Springhead is a suburban area in the civil parish of
Saddleworth
Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills.
Areas include Austerlands, Delp ...
in the
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after its largest town, Oldham, The borough had a population of 237,628 making it the seventh-largest district by population ...
, in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tamesid ...
, England.
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.
Springhead once was an
urban district in the
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
. 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
The Manchester Football League is a football league in England, affiliated with Manchester FA, covering a 30-mile radius from Manchester Town Hall. It was formed in 1893, although play ceased between 1912 and 1920. Currently it consists of five d ...
, 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.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, Springhead and the neighbouring village of
Grasscroft had some of the highest infection rates in Greater Manchester.
Transport
Springhead's bus services are operated by
, M Travel (Manchester) and
.
The
Grotton and Springhead railway station - nicknamed the '
Delph Donkey
The Delph Donkey was a line of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) in northern England which opened in 1849 to connect Oldham, Greenfield and Delph
Delph ( Old English ''(ge)delf'' a quarry) is a village in the civil parish of Sadd ...
' due to the previous route of the passenger service ending at
Delph
Delph ( Old English ''(ge)delf'' a quarry) is a village in the civil parish of Saddleworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies amongst the Pennines ...
- 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.
Notable people
*
Judith Barker (born 1943), television actress
*
Herman Hilton
Herman Hilton (first ¼ 1894 – first ¼ 1947) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1910s and 1920s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England, Lancashire, and at club level for Healey Stree ...
(1894–1947), rugby league footballer
*
Annie Kenney
Ann "Annie" Kenney (13 September 1879 – 9 July 1953) was an English working-class suffragette and socialist feminist who became a leading figure in the Women's Social and Political Union. She co-founded its first branch in London with Minni ...
(1879–1953), English working-class
suffragette
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
*
Thomas Steele (1891–1978), recipient of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
References
See also
*
Listed buildings in Saddleworth
{{authority control
Areas of Greater Manchester
Geography of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
Saddleworth