Blue Plaques
Blue plaques commemorate interesting historical events and people associated with the borough.
There are no formal criteria for the selection of subjects for plaques although the general principle followed is that the event or person should be eminent and sufficiently famous to be familiar to a succeeding generation. To qualify a person should normally have been deceased for at least 20 years or have passed the centenary of their birth.
| No. | Subject | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crompton Local Board | 13 Market Street, Shaw |
| 2 | Peterloo Massacre, 1819 | Civic Centre, Oldham |
| 3 | Sir Winston Churchill - MP for Oldham, 1900 | Old Town Hall, Oldham |
| 4 | Lord Rhodes - industrialist, politician, statesman | 3 Valley Cottages, Manchester Road, Greenfield |
| 5 | Sir William Walton - composer | 93 Werneth Hall Road, Oldham |
| 6 | Creation of park during cotton famine and Civil War | North Lodge, Alexandra Park, Queens Road, Oldham |
| 7 | Annie Kenney – leading suffragette | Lees Brook Mill, Lees |
| 8 | Helen Bradbury - artist | 3 Princes Street, Lees |
| 9 | Site of Oldham Royal Infirmary | Oldham VI Form College, Oldham |
| 10 | First Yates’s Wine Lodge | 8a, High Street, Oldham |
| 11 | Henry Platt - industrial engineer, founder of “Platt’s” | The Smithy, Bridge House, Dobcross |
| 12 | Ben Brierley - dialect writer | 466 Oldham Rd, Failsworth |
| 13 | Sebastian de Ferranti - Industrialist | Siemens, Manchester Rd, Hollinwood |
| 14 | Patrick Steptoe - ‘test tube’ baby pioneer | Royal Oldham Hospital, Maternity Unit |
| 15 | Joseph Platt - First secretary Northern Rugby Union | 11, Queen Street, Oldham |
| 16 | Roy Chadwick - aeroplane designer (Lancaster Bomber) | British Aerospace, Chadderton |
| 17 | Incorporation as a Borough, 1849 | Old Town Hall, Oldham |
| 18 | John Bunting - largest individual mill owner in Lancashire | 115 Union Street, Oldham |
| 19 | John Lees - originator of fish and chips | Market Hall, Albion Street, Oldham |
| 20 | Bradbury Sewing Machines | Park Road, nr King Street roundabout, Oldham |
| 21 | James Dronsfield - Industrialist | Ashton Road, Oldham |
| 22 | First cotton mill in area | Mill Brow Street, Royton |
| 23 | Coin Controls - world leader in transaction automation | New Coin Street, Royton |
| 24 | Lydia Becker - suffragist | Foxdenton Hall, Chadderton |
| 25 | Dame Sarah Lees - suffragist, philanthropist, Mayor of Oldham County Borough | Werneth Park, Werneth |
| 26 | Bishop Wheeler | Sacred Heart Church, Uppermill |
| 27 | Henry Taylor - swimmer and Olympic gold medallist | Chadderton Swimming Stadium |
| 28 | Site of Royton Hall | Hall Street, Royton |
| 29 | Oldham’s Victoria Cross Holders | 11, Church Terrace, Oldham |
| 30 | Sir Philip Sidney Stott – Lancashire’s famous mill architect | Chadderton Central Library |
| 31 | Joseph Burgess – founder of the Independent Labour Party | 64a, Old Road, Failsworth |
| 32 | Terry Hall – ventriloquist and creator of ‘Lenny the Lion’ | Middleton Road, Chadderton |
| 33 | Watersheddings Rugby Ground | Junction of Ripponden Road/ Counthill Road, Watersheddings |
| 34 | Water Street – part of ancient route | Manchester Chambers, George Street, Oldham |
Trail guide
Pick up a Blue Plaque trail guide celebrating Oldham industry, entitled “Oldham’s Industrial Heritage”, from Oldham Local Studies and Archives.
Propose a plaque
Anyone can nominate an event or person connected with Oldham for a Blue Plaque.
The nominee must raise the finance necessary to produce and erect the plaque independently, although the council may assist with the sourcing of manufacturers and is also able to offer installation services.
The nominee should set out in writing the reasons why an event or individual deserves acknowledgement. We require full details linking the event to a particular site or building, or information on a person’s life and achievements, supported by relevant sources and where applicable biographical works.
Full details of the proposed wording and appearance of the plaque should also be provided together with its exact position.
You must first seek consent from the owner of the site or building where the plaque is to be erected. You may also be required to obtain Listed Building Consent from the local planning authority.
Suggestions for additional plaques should be sent to the following address.
PO Box 30
West Street
Oldham, OL1 1UQ