Springhead, Greater Manchester

Springhead
Springhead
	Oldham Road, Springhead
	Springhead Location within Greater Manchester
OS grid reference	SD961045
Civil parish	Saddleworth;
Metropolitan borough	Oldham;
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester;
Region	North West;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	OLDHAM
Postcode district	OL4
Dialling code	0161
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Oldham East and Saddleworth;
	List of places UK England Greater Manchester 53°32′13″N 2°03′29″W / 53.537°N 2.058°W

Springhead is a suburban area in the civil parish of Saddleworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England.^[1]

Description

Situated near the eastern edge of the Greater Manchester Urban Area, Springhead is contiguous with the village of Lees, and with the Austerlands, Scouthead and Grotton areas of Saddleworth. It was named after Springhead House, an historical dwelling which had a freshwater spring in its grounds.

Until 1974 it was in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The main hub is the Post Office. There is also a community centre. Springhead Infant and Nursery School and Knowsley Junior School serve the area. The football club (Springhead A.F.C.) play in the Manchester Football League, and the cricket club, Springhead CCC, in the Greater Manchester Cricket League.

In March 2022, a petition was submitted to the parish council to construct 158 homes on the former Springhead Quarry, now a protected site for conservation.^[2]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Springhead and the neighbouring village of Grasscroft had some of the highest infection rates in Greater Manchester.^[3]

History

In 1894 Springhead became a civil parish, being from the part of Saddleworth in Quickmere Middle Division Urban District, in 1895 it became part of Saddleworth Urban District, on 1 April 1937 the parish was abolished and merged with Saddleworth.^[4] In 1931 the parish had a population of 4834.^[5]

Transport

Springhead's bus services are operated by First Greater Manchester, M Travel (Manchester) and Stagecoach Manchester.

The Grotton and Springhead railway station - nicknamed the 'Delph Donkey' due to the previous route of the passenger service ending at Delph - once served the village. Passenger service was withdrawn in 1955, and the line closed in 1963. The track has been lifted since and replaced with a bridle path which follows alongside a large length of the original railway.

Culture

In the Higher Springhead area, there is a longstanding tradition of the mayor leading the town's brass band contest on Whit Friday, wearing a ceremonial clog iron suspended on a lavatory chain and adorned with barrel-shaped dog tags engraved with the names of previous mayors. The tradition dates back to the late 1940s in the village of Austerlands.^[6]

Notable people

Judith Barker (born 1943), television actress
Herman Hilton (1894–1947), rugby league footballer
Annie Kenney (1879–1953), English working-class suffragette
Thomas Steele (1891–1978), recipient of the Victoria Cross

References

^ "Springhead in Greater Manchester". www.landscapebritain.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
^ "Fresh plans for controversial quarry site and protected green space". The Oldham Times. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
^ "The Saddleworth villages with the highest Covid rate in Greater Manchester". The Oldham Times. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
^ "Saddleworth Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
^ "Population statistics Springhead CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
^ "The odd Saddleworth tradition making its post-pandemic return". The Oldham Times. Retrieved 2 May 2022.