Middleton: Greater Manchester Town North of the City With a Long Textile Past
Middleton sits about five miles north of Manchester city centre, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. The population is around 45,000. The town predates its industrial history by centuries. St Leonard's Church on the hill dates to the 12th century and contains a rare medieval painted wooden ceiling known as the Flodden Window, commemorating local archers who fought at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Cotton mills drove the town's growth through the 19th century, and the Schwabe chemical works at Rhodes produced early photographic chemicals. The mills are mostly converted or demolished now, and the economy has shifted toward distribution, retail, and commuting into Manchester.
The town centre on Long Street and Market Place has an indoor market and a scattering of independent shops. Alkrington Woods and Hopwood Hall estate provide green space on the edges of town. The Metrolink tram was extended to Middleton in 2020, connecting it directly to Manchester city centre, Oldham, and Rochdale. The M62 runs just south of the town, and junction 20 of the M60 is nearby. Edgar Wood, the Arts and Crafts architect, was born in Middleton and designed several buildings in the town, including the Grade I listed First Church of Christ, Scientist on Durnford Street. For those exploring adult companionship in the north Manchester area, Middleton's Metrolink connection puts central Manchester within 25 minutes, with Rochdale and Oldham equally accessible.
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Middleton sits about five miles north of Manchester city centre, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. The population is around 45,000. The town predates its industrial history by centuries. St Leonard's Church on the hill dates to the 12th century and contains a rare medieval painted wooden ceiling known as the Flodden Window, commemorating local archers who fought at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Cotton mills drove the town's growth through the 19th century, and the Schwabe chemical works at Rhodes produced early photographic chemicals. The mills are mostly converted or demolished now, and the economy has shifted toward distribution, retail, and commuting into Manchester.
The town centre on Long Street and Market Place has an indoor market and a scattering of independent shops. Alkrington Woods and Hopwood Hall estate provide green space on the edges of town. The Metrolink tram was extended to Middleton in 2020, connecting it directly to Manchester city centre, Oldham, and Rochdale. The M62 runs just south of the town, and junction 20 of the M60 is nearby. Edgar Wood, the Arts and Crafts architect, was born in Middleton and designed several buildings in the town, including the Grade I listed First Church of Christ, Scientist on Durnford Street. For those exploring adult companionship in the north Manchester area, Middleton's Metrolink connection puts central Manchester within 25 minutes, with Rochdale and Oldham equally accessible.
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