Derker is an area of
Oldham
Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
, in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...
, England. It lies in north-central Oldham, close to the boundary with
Royton
Royton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 21,284 in 2011. Close to the source of the River Irk, near undulating land at the foothills of the South Pennines, it is northwest of Ol ...
.
History
Historically
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
a part of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, Derker was recorded as a place of residence in 1604 with the name ''Dirtcar''.
During the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
, Derker sprouted 5
mills; 4 of which were
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
, which brought with it terraced housing to house the workers of these
mills. A number of these early houses had fallen into a state of disrepair prompting the
Housing Market Renewal Initiative
The Housing Market Renewal Initiative (HMRI) or Housing Market Renewal (HMR) Pathfinders programme was a controversial Cole, Ian and Flint, John ''Addressing housing affordability, clearance and relocation issues in the Housing Market Renewal Pat ...
. These houses were compulsorily purchased, and demolished, and, as of 2019, have yet to be replaced.
Granville Mill met a sour end when it was destroyed by fire in 1999. All of the
mills have now been demolished either as a part of the housing market renewal scheme or converted into industrial units.
In the 2000s, Derker had
terraced house
A terrace, terraced house ( UK), or townhouse ( US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses sharing side walls. In the United States and Canada these are sometimes known as row ...
s "unsuited to modern needs" according to the
Housing Market Renewal Initiative
The Housing Market Renewal Initiative (HMRI) or Housing Market Renewal (HMR) Pathfinders programme was a controversial Cole, Ian and Flint, John ''Addressing housing affordability, clearance and relocation issues in the Housing Market Renewal Pat ...
. This was opposed and legally challenged by local residents. who have lobbied
Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
to protest at the
demolition
Demolition (also known as razing and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction (building), deconstruction, which inv ...
s. The then local MP
Phil Woolas
Philip James Woolas (born 11 December 1959) is a British environmental consultant, political lobbyist and former television producer and politician who served as Minister of State for Borders and Immigration from 2008 to 2010. A member of the ...
opposed the demolitions.
In 2008 the challenge was rejected, and plans to begin regeneration took place. However, with the switch to the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
government in 2010, the funding for the
Housing Market Renewal Initiative
The Housing Market Renewal Initiative (HMRI) or Housing Market Renewal (HMR) Pathfinders programme was a controversial Cole, Ian and Flint, John ''Addressing housing affordability, clearance and relocation issues in the Housing Market Renewal Pat ...
ceased. But as of 2012 private funding was sought by
Oldham Council
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, also known as Oldham Council, is the Local government in England, local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the ma ...
and plans to start building houses in Derker were announced in 2012, with the contract being awarded to Keepmoat housing. As of 2023, these houses have still yet to be built.
Geography
Derker is next to the
Greenacres, Higginshaw and
Mumps
MUMPS ("Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System"), or M, is an imperative, high-level programming language with an integrated transaction processing key–value database. It was originally developed at Massachusetts Gen ...
areas of Oldham.
It is approximately 1 mile away from Oldham town centre, and 4 miles away from the picturesque villages of
Saddleworth
Saddleworth is a civil parishes in England, civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and Hamlet (place), hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the Saddleworth Moor, west ...
.
Transport
First Manchester's 411 service runs an hourly circular between Oldham Bus Station and the top of Derker between 6am and midnight with gaps in the timetable on weekdays to allow interworking with a school service, on weekends service starts at 8:30am. As well as this, the
Metrolink station,
Derker Metrolink Station, which opened in December 2012. The station was a former railway station, part of the
Oldham Loop Line
The Oldham Loop Line was a suburban-line in Greater Manchester, England, used by trains that ran from Manchester Victoria to Rochdale via Oldham Mumps. Services on the line at the time of its closure were operated by Northern Rail.
The line c ...
that was decommissioned in 2009 to make way for the new Metrolink system.
Recreation
Stoneleigh Park is a public park occupying about nine hectares. The site has ornamental gardens and sports facilities, with a pavilion, a playground, two bowling greens and tennis courts, as well as a senses garden, teen shelters and floodlit multi-games courts.
The site was bought by Oldham Council in 1933 and opened as a public park in 1938. It has regularly won Green Flag Awards since 2001.
Friends of Stoneleigh Park, originally set up in 1992, was reformed in 2007 through a partnership involving Groundwork Oldham and Rochdale, Community Links and a committed group of residents.
The park facilities listed are;
*
Bowling green
A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls.
Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...
*
Tennis court
A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match, doubles and singles matches. A variet ...
*
Football pitch
A football pitch or soccer field is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is ty ...
* 2
rugby pitches
*
Sensory garden
*
Playground
A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...
*
Floodlit multi games courts
*
Ornamental gardens
*
Toilet
A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human waste (urine and feces) and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting p ...
s
*
Sandpit
A sandpit (most Commonwealth countries) or sandbox (US and Canada) is a low, wide container or shallow depression filled with soft (beach) sand in which children can play. Sharp sand (as used in the building industry) is not suitable for su ...
Derker is home to the gym of former
super middleweight
Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds ( ...
boxer Eric Noi who was nominated in 2010 for
BeMOBO award for his work in the community and is also home to
Oldham Cricket Club who play in the
Central Lancashire Cricket League
The Central Lancashire Cricket League (CLCL) was a fifteen team cricket league, traditionally based in Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. It was then based in Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. The league ran competitions at First T ...
.
Notable people
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over eight decades.
During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records " The Hole in the Ground" ...
, an English actor, was born in Derker.
References
{{Geographic Location
, title = Neighbouring localities.
, Northwest = Heyside
, North = Beal Valley
, Northeast =
Sholver
Sholver is an area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. An elevated, residential area, it lies near the middle of the Oldham part of the valley of the River Beal, northeast of Oldham's commercial centre, nearly at the northeasternmost ex ...
, West =Higginshaw
, Centre =Derker
, East =
Watersheddings
Watersheddings was the site of a former rugby league stadium in the Watersheddings area of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. Historically it was in Lancashire, lying on the A672 ( Ripponden Road) approximately 2 miles north east of Old ...
, Southwest =Mumps
, South =
Greenacres
, Southeast =
Waterhead
Areas of Oldham