Garden Suburb is an area of

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, England, 1.9 miles to the south of the town centre, contiguous with Hollins,

Copster Hill Copster Hill is a locality in the town of Oldham in Greater Manchester, lying 1.6 miles to the south of Oldham town centre. Archaically a hamlet and private estate set in open moorland and farmland along Hollins Road, the 19th-century growth of ...

, Hollinwood and

Limeside Limeside is a large housing estate in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, 2 miles south of the town centre in the Hollinwood ward, contiguous with Failsworth, Hollins and Garden Suburb. Daisy Nook countryside park lies to the south. Whiteba ...

History

Prior to 1880, the area now built upon by the Garden Suburb and an adjoining area known as Hollins Green lying under Copster Hill (now part of Copster Park) lay in Chadderton (Detached), which, as its name implies, was a detached area or exclave 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. The ...

township. Boundary changes from 1880 saw the area absorbed into the town of Oldham. On 7 August 1909 the Garden Suburb, off Hollins Road, was officially opened with the first gala ceremony. The Suburbs, as they are known, grew out of the garden suburb movement of the south. The oasis of winding streets with a deliberate country lane feel, gardens, trees, and verges, was intended as an alternative to terrace houses. Garden Suburb was the idea of

Mary Higgs Mary Ann Higgs Order of the British Empire, OBE, born Mary Ann Kingsland (1854–1937) was a British writer and social reformer who was associated with the town of Oldham and housing for women. Her works include Garden Suburb, Oldham, Oldham's G ...

, founder of the Beautiful Oldham Society. She was impressed by

Hampstead Garden Suburb Hampstead Garden Suburb is a suburb of London, north of Hampstead, west of Highgate and east of Golders Green. It is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations. It is an example of early twentieth-century ...

in London. The first woman Oldham councillor, Dame Sarah Lees, sold land near Hollins cheaply, A co-operative limited company was formed to build 700 houses with affordable rents. By 1914, only 183 houses were let, but the initiative led to the creation of 400 homes being sold rather than rented. They were described as light and airy, well built, of artistic appearance, with a kitchen and good range, and a pantry.

Werneth Golf Club

Founded in 1909, this once semi-moorland course has several tree-lined fairways and many bunkers. The course is set in 62 acres making it one of the smallest 18 hole courses in the North West. The club house is on Green Lane.

Transport

Bee Network The Bee Network is an integrated transport network for Greater Manchester, comprising bus, tram, cycling and walking routes. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is expected to have commuter rail services joining the network in 2028. Initial ...

provides the following bus services along Hollins Road: 84 to

Grotton Grotton is a residential area in Saddleworth, a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Located along the A669 road, it forms a continuous urban area with Austerlands and Springhead, which in turn ...

via Oldham with some services extended to Uppermill 184 to

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees 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 confl ...

via Oldham and

Uppermill Uppermill is a village in the civil parish of Saddleworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies on the River Tame in a valley amongst the South Pennines with t ...

and to

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

via Failsworth. 76 to Oldham and to Manchester via Limeside and

Newton Heath Newton Heath is an area of Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and with a population of 9,883. Historically part of Lancashire, Newton was formerly a farming area, but adopted the factory system following the Industrial ...

References

{{Areas of Oldham Chadderton Areas of Oldham