Saddleworth

This article is about the civil parish in England. For the town in Australia, see Saddleworth, South Australia. For the large moorland wildfire, see 2018 United Kingdom wildfires § Saddleworth Moor Fire.

Saddleworth
The Obelisk on Alderman's Hill overlooking Greenfield towards Oldham
Saddleworth shown within Greater Manchester
Area29.4 sq mi (76 km2)
Population30,755 (2011 Census)
• Density828/sq mi (320/km2)
OS grid referenceSD995061
• London161 mi (259 km) SSE
Civil parish
  • Saddleworth [1]
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townOLDHAM
Postcode districtOL3, OL4
Dialling code01457, 0161
PoliceGreater Manchester
FireGreater Manchester
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
WebsiteSaddleworth Parish Council
List of places
UK
England
Greater Manchester

53°33′N 2°00′W / 53.55°N 2°W / 53.55; -2

Map

Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England.[2][3] It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills.

Areas include Austerlands, Delph, Denshaw, Diggle, Dobcross, Friezland, Grasscroft, Greenfield, Grotton, Lydgate, Scouthead, Springhead and Uppermill.[4]

Saddleworth lies east of Oldham and 11 miles (17.7 km) northeast of Manchester. It is broadly rural and had a population of 25,460 at the 2011 Census,[5][6] making it one of the larger civil parishes in the United Kingdom.

Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire and following the Industrial Revolution, in the 18th and 19th centuries, Saddleworth became a centre for cotton spinning and weaving. By the end of Queen Victoria's reign, mechanised textile production had become a vital part of the local economy. The Royal George Mill, owned by the Whitehead family, manufactured felt used for pianofortes, billiard tables and flags.

Following the Great Depression Saddleworth's textile sector declined. Much of Saddleworth's architecture and infrastructure dates from its textile processing days however, notably the Saddleworth Viaduct and several cottages and terraces, many built by the local mill owners.

For centuries Saddleworth was linked, ecclesiastically, with the parish of Rochdale and was long talked of as the part of Yorkshire where Lancastrians lived.[7] The former Saddleworth Urban District was the only part of the West Riding to have been amalgamated into Greater Manchester in 1974.[2] However, strong cultural links with Yorkshire remain amongst its communities.[3][8] There are several brass bands in the parish.

  1. ^ "Welcome to Saddleworth Parish Council". Saddleworthparishcouncil.org.uk. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Greater Manchester Gazetteer". Greater Manchester County Record Office. Places names – S. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2007.
  3. ^ a b Dyckhoff, Tom (9 December 2011). "Let's move to: Saddleworth, Greater Manchester". The Guardian. London.
  4. ^ Saddleworth Parish Council. "Reference Map of Saddleworth". Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  5. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2001 census was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Hardy, Clive (2000). Greater Manchester: Photographic Memories. Francis Frith Collection. p. 60. ISBN 1-85937-108-6. Though within the parish of Rochdale, Saddleworth lay within the extreme south-west of the West Riding of Yorkshire and was long talked of as the part of Yorkshire where Lancastrians lived
  8. ^ Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (2002). "Borough Profile: Oldham". Retrieved 5 April 2007. [dead link]