Mills Hill

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Old Cock Inn, Middleton, close to Mills Hill The Old Cock, Middleton.jpg
Old Cock Inn, Middleton, close to Mills Hill
Mills Hill
Greater Manchester UK location map 2.svg
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Mills Hill
Location within Greater Manchester
OS grid reference SD 88847 06031
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town OLDHAM
Postcode district OL1, OL9
Post townMANCHESTER
Postcode district M24
Dialling code 0161
Police Greater Manchester
Fire Greater Manchester
Ambulance North West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Greater Manchester
53°33′03″N2°10′11″W / 53.550788°N 2.1698011°W / 53.550788; -2.1698011
Mills Hill Railway Bridge Mills Hill - geograph.org.uk - 1700929.jpg
Mills Hill Railway Bridge
The Rose Of Lancaster, first licensed in 1803 The Rose of Lancaster - geograph.org.uk - 1700969.jpg
The Rose Of Lancaster, first licensed in 1803
Terraced houses on Mills Hill Road 76 to 68 Mills Hill Road, Chadderton (geograph 2537193).jpg
Terraced houses on Mills Hill Road
Rochdale Canal at Middleton Road, Mills Hill Rochdale Canal at Middleton Road, Chadderton.jpg
Rochdale Canal at Middleton Road, Mills Hill

Mills Hill is an industrial and residential area that lies on the common border of Middleton and Chadderton in Greater Manchester, England. It lies 1.3 miles east of Middleton town centre and 1.4 miles to the west of central Chadderton. It is contiguous with Middleton Junction, Moorclose, Firwood Park and Chadderton Park. Mills Hill lies along the course of the Rochdale Canal and the River Irk.

Contents

History

Until the mid-1800s, the area surrounding Mills Hill was mainly farmland with very few dwellings, now dissected by the Rochdale Canal, which opened in 1804, and the Caldervale Line railway, which opened in 1839. The Middleton to Oldham turnpike road (A669) was constructed and passed through Mills Hill around 1810. The Rose of Lancaster public house on Haigh Lane opened at the new canal during this period. An inn sign was first recorded in 1803. [1] [2] [3]

There had long been a cottage industry of handloom weaving in these parts. The damp climate due to the proximity of the Pennine hills is ideal for spinning and weaving as it gives strength and stability to the thread.

There was a fulling mill called Walk Mill by the canal – fulling was a finishing process for the woollen cloth. Silk weaving flourished in the area too. Walk Mill was also the site of one of the areas oldest public houses, the Duke of Bridgewater, first licensed in 1842. The pub closed on 5 April 1956. [1] [2] [4]

The Rochdale Canal in this area features three structures given a grade II listed building status. The Scowcroft Lane bridge was listed in 1987 and dates to the period the canal was constructed, as does the nearby stone built Coneygreen Lock. A short distance along the canal is a disused skew bridge consisting of cast iron beams with wrought iron beams added later. It is known locally as the 'Iron Donger' and dates from 1863. [5] See Listed buildings in Chadderton.

The current railway bridge at Mills Hill dates from 1934, replacing an older bridge dating to 1839. The new bridge allowed for double deck trams and buses to operate from Middleton to Chadderton for the first time. [6]

Middleton flood

On 11 July 1927 major flooding took place in Middleton when the Rochdale Canal burst its banks at an aqueduct in the Mills Hill area following a period of heavy rainfall, sending millions of gallons of water crashing down into the River Irk below. This resulted in three fatalities and widespread damage downstream in Middleton.

History repeated itself on St George's day in 2005 when a bank breached, near Lock 64, sending thousands of gallons of water surging down into the River Irk. The breach caused severe damage including a 60–80-foot-wide crater around the canal bed. The burst happened on the side of the canal facing away from town, so Middleton was saved from widespread flooding. [7] [8]

Governance

Mills Hill lies on the common border of Middleton and Chadderton and because of this lies on the outskirts of both towns. The area is historically divided at local authority level. There are no strong allegiances to either town and this gave rise, particularly in the days before public road transport, to a strong sense of community independence. [9]

Until 1894, the western part of Mills Hill lay in the historic township of Tonge, after which the township was abolished and incorporated into the Municipal Borough of Middleton. Since 1974, Middleton has formed a part of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale.

