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Oldham / United Kingdom

Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, 5.3 miles southeast of Rochdale and 6.9 miles northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, which had a population of 230,800 in 2015. Historically in Lancashire, and with little early history to speak of, Oldham rose to prominence in the 19th century as an international centre of textile manufacture. It was a boomtown of the Industrial Revolution, and among the first ever industrialised towns, rapidly becoming "one of the most important centres of cotton and textile industries in England". At its zenith, it was the most productive cotton spinning mill town in the world, producing more cotton than France and Germany combined. Oldham's textile industry fell into decline in the mid-20th century; the town's last mill closed in 1998. The demise of textile processing in Oldham depressed and heavily affected the local economy. Today Oldham is a predominantly residential town, and the improvement of the town centre is the focus of a project for transforming Oldham into a centre for further education and the performing arts. It is, however, still distinguished architecturally by the surviving cotton mills and other buildings associated with that industry. As of 2001, the town had a population of 103,544 and an area of around 26 square miles .

Gallery Oldham

Oldham / United Kingdom

Gallery Oldham is a free-to-view public art gallery in the Cultural Quarter of central Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England.

Saddleworth Museum

Oldham / United Kingdom

Saddleworth Museum is an independent museum in Uppermill village, Saddleworth, Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It is a registered charity and was accredited by the MLA. The museum opened in 1962 and is housed in the outbuildings of the Victoria Mill, a 19th-century mill building which stood beside the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Its collections show the history of Saddleworth, which until 1974 local government reorganisation was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. In September 2015 the museum closed for repair and remedial work to be undertaken and there was a temporary cabin in place while work on the building continued. the museum re-opened a year later in September 2016 after a £1.25 million refurbishment.