Hollinwood is an area and
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
of the
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after its largest town, Oldham, The borough had a population of 237,628 making it the seventh-largest district by population ...
,
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
, England.
The population at the
2011 census was 10,920.
Bisected by the
A62 road A6, A 6 or A-6 can refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*A6, a mutated flu virus in the short story "Night Surf" by Stephen King
*A-6, a renamed version of the US Security Group in the 1997 comic book movie ''Spawn''
Electronics and software
* A6 rec ...
, Hollinwood is southwest of
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...
, contiguous with the towns of
Chadderton
Chadderton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, on the River Irk and Rochdale Canal. It is located in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Oldham, south of Rochdale and north-east of Manchester.
...
and
Failsworth
Failsworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and south-west of Oldham. The orbital M60 motorway skirts it to the east. The population at the 2011 census was 2 ...
, at Junction 22 of the
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, Manchester Ring Motorway or Manchester Outer Ring Road is an orbital motorway in North West England. Built over a 40-year period, it passes through most of Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bol ...
.
History
Historically
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
part of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
, Hollinwood in pre-industrial times was a moor or common on the borders of Chadderton and Oldham. The rights to the land were disputed by the townships with Chadderton claiming 8 acres, but a 1713 court settlement stipulated that Hollinwood Moor should be within Oldham. The mid to late 18th century saw Hollinwood develop into a village. Mid 19th century gazetteers described Hollinwood as 'an extensive village in the townships of Chadderton and Oldham'. In 1880 there were further exchanges of land in the Hollinwood area between Oldham Borough and Chadderton township.
James Butterworth
James Butterworth also known as Paul Bobbin (28 August 1771 – 23 November 1837) was an English author, poet, antiquarian and topographer of Manchester and the surrounding area.
Life
The youngest of 11 children, Butterworth was born on 28 Aug ...
(1826) described it as being of 66.5 Cheshire acres (approx. 140 statute acres). It was enclosed by the Oldham Enclosure Acts (42 and 43 George III; May 1802). Hollinwood's mills such as the Heron, Fox, Asia, Wharf, Richmond and Park were later built on what had been the Hollinwood Common. The Chapel Road playing fields is one of the few open spaces remaining in the district. The pitches occupy the site of a former reservoir serving a now-defunct stretch of the
Hollinwood Branch Canal
The Hollinwood Branch Canal was a canal near Hollinwood, in Oldham, England. It left the main line of the Ashton Canal at Fairfield Junction immediately above lock 18. It was just over long and went through Droylsden and Waterhouses to termi ...
.
![Roxy Cinema](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Roxy_Cinema.jpg)
Long existing as an
industrial district
Industrial district concept was initially used by Alfred Marshall to describe some aspects of the industrial organisation of nations. Industrial district (ID) is a place where workers and firms, specialised in a main industry and auxiliary indu ...
, Hollinwood is today home to the Northern Counties Housing Association, and Mirror Colour Print Ltd; the printing division of the
Trinity Mirror group, which prints and distributes thirty-six major newspapers, and employs five hundred staff.
From the late 19th century, the area was largely occupied by workers in Oldham's
cotton mill
A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning (textiles), spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system.
Althou ...
s and miners at the large collieries at Oak and Bower, and several smaller ones. Much of Hollinwood's more recent growth was due to the
Ferranti
Ferranti or Ferranti International plc was a UK electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century from 1885 until it went bankrupt in 1993. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
The firm was known ...
factory which produced power
transformer
A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...
s in its heyday. Later the factory produced
container
A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping.
Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...
lifting trucks as the building had the height to do so. The transformer works building, built after the war on the old Bower site, is now used as a newspaper printing plant. A neighbouring, much older, Ferranti factory produced
electricity meters. The meter factory was sold to
Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
in the 1980s and became known as FML; Siemens later closed the FML factory.
Hollinwood was struck by
an F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day. The tornado later moved over
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...
town centre, causing further damage.
Until its closure in 2005 Hollinwood was home to the popular Roxy Cinema. The Roxy opened on 20 December 1937 screening the film 'Fire Over England'. Seating was provided in stalls and circle levels for 1,406 and there was a cinema cafe. Saturday matinées for children were extremely popular. In 1978 the cinema was split into two screens, then in 1981 it became a three screen cinema. Further sub-division occurred to create six screens which seated:470, 130, 260, 260 320 and 96. In 1998 a seventh screen was added. In 2002 the Roxy received a £100,000 upgrade. After closure the Roxy was subsequently demolished in February 2007.
Several other cinemas existed in the Hollinwood area during the early to mid 20th century period including the La Scala and The Queens.
There was a very busy Hollinwood market, on Hollins road near to the junction with Oldham Road, one day a week for many years.
Governance
![Hollinwood, Smut Inn (geograph 2611754)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Hollinwood%2C_Smut_Inn_%28geograph_2611754%29.jpg)
Hollinwood was once a
chapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century.
