Borough of Oldham: Mill Chimneys on the Pennine Edge
Oldham clings to the western slopes of the Pennines at an altitude that makes it one of the highest towns in England. On a wet Tuesday in February, this is apparent. The cotton mills that once made Oldham the most productive cotton spinning town in the world — it had more spindles than France and Germany combined at the industry's peak — stand as converted apartments, business parks, or empty shells depending on the economics of their particular postcode.
The town has a large South Asian community, primarily of Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage, which shapes its cultural life, food scene, and the textile businesses that continue in a different form from the original mills. Tommyfield Market in the town centre competes with the Asian shops along Union Street and Yorkshire Street for daily trade. Oldham Athletic, the football club, has bounced between divisions for decades — the 2022 relegation from the Football League was a low point.
East of the town, the borough takes in Saddleworth — a collection of villages (Uppermill, Greenfield, Delph, Dobcross, Diggle) that historically sat in the West Riding of Yorkshire before local government reorganisation placed them in Greater Manchester. Saddleworth residents still largely consider themselves Yorkshire folk and enter the Yorkshire sections of competitions. The Saddleworth Whit Friday brass band contests, held across multiple villages on a single evening in late May, draw bands from across the country to play in contests judged on village streets.
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Oldham clings to the western slopes of the Pennines at an altitude that makes it one of the highest towns in England. On a wet Tuesday in February, this is apparent. The cotton mills that once made Oldham the most productive cotton spinning town in the world — it had more spindles than France and Germany combined at the industry's peak — stand as converted apartments, business parks, or empty shells depending on the economics of their particular postcode.
The town has a large South Asian community, primarily of Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage, which shapes its cultural life, food scene, and the textile businesses that continue in a different form from the original mills. Tommyfield Market in the town centre competes with the Asian shops along Union Street and Yorkshire Street for daily trade. Oldham Athletic, the football club, has bounced between divisions for decades — the 2022 relegation from the Football League was a low point.
East of the town, the borough takes in Saddleworth — a collection of villages (Uppermill, Greenfield, Delph, Dobcross, Diggle) that historically sat in the West Riding of Yorkshire before local government reorganisation placed them in Greater Manchester. Saddleworth residents still largely consider themselves Yorkshire folk and enter the Yorkshire sections of competitions. The Saddleworth Whit Friday brass band contests, held across multiple villages on a single evening in late May, draw bands from across the country to play in contests judged on village streets.
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