Springhead is a suburban area in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parishes in England, civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and Hamlet (place), hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the Saddleworth Moor, west ...

in the

Metropolitan Borough of Oldham The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It is named after its largest town, Oldham. The borough had a population of in , making it the sixth-largest district by population in Greater Manch ...

, in

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.

Description

Situated near the eastern edge of the Greater Manchester Urban Area, Springhead is contiguous with the village of Lees, and with the

Austerlands Austerlands is a suburban area of Saddleworth, a civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It occupies a hillside amongst the Pennines, between the villages of Lees and Scouthead. It is traversed b ...

Scouthead Scouthead is a village in the civil parish of Saddleworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is traversed by the A62 road, and occupies a hillside amongst the Pennines. Historically a part of the West Ri ...

and

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 ...

areas of Saddleworth. It was named after Springhead House, an historical dwelling which had a freshwater spring in its grounds. It is historically part of the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...

. The main hub is the Post Office. There is also a community centre. Springhead Infant and Nursery School and Knowsley Junior School serve the area. The football club (Springhead A.F.C.) play in the

Manchester Football League The Manchester Football League is a association football, football league in England, affiliated with Manchester Football Association, Manchester FA, covering a 30-mile radius from Manchester Town Hall. It was formed in 1893, although play ceased ...

, and the cricket club, Springhead CCC, in the Greater Manchester Cricket League. In March 2022, a petition was submitted to the parish council to construct 158 homes on the former Springhead Quarry, now a protected site for conservation. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Springhead and the neighbouring village of

Grasscroft Grasscroft is a village in the civil parish of Saddleworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The village has had two notable residents - former Manche ...

had some of the highest infection rates in Greater Manchester.

History

In 1894 Springhead became a

, being from the part of Saddleworth in Quickmere Middle Division Urban District, in 1895 it became part of Saddleworth Urban District, on 1 April 1937 the parish was abolished and merged with Saddleworth. In 1931 the parish had a population of 4834.

Transport

Springhead's bus services are operated by

Stagecoach Manchester Stagecoach ManchesterCompanies House extract company no 2818654

and Diamond North West. The Grotton and Springhead railway station - nicknamed the ' Delph Donkey' due to the previous route of the passenger service ending at

Delph Delph (Old English ''(ge)delf'' a quarry) is a village in the civil parish of Saddleworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies amongst the Pennines o ...

- once served the village. Passenger service was withdrawn in 1955, and the line closed in 1963. The track has been lifted since and replaced with a bridle path which follows alongside a large length of the original railway.

Culture

In the Higher Springhead area, there is a longstanding tradition of the mayor leading the town's brass band contest on

Whit Friday Whit Friday, meaning "white Friday", is the name given to the first Friday after Pentecost or Whitsun (White Sunday). The day has a cultural significance in North West England, as the date on which the annual Whit Walks are traditionally held ...

, wearing a ceremonial clog iron suspended on a lavatory chain and adorned with barrel-shaped dog tags engraved with the names of previous mayors. The tradition dates back to the late 1940s in the village of

Notable people

Judith Barker Judith Barker (born 22 June 1943) is an English actress, best known for her role as the upwardly mobile homewrecker Janet Reid in ''Coronation Street'', which she played from 1969 to 1977. Since her departure from ''Coronation Street'', Barker ...

(born 1943) — television actress * Herman Hilton (1894–1947) — rugby league footballer *

Annie Kenney Ann "Annie" Kenney (13 September 1879 – 9 July 1953) was an English working-class suffragette and socialist feminist who became a leading figure in the Women's Social and Political Union. She co-founded its first branch in London with Minnie ...

(1879–1953) — English working-class

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

* Thomas Steele (1891–1978) — recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

Description

History

Transport

Culture

Notable people

References

See also