Status
It had a similar status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel of ease (chapel) which was the communi ...
of the
ecclesiastical parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish priest ...
of
Prestwich-cum-Oldham
Prestwich-cum-Oldham (also known as Prestwich with Oldham) was an ancient ecclesiastical parish of the hundred of Salford, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire, England. With the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Prestwich as ...
, in the
Hundred of Salford
The Salford Hundred (also known as Salfordshire) was one of the subdivisions of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England (see:Hundred (county division). Its name alludes to its judicial centre being the township of Salford (the s ...
. The Parish Church, St. Margret of Antioch is still under the patronage of the Rector of Prestwich, though this position is currently suspended.
Until local government re-organisation in 1974, part of Hollinwood lay within the
Chadderton Urban District
Chadderton Urban District was, from 1894 to 1974, a local government district of the administrative county of Lancashire, England. It was centred on the town of Chadderton.
It was created an urban district in 1894 by the Local Government Act 18 ...
in the
administrative county
An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...
of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
. This area is now divided between the Hollinwood and South Chadderton ward districts.
As part of the town of Oldham, Hollinwood forms part of the wider
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after its largest town, Oldham, The borough had a population of 237,628 making it the seventh-largest district by population ...
. Politically, the Hollinwood ward is currently represented by the
Labour Party with three councillors.
The boundaries of the Hollinwood ward were changed in 2003 following a Boundary Commission review. The part of Hollinwood lying west of the M60 motorway now lies in Failsworth East ward while part of Oldham St Paul's ward was transferred to Hollinwood. The ward currently comprises the rest of Hollinwood and the adjoining localities of
Hollins,
Garden Suburb
The garden city movement was a 20th century urban planning movement promoting satellite communities surrounding the central city and separated with greenbelts. These Garden Cities would contain proportionate areas of residences, industry, and ...
and
Limeside
Limeside is a large housing estate in Oldham, Lancashire, England, 2 miles south of the town centre in the Hollinwood, Lancashire , Hollinwood ward, contiguous with Failsworth, Hollins, Oldham, Hollins and Garden Suburb, Oldham, Garden Suburb. Da ...
(also known as Limehurst Village).
Hollinwood is part of
the parliamentary constituency of Oldham West and Royton.
Geography
Hollinwood is included in the 5% most economically deprived wards in the United Kingdom.
The
Hollinwood Branch Canal
The Hollinwood Branch Canal was a canal near Hollinwood, in Oldham, England. It left the main line of the Ashton Canal at Fairfield Junction immediately above lock 18. It was just over long and went through Droylsden and Waterhouses to termi ...
used to pass through the district. The last vestiges of the canal in Hollinwood were destroyed by the works for the M60 motorway. Those parts of the branch canal which still exist are not in Hollinwood.
Hollinwood was changed substantially by the
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, Manchester Ring Motorway or Manchester Outer Ring Road is an orbital motorway in North West England. Built over a 40-year period, it passes through most of Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bol ...
(completed in 2000) which passes to the south of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
.
Religion
St Margaret of Antioch (Church of England)
Prior to 1760, the villagers of Hollinwood would have to travel to Oldham St Mary's for services. The emergence of a village at Hollinwood during the mid 18th century necessitated the building of a church there. The new church dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch (Church of England) was completed by 1768 and was consecrated by the Bishop of Chester on 8 July 1769. The builder was Edmund Whitehead, and an account of his work was recorded on his gravestone in the churchyard. It is said that the cost of building was only £500 and that a grant towards this was received from
Queen Anne's Bounty
Queen Anne's Bounty was a scheme established in 1704 to augment the incomes of the poorer clergy of the Church of England, and by extension the organisation ("The Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne for the Augmentation of the Maintenance of the ...
. The church was smaller than the present building and when built had no tower, the current church building dating from 1877. A tower was added in 1904. The church is a grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
Recent years has seen further restoration. Grants from
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
, the
Heritage Lottery Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
,
National Churches Trust
The National Churches Trust, formerly the Historic Churches Preservation Trust, is a British registered charity whose aim is to "promote and support church buildings of historic, architectural and community value across the UK". It carries out th ...
and others have allowed the church to complete two major restoration projects to date: phase one – restoration of the tower, and phase two – the replacement and restoration of the roofs of the north aisle, nave, transept, chancel and sacristy. Further funding for urgent roof restoration work was secured in 2017, saving the church from closure.
Other churches in Hollinwood
The late 19th century saw a number of churches established in Hollinwood, many of which have now closed including:-
The Memorial Church - It was founded before 1895 and closed in 1988. The Hollinwood Congregational Church (earlier in its history known as The Memorial Church or Chapel) was situated on the corner where Pump Street intersected with Manchester Road. The church building faced onto Manchester Road with the Sunday School building behind it taking the length of Pump Street. In view of plans for the motorway and declining numbers the church building was sold and the church united with Beulah Baptist Church where the members continue to meet and worship. The building, which had become a warehouse, has since been demolished. It was well known because of the prominence of its clock tower.
St James (Free Church of England). It was founded in 1870. The original church closed in 1972 for widening the A62 Road when they moved to Byron Street/Grammar School Road. The church closed in 2008.
