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Oldham Town Centre Trail - Intro

Town trail cover 3

Welcome to this family-friendly walking tour of Oldham's iconic buildings and public spaces.

If you walk around our historic town, you will encounter a diverse culture that has been shaped by its residents and the history of the industrial revolution.

In the years before this growth, the life of the town was focused on St Mary’s Church and a small market place. The rebuilding of the church in the 1820s and the erection of a town hall in the 1840s, were early signs of civic wealth and pride in the area. Other public buildings followed and you will find several of them on this trail.

Oldham was transformed in the 1800s to become the biggest cotton-spinning town in the world and Union Street, Greaves Street and Yorkshire Street still contain several grand historic buildings. 

One echo of the cotton mills remains in the name of The Spindles shopping centre. Spindles were an important part of the machines on which cotton was spun.

Annie Kenney

Start here

Or go straight to any of the locations:

For more information about Oldham's history, visit Gallery Oldham and Oldham Local Studies and Archives. Their collections contain fascinating objects, paintings, photographs and maps of the town.