The rest of Mills Hill lay within Chadderton Urban District until its abolition in 1974. Chadderton now forms a part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham.

In 1933, there were exchanges of land in the Mills Hill area between the Chadderton Urban District and the Municipal Borough of Middleton. To the north of Mills Hill, 78 acres to the west of the railway, and north of the River Irk, including Scowcroft Farm, was transferred into Middleton. A smaller area consisting of 9 acres between Mills Hill Road and the Rochdale Canal was transferred to Chadderton. [10] [11]

Religion and education

Mills Hill Baptist Church and Sunday School was founded in 1845, the current church building being on Mills Hill Road. [12] [13] The church initially used a room formerly a barn behind Mills Hill House for worship and Sunday school work. A new building was erected on land next to Mills Hill House in 1849.

Chadderton School Board took over the running of the school in 1894, leasing the building from the trustees of the church, and a new school building was opened in 1902. The Infant Department was separated from the Mixed Department in June 1905, and the Infants and Mixed Departments were amalgamated on 1 December 1922.

The Day School was closed in 1939 and the children transferred to Mills Hills Primary school on Baytree Avenue. [14] The school still serves the area. [15]

Cotton

Scowcroft Lane Bridge Scowcroft Lane Bridge.jpg
Scowcroft Lane Bridge

The cotton boom in the mid-19th century saw a substantial mill district grow in the area of Mills Hill Road and the Rochdale Canal. The Boundary Mill, built in 1860, stood at right angles to the road where the Waterford Dairy (ex Co-op) now stands (it was demolished in the early 1930s). Next to the Boundary Mill site is the Malta Mill built in 1905, which ceased production in 1963 and now stands empty.

The Laurel Mill further down, was built in 1905, and ceased production two years after Courtaulds bought it in 1964. During the war it was annexed by A. V. Roe for aircraft parts manufacture. The Baytree Mill, next to it, was a fine spinning mill until 1959. These two mills with their massive floor areas were used for other trades, storage and distribution until quite recently. [1] [16]

Transport

First Greater Manchester provide the following bus services:

Rosso provides service 412 to Middleton and to Oldham via Royton.

Stotts Tours (Oldham) operate service 396 to Middleton and to Ashton-under-Lyne via Chadderton, Werneth and Bardsley. [17] [18]

Mills Hill railway station offers train services to Manchester and beyond.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chadderton</span> Town in Greater Manchester

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, 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Oldham, 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Rochdale and 6 miles (9.7 km) north-east of Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochdale</span> Town in Greater Manchester, England

Rochdale is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the 2021 census the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wider borough. Rochdale is in the foothills of the South Pennines and lies in the dale (valley) of the River Roch, 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Oldham, and 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleton, Greater Manchester</span> Town in Greater Manchester, England

Middleton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, on the River Irk. It is 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Rochdale and 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast of Manchester. Middleton had a population of 42,972 at the 2011 Census. It lies on the northern edge of Manchester, with Blackley to the south and Moston to the south east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollinwood, Greater Manchester</span> Human settlement in England

Hollinwood is an area and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The population at the 2011 census was 10,920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleton bus station</span> Bus station in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England

Middleton bus station is a bus station located in the town of Middleton in Greater Manchester. The bus station is found next to the Middleton Shopping Centre on the site of the old bus station. The new bus station was opened on 31 July 2005 and is run by TfGM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent Mill, Chadderton</span> Cotton spinning mill in England

Kent Mill, Chadderton was a cotton spinning mill in Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1908 for the Kent Mill Co. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in 1938 and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production finished in 1991 and it was demolished in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurel Mill, Middleton Junction</span> Former cotton mill in Manchester, England

Laurel Mill was a cotton spinning mill in the Mills Hill/Middleton Junction area of Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junction Mill, Middleton Junction</span> Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Junction Mill, Middleton Junction is a cotton spinning mill at Middleton junction, Chadderton in Greater Manchester alongside the Rochdale Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowhill, Greater Manchester</span> Human settlement in England

Cowhill is a locality of Chadderton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freehold, Greater Manchester</span> Human settlement in England

Freehold is an urban area of Werneth in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It occupies an area in the west of Werneth along the Oldham township boundary with Chadderton. It is contiguous on all sides with other urban areas, including parts of Werneth to the north and east, and Cowhill, Block Lane, and Butler Green/Washbrook in Chadderton.

