annie Kenney , born in nearby Springhead , and who worked in Oldham's cotton mills,
16002-687: Was the most prominent and famous of the Stott mill architects. He established his own practice in 1883 and designed over a hundred mills in several countries. His factories, which improved upon his father's fireproof mills, accounted for a 40% increase in Oldham's spindles between 1887 and 1914. Although textile-related engineering declined with the processing industry, leading to the demise of both Stotts and Platts, other engineering firms existed, notably electrical and later electronic engineers Ferranti in 1896. Ferranti went into receivership in 1993, but some of its former works continue in other hands. Part of
16129-483: Was the widow of a local ironmaster. She was an active suffragist and Liberal and used her wealth and position to support a number of schemes designed to improve conditions in the town. These included a maternity and child welfare clinic, clinics for the sick and poor and an unofficial employment centre. She later became an alderman and was appointed MBE . On 31 May 1939 she was awarded the Honorary Freedom of
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