What is oldham famous for

The whole place has a shabby underdone look. The general appearance of the operatives' houses is filthy and smouldering. Although Oldham had 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 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 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 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 to , to house the town's cotton mill workers.

There is more modern housing in 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 with the spelling Halselinechaw Clugh.

Existing as a manor in the 15th century, Hathershaw Hall was the home of a Royalist family in 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 was recorded as a place of residence in 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 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 , Oldham had a total resident population of ,, making it the 55th most populous settlement in England, and the 5th most populous settlement of the Greater Manchester Urban Area.

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 electoral wards of Alexandra, Coldhurst, Hollinwood , St. James, St. Marys, St. Pauls, Waterhead and Werneth , has an average age of 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 s and s, in an attempt to fill 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 Bangladesh , India, Pakistan and parts of the Caribbean. At the time of the 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 a population change from under 2, in to 12, in to , in In its population of 52, made Oldham the 12th most populous town in England.

The following is a table outlining the population change of the town since , which demonstrates a trend of rapid population growth in the 19th century and, after peaking at , people in , a trend of general decline in population size during the 20th century. In , While in the town of Oldham, which had a population of 96,, One of the last purpose-built town halls in northwest England, it has a tetrastyle Ionic portico, copied from the temple of Ceres , on the River Ilissos, near Athens.

Winston Churchill made his inaugural acceptance speech from the steps of the town hall when he was first elected as a Conservative MP in A Blue Plaque on the exterior of the building commemorates the event. Long existing as the political centre of the town, complete with courtrooms, the structure has stood empty since the mids and has regularly been earmarked for redevelopment as part of regeneration project proposals, but none have been actioned.

In September , it was reported that "Oldham Town Hall is only months away from a major roof collapse". A tour taken by local councillors and media concluded with an account that "chunks of masonry are falling from the ceilings on a daily basis In October the Victorian Society, a charity responsible for the study and protection of Britain's Victorian and Edwardian architecture, declared Oldham Town Hall as the most endangered Victorian structure in England and Wales.

Plans to convert the hall into a leisure complex, incorporating a cinema and restaurants, were revealed in May with the hall itself being used for public consultation. Erected as a permanent memorial to the men of Oldham who were killed in the First World War , Oldham's war memorial consists of a granite base surmounted by a bronze sculpture depicting five soldiers making their way along the trenches in order to go into battle.

The main standing figure, having climbed out of the trenches, is shown calling on his comrades to advance, and is the same figure used at the Royal Fusiliers War Memorial in London and the 41st Division memorial at Flers in France. The base serves to house books containing the roll of honour of the 1st, 10th and 24th Battalions, Manchester Regiment. The pedestal has two bronze doors at either side.

It was unveiled by General Sir Ian Hamilton on 28 April , before a crowd estimated at over 10, The monument was intended to symbolise the spirit of — The storey white-brick building has housed the vast majority of the local government's offices since its completion in Standing at the summit of the town, the tower stands over feet 61 m high. The Oldham Parish Church of St. Mary with St. Peter , in its present form, dates from and was designed in the Gothic Revival Style by Richard Lane, a Manchester-based architect.

It was linked with the church of St Mary the Virgin, Prestwich and together the sites were principal churches of the ancient ecclesiastical parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham. A church building had existed on the site since During this time, a small chapel stood on the site to serve the local townships of Oldham, Chadderton, Royton and Crompton. The company produces eight shows a year on its main stage, offering a balanced programme of drama, comedy, musical, and new writing.

Gallery Oldham provides a wide range of exhibitions and activities targeted at different audiences of all ages. Old Town Hall and Parliament Square. Come and sit by the fire and enjoy a pint, indulge in our tasting menu in the Dining Room or savour the delights of our Brasserie. And when your evening comes to an end, head up to one of our boutique bedrooms to relax and rest your head for the night. Saddleworth Museum is a small community museum located in the heart of Saddleworth. Situated in one of the out buildings of a nineteenth century Victorian Mill the only part of the mill to survive , it stands in an historic and beautiful location beside the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in the village of Uppermill.

Discover more at www. Search for Things To Do. Area Oldham. The gallery also houses the Tourist Information Centre and Library.

Recently fully restored to its former glory, the canal is perfect for quiet leisurely walks or even a ride on a narrow boat. From the Roman invasion and fort at Castleshaw to the industrial revolution; discover the long, rich history of Saddleworth.

The mock-up of the 18th century cottage rooms will fascinate, and the classic vehicles exhibit features an impressive collection of motorcycles. The art gallery showcases works by local artists and frequently changes. Famed for its diverse selection of productions and traditional theatre appeal, the Oldham Coliseum is well and truly in the spotlight.

The theatre stages a wide range of shows, from productions of well-loved classics and dramas to the essential pantomime fun. Modelled after a similar structure found in Athens, Greece, the distinctive building was constructed in and is actually one of the last purpose-built town halls in the country.

Now, you can find an Odeon cinema, a Costa Coffee and various other outlets on site. A monument to those brave Oldham souls who lost their lives in the violence of the First World War, the bronze statue atop a carved block of granite depicts soldiers heading over the tops of the trenches into battle.

It was commissioned in , once the First World War had ended, and much was made of the final location of the monument — some campaigned for the centre of Oldham town, others for the nearby Alexandra Park. While the monument itself stands as the tribute, the names of the Oldham soldiers who lost their lives can be found on plaques surrounding the church. Originally a memorial for the First World War exclusively, it was updated many years later to honour the men and women of the Second World War, too.

Engineering As you can imagine, the growing cotton trade in Oldham brought with it great opportunity in the manufacture and sales of cotton spinning and weaving technology.

Suffragette Movement As well as several other notable social movements with links to the area, the rise of the Suffragette movement can find roots in Oldham in the form of Annie Kenney.