Beulah (Baptist), Withins Road, founded in 1891 and still in existence.
Bethesda (Baptist), Milton Street, founded in 1895, closed at a date unknown.
Hollins Road (Baptist), circa late 19th century, date of closure unknown.
Alford Street (Welsh Congregational), it was founded before 1892. It closed in 1978.
Hudson Street (Methodist), it was founded in 1877. It closed in 1976.
Bourne Street (Methodist), it was founded in 1832 and closed in 1922.
Byron Street/Hive Street (Spiritualist), circa late 19th century, date of closure unknown
Holy Family (Roman Catholic), Roman Road, founded in 1958–present. Prior to 1958 Holy Family parish was a constituent part of the extensive parish of
Corpus Christi which included all of Hollinwood, Hollins, Limeside, parts of Werneth and much of central and south Chadderton.
Bible Mission Church, Old Lane, founded in 1896.
Salvation Army, Manchester Road. Founded: 1925 Closed: 1995
Hollins Road (Methodist), it was founded in 1894. It closed in 1960.
St John (Manchester Road, Methodist), it was founded in 1839. It closed in 1958.
Hollins (Methodist), Millgate, founded in 1840. Still open in 2015.
Transport
![Hollinwood_Tram_Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Hollinwood_Tram_Station.jpg)
Hollinwood is linked to Manchester and Oldham via the
A62 road A6, A 6 or A-6 can refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*A6, a mutated flu virus in the short story "Night Surf" by Stephen King
*A-6, a renamed version of the US Security Group in the 1997 comic book movie ''Spawn''
Electronics and software
* A6 rec ...
. The
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, Manchester Ring Motorway or Manchester Outer Ring Road is an orbital motorway in North West England. Built over a 40-year period, it passes through most of Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bol ...
links the area to
Stockport
Stockport is a town and borough in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here.
Most of the town is within ...
,
Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those n ...
and the
Trafford Centre
The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and entertainment complex in Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1998 and is third largest in the United Kingdom by retail space.
Originally developed by the Peel Group, the Trafford C ...
.
The area is served by
Hollinwood tram stop on the
Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink (branded locally simply as Metrolink) is a tram/ light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. The network has 99 stops along of standard-gauge route, making it the most extensive light rail system in the United Kin ...
line between and
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
. Services generally run every 12 minutes in each direction during the day. The area was previously served by
Hollinwood railway station, which was part of the
Oldham Loop Line
The Oldham Loop Line was a local railway route in Greater Manchester, England, used by trains that ran from Manchester Victoria to Rochdale via Oldham Mumps. Services on the line at the time of its closure were operated by Northern Rail.
The l ...
. However, the line closed in October 2009 and the converted line reopened in June 2012.
There are frequent buses running through Hollinwood between
Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England situated within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way which collectively form an inner ring road. ...
and Oldham on
First Greater Manchester's 83 overground service. There is also a frequent services running towards Manchester city centre with services 180 and 184 and to
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
/
Saddleworth
Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills.
Areas include Austerlands, Del ...
via Oldham. These were once Limited Stop (Express) services but lost this status in 2004. Other destinations which can be reached from Hollinwood on the bus are
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...
,
Chadderton
Chadderton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, on the River Irk and Rochdale Canal. It is located in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Oldham, south of Rochdale and north-east of Manchester.
...
,
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
and
Saddleworth
Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills.
Areas include Austerlands, Del ...
.
Notable people
British Olympic
freestyle swimming
Freestyle is a category of swimming competition, defined by the rules of the International Swimming Federation (FINA), in which competitors are subject to a few limited restrictions on their swimming stroke. Freestyle races are the most commo ...
champion,
Henry Taylor was born in Hollinwood.
Prolific twentieth-century hangman
Albert Pierrepoint
Albert Pierrepoint (; 30 March 1905 – 10 July 1992) was an English hangman who executed between 435 and 600 people in a 25-year career that ended in 1956. His father Henry and uncle Thomas were official hangmen before him.
Pierrepoint ...
owned a public house on Manchester Road named "Help the Poor Struggler".
This pub however was demolished when work began on the M60 motorway.
Hannah Beswick ( – 1785), from Birchin Bower in Hollinwood, had a pathological fear of
premature burial
Premature burial, also known as live burial, burial alive, or vivisepulture, means to be buried while still alive.
Animals or humans may be buried alive accidentally on the mistaken assumption that they are dead, or intentionally as a form of t ...
. Her fear was such that her will specified her body be kept aboveground, and that once a year, in the presence of two witnesses, the veil was to be lifted from her face, to look for signs of life. This eccentric will made Beswick a celebrity, and her mummified body was donated to the
Manchester Museum
Manchester Museum is a museum displaying works of archaeology, anthropology and natural history and is owned by the University of Manchester, in England. Sited on Oxford Road ( A34) at the heart of the university's group of neo-Gothic buildings, ...
and put on public display in the entrance hall, with the soubriquet ''
Manchester Mummy''.
References
{{Authority control
Areas of Oldham
Chadderton