This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 62.64.160.249 (talk) at 23:15, 9 August 2004. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 23:15, 9 August 2004 by 62.64.160.249 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Oldham is a town in North West England, on the north-eastern edge of the Greater Manchester conurbation. Traditionally part of Lancashire, it began as a mill town, and is most recently well-known for inter-racial problems. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham.
Oldham is set to become the largest town in the United Kingdom not to have a railway station, with the extension of the Metrolink set to replace all rail links in the town.
Oldham's existence can be traced back to the 11th century, it was the Industrial Revolution - and cotton in particular - that laid the foundations for the town's prosperity. By the end of the 19th century Oldham was recognised near and far as nothing less than the greatest cotton spinning town in the world.
The town is home to football team, Oldham Athletic and a cricket club, simply known as Oldham Cricket Club.
Oldham was the birthplace of the composer William Walton.
The world's first test tube baby, Louise Joy Brown, was born in Oldham General Hospital on 25 July 1978.
From its earliest days as an industrial centre, Oldham has had more than its share of people who have gained national prominence - initially for their political views mainly as a result of the many workers' associations and unions that sprang up with industrialisation.
Amongst the most famous of these were radical reformers John Fielden and William Cobbett, both of whom were elected by Oldham after the passing of the 1831 Reform Act, and suffragette Annie Kenney.
In the past century Oldham has continued its tradition of attracting outstanding personalities ahead of the rest of the country by giving Winston Churchill his first parliamentary seat. Churchill's inaugural address was made from the steps of Oldham Town Hall in 1900.
But not all of Oldham's great and good have had such gravitas - certainly not Lancashire comedy legend Uncle Piehead, who came from the town and was in a long tradition of Oldham comics, thespians and broadcasters that have included Eric Sykes, Dora Bryan, Bernard Cribbins, Cannon and Ball, Syd Little (of Little and Large), Philip Schofield, Anne Kirkbride and various members of television's Coronation Street cast.
Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, was born in Oldham in 1978 thanks to the pioneering method of invitro-fertilisation developed by Mr Patrick Steptoe and Professor Robert Edwards. The Wrigley family, of chewing gum fame, hail from Dobcross.
Amongst sporting personalities with an Oldham connection are Michael Atherton, David Platt, Paul Scholes and Andy Ritchie, now manager of Oldham Athletic. If artists and performers are a measure of a town's status, then Oldham's reputation is assured. In addition to opera diva Dame Eva Turner and artist Helen Bradley, the most famous of all the town's musical sons is Sir William Walton, whose works are still regularly performed throughout the world and remembered by the annual Oldham Walton Festival as well as the stained glass roof of The Spindles Shopping Centre in the heart of Oldham. The stained glass roof is the creation of renowned artist Brian Clarke, himself Oldham born.
More contemporary performers from Oldham include musician Wayne Marshall, Mark Owen (of Take That fame), The Inspiral Carpets, N-Trance and (for those with memories of the sixties) Barclay James Harvest. Elephant Stone and Love Will Tear Us Apart, arguably two of the best records ever to come out of Manchester, were recorded in Oldham.