HISTORY lovers and people interested in one of Oldham’s most captivating historic sites can now take a step into the past. George Street Chapel is…
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Tag: History
Gap years – Great War military hospitals in Saddleworth remembered
THE Great War of 1914-1918 became a reality to those back home when thousands of wounded soldiers returned from the conflict, writes Peter Fox. The…
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History: Saddleworth by Motor Car
by Peter Fox THE AGE of the motor car is very firmly with us and for better or for worse they are as important to…
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Tracing the tracks: The hidden railway history beneath Saddleworth’s popular path
THERE are many people walking, cycling or riding who will be unaware of the origins of the linear footpath that runs through Uppermill to Greenfield…
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Uppermill: a brief history
By John Kirkbride The old days DID you know that Uppermill viaduct has 23 semi-circular arches with rusticated voussoirs and is supported on a rectangular…
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Grotton: a brief history (featuring a tunnel, a big pub and a lido)
By John Kirkbride The old days LIKE the rest of Saddleworth, Grotton was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1972 when the Government…
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What’s on at Saddleworth Museum in June
SADDLEWORTH Museum and Gallery in Uppermill is gearing up for an exciting month of June with a range of events, exhibitions, and galleries that promise…
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Iconic Saddleworth monument reaches 100
FOR MANY people it is the very first sign of entering Saddleworth. For miles around, the Pots and Pans cenotaph towers over the valleys and…
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Platt’s my boy! Museum home for famous Dobcross villager
A PORTRAIT to honour a famous son of Dobcross now has pride of place in Saddleworth Museum. John Platt was the MP for and Mayor…
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Celebrating 75 years of home at Housing Units
HOME is certainly where the heart is for department store Housing Units as it celebrates 75 years. From beginnings in 1947 as a humble builders-merchants,…
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Sign of the times… Improvement boosts for village
A NEW sign chronicling the history of Diggle has been erected as part of improvements to enhance the area for locals and visitors. The previous…
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Those hazy, lazy, crazy days of Summershade! When Grasscroft was visitor destination
SADDLEWORTH has in the past provided many attractions to bring visitors to the area but sadly all have gone, writes Peter Fox. One of these…
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Saddleworth past meets Saddleworth present in new book
A NEW book comparing Saddleworth’s past with its present-day incarnation has been released in time for Christmas. This photographic volume has been compiled with attention…
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Hill top cross memorial to MP shooting tragedy
MANY people will have visited Chew Valley, Greenfield and seen on the horizon a solitary cross. Plenty also will have walked up to the skyline…
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Autumn in Saddleworth by John Kirkbride
JOHN Kirkbride looks at Saddleworth in autumn and some of the things we can enjoy over this colourful season. Despite government attempts to create the…
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History uncovered on Uppermill ghost walk
ENJOY a spooky wander around Uppermill this Halloween as Hard Graft theatre company returns with its ghost walk. For one night only, find out about…
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Saddleworth Rushcart Festival by John Kirkbride
John Kirkbride reminds us of what we’ve got to look forward to in 2022 when Saddleworth’s famous Rushcart event is due to return I CAN’T…
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Discover borough’s past with Oldham Histories Festival
FIND out more about the people, places, buildings and stories in the borough during the Oldham Histories Festival and heritage open days. From talks to…
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A brief history of Delph by John Kirkbride
John Kirkbride writes a brief history of Delph village for The Saddleworth independent The old days NESTLED in the Castleshaw Valley straddling the River Tame…
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Greenfield mill tragedy fireman to be honoured with a red plaque?
A FIREMAN killed tackling a major blaze at a Saddleworth mill could be honoured 66 years after he lost his life. Wilfred Nelson, a 41-year-old…
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Life lived to the full – Peter Bryant remembered
WHEN David Clark says of his godfather Peter Bryant he “lived a full life” he isn’t wrong. There’s little the Saddleworth businessman, entrepreneur, inventor, arts…
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Spring in Saddleworth by John Kirkbride
John Kirkbride takes a look at what spring might bring in Saddleworth this year TO me, spring is a time of regeneration and optimism, and…
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They took the plunge: Saddleworth’s history of open water swimming
THE Independent’s exclusive story in our January 2021 paper revealing the aims of outdoor swimming enthusiasts Katy Boulton and Erica Ryan to open Saddleworth’s first…
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Shuttle service! Dobcross Looms have place in the sun with weaver Paul
A RELIC from Saddleworth’s textile manufacturing past is still weaving high quality cloth more than a century after it was built in Diggle. A 115-year-old…
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Seven decades not out: Mike Dunkerley celebrates cricket career
NOTHING appeared extraordinary when Mike Dunkerley recently turned out to play for Greenfield Cricket Club’s newly formed fourth team against Whalley Range. Grasscroft-based Mike, however,…
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Heritage history passes test of time for honoured pupils
A SPRINGHEAD school is one of only eight across the country to receive a coveted Historic England heritage award. Knowsley Junior School is celebrating the…
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Station to station – A brief (and slightly irreverent) history of Delph Station
By John Kirkbride IN the mid-1960s when my family and I first moved to Saddleworth (or in my mother’s case back to Saddleworth), I remember…
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Day the Donkey carried its last passengers
CHERRY Pink and Apple Blossom White went to number one in the charts and Chelsea topped the old Football League first division. But rail enthusiasts…
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Community-spirited volunteers invited to be Friends of Saddleworth Museum
COMMUNITY-SPIRITED volunteers are invited to become ‘Friends of Saddleworth Museum’ and help the organisation continue to flourish. The museum, on Uppermill High Street, has something…
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Mark is top of the class with British Education Award
A GREENFIELD student is top of the class after winning a prestigious British Education Award. Mark Barrow, who graduated from Bangor University in 2018, won…
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Take a leaf out of Saddleworth Museum’s Book of Days
WHY not get involved in a community art and heritage project to help creatively conserve traditions and celebrations past, present and future? Saddleworth Museum is…
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Return of the Stone Age: Historic boundary marker to be replaced
A PIECE of Saddleworth’s past has been preserved for posterity, allaying fears over possible damage or destruction to a “weathered stone slab.” Earlier this year,…
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Saddleworth Museum to remember end of WW1 with special wartime crafts
“Outstanding” Oldham archives saved for future public use
An “outstanding” historic trove of documents, newspaper clippings and images has been saved and will be accessible for public use at the new Oldham Heritage…
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