Busk is a locality and archaically a hamlet in the town of Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It is located to the east of Chadderton town centre, on the town's eastern border with Oldham, contiguous with the Westwood area of that town.

Whitegate is an industrial and residential district of the town of Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butler Green</span> Human settlement in England

Butler Green is a residential area in the town of Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester. The area is also commonly known as Washbrook.

Block Lane is a locality in the town of Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester. It is located on Chadderton's eastern border with Oldham, contiguous with the Freehold area of that town, and with Cowhill and Butler Green.

Chadderton Park is a suburban area of Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester.

Firwood Park is a suburban area of Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester. It is located a little over one mile to the west of Chadderton's commercial centre on Middleton Road and is contiguous with the Mills Hill, Chadderton Park and Middleton Junction areas of the town. A development of 749 houses, Firwood Park was built in 1990 on a vast tract of land, which at one time was claimed to be the largest private residential development in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonge, Middleton</span> Human settlement in England

Tonge is a residential and industrial area of Middleton in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester. It lies on the east side of Middleton between the town centre and its border with Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleton Junction</span> Human settlement in England

Middleton Junction is an industrial and residential district lying on the common border of Middleton in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale and Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nordens</span> Human settlement in England

Nordens is a suburban area of Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester.

Chadderton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England and it is unparished. It contains 19 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The area was rural until the coming of the Industrial Revolution, silk weaving arrived in the 18th century, and in the 19th and 20th centuries large cotton mills were built. The Rochdale Canal runs through the town, and two structures associated with it are listed, a bridge and a lock. The oldest listed buildings are farmhouses and a country house. The later buildings reflect the growing wealth of the town, and include cotton mills, churches, civic buildings, and a war memorial.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lees, Joan. "Yesterday, Today and Forever" (PDF). Mills Hill Baptist Church.
  2. 1 2 Lawson, Michael; Johnson, Mark (1997), Images of England: Chadderton, Tempus, ISBN   0-7524-0714-7
  3. P.51 Chadderton Pubs And Their Licencees 1750–1999, Magee Rob (1986) ISBN   978-1-85216-134-7
  4. P.16 C6hadderton Pubs And Their Licencees 1750–1999, Magee Rob (1986) ISBN   978-1-85216-134-7
  5. "Rochdale Canal Scowcroft Lane Bridge, North Middleton, Oldham". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  6. P39 - Lawson, Michael; Johnson, Mark (1990), Looking Back at Chadderton, Oldham Leisure Services, ISBN   0-902809-23-7
  7. "Middleton Flood". vmims.com. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  8. "Canal closed but flood fears are averted". Manchester Evening News. 21 May 2005. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  9. "Mills Hills Church History, Retrieved 5 November 2016" (PDF). MillsHillBaptistChurch.org. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  10. "Chadderton UD through time - Census tables with data for the Local Government District". VisionOfBritain.org.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  11. P. 112 Chadderton Chapters (1972), Lawson M, ISBN   0-9502475-0-2
  12. "Mills Hill Baptist Church". MillsHillBaptistChurch.org. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  13. GENUKI. "Genuki: Mills Hill Rd Baptist, Chadderton, Lancashire". Genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  14. "Mills Hill Primary School - Home". MillsHill.Oldham.sch.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  15. Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". NationalArchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  16. "Chadderton Mills". FreeUK.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2001. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  17. "Welcome to Traveline North West". Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  18. "Rosso timetables". RossoBus.com. Retrieved 5 February 2017.