Oldham Histories Festival and Heritage Open Days return on September 8

This is your chance to find out more about the people, places, buildings and stories that have made our borough.

From talks to walks and tours through to open days there’s plenty to discover, whether you’re interested in architecture, heritage, or just curious about the history around you.

Councillor Peter Dean, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture, said: “There is so much history in our borough and this year’s event has a bit of everything for people to enjoy and take part in.

“This year our staff have pulled together an excellent programme of events that gives residents and visitors the chance to learn about this rich heritage, including stories that are right on their doorstep but they may not have known about.

“Our borough has been the home to some extraordinary people, places and buildings over the years, and this festival is a great chance to find out about them.”

This year’s event runs from September 8 to September 17.

Highlights include:

• Marjory Lees Blue Plaque Unveiling - Join us at Werneth Park for the unveiling of a blue plaque to Marjory Lees, on what would have been her 145th birthday. Marjory was a local politician who fought for votes for women. She gave Werneth Park to the people of Oldham in 1936.

• Platt Brothers and Toyota - Gallery Oldham’s Karen Heatley will reveal the historic links between Oldham and Japan in a talk that charts the business relationship between Platt Brothers and Toyota that led to the birth of the Toyota Motor Company.
• Oldham’s International Brigaders - From 1936-1938 a dozen men from Oldham volunteered to fight with the International Brigade against fascism and for the Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War. Who were these men? What are their stories? And what were their experiences before, during and after the war? Join Graham Briggs and Rob Hargreaves for this fascinating illustrated talk.
• A town centre ghost walk - Uncover some of the ghostly goings on in Oldham. A fun walk suitable for children six years and over accompanied by an adult.
• Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Oldham Open Day - Don’t miss this opportunity to see inside a Hindu Temple at the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir on Copster Hill Road, Oldham.
• 150th Anniversary of St Thomas’s Church Graveyard, Moorside - Moorside Parish Church and Moorside and District Historical Society present a day to find out more about the history of the church. You can also take a tour of the tower to see the bell and clock rooms.
• St Anne’s Royton Open Day - Look around the church, designed by architect Temple Moore in 1908. activities and refreshments, and you will be able to see ceramicist Pat Kaye’s Stations of the Cross, our stained-glass windows, Liverpool sculptor Arthur Dooley’s ‘Dachau’ and 30 oil paintings by talented artist Jeremy Thomas in his ‘The Human One’ Exhibition.

For more information about all the events – and details of how to book a – visit www.oldham.gov.uk/histories_festival

Alternatively contact Oldham Local Studies and Archives, 84 Union Street, Oldham, OL1 1DN E: archives@oldham.gov.uk. Tel: 0161 770 4654.