Everything about Chadderton totally explained
Chadderton is a town within the
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in
Greater Manchester,
England. It lies at the foothills of the
Pennines, on the
Rochdale Canal and close to the
River Irk, west of
Oldham, and northeast of
Manchester. It has a total resident population of 33,001.
Historically a part of
Lancashire, Chadderton expanded rapidly during the
Industrial Revolution as a
mill town centered on
textile manufacture and
cotton spinning. Although Chadderton lost this industry during the 20th century, the legacy of its industrial past is marked by several surviving
cotton mills.
History
The name Chadderton - ancient alternatives being Chatterton and Chatherton - is derived from the
Celtic 'Cader' or 'Cater' signifying a fortified place in the hills, with the
Anglo-Saxon suffix 'tun' indicating a settlement. After the
Norman Conquest the township formed the south-eastern boundary of the Fee or Estate of Tottington, with the Barons Montbegon of
Hornby Castle, near Lancaster, and later the Barons Lacy of
Clitheroe Castle, as the great overlords.
Chadderton owes much of its history to the
Industrial Revolution, in particular to 19th century cotton spinning, which brought rapid expansion, prosperity, and economic growth.
The
Rochdale Canal passes through the western part of Chadderton.
Governance
Chadderton anciently formed part of the
hundred of Salford for civil jurisdiction. In 1507, two constables were appointed to uphold
law and order in Chadderton. In 1873, a Local Board of Health was formed to administer the growing town. From 1894 to 1974,
Chadderton Urban District was a local government district within the
administrative county of
Lancashire. Chadderton Urban District Council comprised eighteen members. For ecclesiastical purposes Chadderton was part of the of
Prestwich-cum-Oldham, within the extensive
Diocese of Lichfield. This was later divided to form the
Diocese of Chester, and eventually the
Diocese of Manchester.
During the early 20th century there were attempts to both merge with the
County Borough of Oldham, and, conversely, petition
Queen Elizabeth II to obtain separate
Borough status for Chadderton. However, neither were achieved.
Under the
Local Government Act 1972, the town's
Urban District status was abolished, and Chadderton has, since
1 April 1974, formed part of the
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, within
Greater Manchester.
Chadderton's twin town is
Geesthacht in
Schleswig Holstein,
Germany which was established in 1966 by the former
Chadderton Urban District Council.
Chadderton forms part of the
Oldham West and Royton parliamentary constituency, which returns one
Member of Parliament to the
House of Commons. In 2006, representations were made to the
Boundary Commission for England calling for the constituency name to be changed, to include the name of Chadderton. It was pointed out that Chadderton was much larger and more populous than
Royton. However the commission rejected the proposed alternative name (Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton) on the grounds that it was too long and it didn't believe that there was a significant amount of support for a name change.
Geography
Chadderton lies at the foothills of the
Pennines, around east-southeast of
Middleton, in the northeast of Greater Manchester. It is a gently undulating area, rising from above sea level in the west to in the east. Tandle Hill, above Chadderton Heights, on the hillier northern edge of the town, is its highest point at .
Chadderton is situated on the edge of the "Oldham Coalfield" and is drained by a number of streams, including the
River Irk, which is a tributary of the
River Irwell.
Divisions and suburbs
Chadderton has three
electoral wards, of which the constituents elect nine councillors to the Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council. These are
Chadderton Central,
Chadderton North and
Chadderton South.
Economy
There are two main shopping areas in Chadderton, Chadderton Mall and Elk Mill Retail Park. Chadderton Mall is located in the town centre, and Elk Mill Retail Park is situated on the boundary with nearby
Royton.
For many years, Chadderton was home to a large
BAE Systems (formerly the
Avro aircraft factory) manufacturing plant, which was a major employer within the area.
Landmarks
Chadderton Town Hall, in its present form, was the Chadderton's second
town hall and was opened in 1913.
Chadderton Hall Park occupies an area of 6.47 hectares in what were once the gardens of Chadderton Hall, built in 1620. From 1839 to 1860 the hall and grounds were used as a boarding school for young ladies and later a school for boys. At the end of the 19th century they were leased to Joseph Ball, who transformed the house and grounds into a pleasure garden, complete with a boating lake and a menagerie. The hall was demolished in 1939. The park is owned today by Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council and was opened to the public in 1956.
Foxdenton Park contains the restored Foxdenton Hall, built in 1700 on the site of an earlier hall. The park occupies an area of 5.26 hectares and was opened to the public in 1922.
Sports
Chadderton Sports Centre, which is now a gymnasium, located near Chadderton Town Hall, once provided the main swimming and gym facilities for the town.
Chadderton F.C. is a non-league football team playing in the
North West Counties Football League Division Two. Boundary Park, located partly within Chadderton and partly within neighbouring
Royton, is the home of
Oldham Athletic A.F.C..
Transport
Chadderton is accessed by the A669 road linking Middleton and Oldham, the A663, just near the centre of Chadderton, which connects drivers with the
A627(M) motorway, just outside the centre of Chadderton, which links with the
M62 motorway at Junction 20, and the
M60 motorway.
There are frequent buses running through Chadderton towards Oldham and Middleton (58, 59), and also frequent services to Manchester (24, 181, 182 plus peak time service 20).
National Express coaches also serve Chadderton with coaches stopping on Broadway, at the junction of Middleton Road, mainly used for the 060 service to Liverpool via Manchester, and to Leeds.
Other destinations with direct bus connections from the centre of Chadderton include Ashton-under-Lyne, Rochdale, Royton, and Shaw. There is no railway station in the centre of Chadderton. The
Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway branch from Middleton Junction to Werneth almost bisected the urban district, and there was a branch from this to a coal depot on Broadway, very close to Chadderton town centre, but no passenger station within Chadderton was ever provided on these lines. The nearest train stations are Mills Hill, to the west of Chadderton, where passengers can travel to Manchester, Rochdale, Halifax, Bradford and Leeds, and Oldham Werneth, to the east of Chadderton, where passengers can travel to Manchester, Oldham Mumps and Rochdale. Both stations are on the
Oldham Loop Line line and the trains that serve these stations are operated by
Northern Rail
The line from Manchester to Oldham via Werneth is planned for conversion to
Metrolink, and as part of the rebuilding, Metrolink stations are planned for South Chadderton and Freehold.
Notable people
Chadderton is the birthplace of former
England national football team player
David Platt, and acknowledged as the home of
Henry Taylor, the
British Olympic freestyle swimming triple gold medallist and champion. Taylor was a regular at Chadderton Baths.
In 1948 Chadderton-born scientist Geoff Tootill helped create the world's first wholly-electronic fully-programmable computer, affectionately named
Baby, an invention first used by the Meteorological Office in Bracknell to aid its staff in the forecast of weather.
Supermodel
Karen Elson grew up in the town and attended
North Chadderton School.
Education
