Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester that rose to prominence in the 19th century as the boomtown of the Industrial Revolution and among the first ever industrialized towns.

Visiting this amazing place, you will be blown away with its interesting history, especially the cotton trade explosion which happened in the late 18th century. This was considered to cause the biggest industrial shift and immensely influenced Oldham’s history as a whole.

Oldham is also amongst one of the UK’s favourite student towns because of its low-cost accommodation. From shopping to education, this town will offer all the convenience for its people.

1. What makes Oldham unique?
2. Oldham’s popular attractions
3. Nightlife in Oldham
4. Sport in Oldham
5. Food in Oldham
6. Shopping in Oldham
7. Festivals and events in Oldham
8. Oldham living costs
9. Travel in and around Oldham
10. Explore the UK from Oldham

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1. What makes Oldham unique?

Oldham is the capital of the North of England. It lies amid the Pennine Mountain range on elevated ground between the beautiful river Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale and northeast of the village of Manchester.

Oldham was the centre of an agricultural district with a famous wooden industry until the 19th century when it encountered the most important industrial shift, turning it into a cotton-spinning and weaving town.

Oldham is historically notable for its theatrical culture. With a peak of 6 well-known theatres in 1908, Oldham is home to the Oldham Coliseum Theatre and the Oldham Theatre Workshop, which have facilitated many early careers for famous writers and actors including Eric Sykes, Bernard Cribbins, and Anne Kirkbride.

Due to the town’s prevalence as an industrial centre and therefore, a hub for employment, Oldham has the highest rate for migrant workers including those from wider-England, Scotland, Ireland, and Poland.

Oldham is not only a great place to do business, there are also many beautiful scenery, walks, and nature, and a thriving art scene, a packed calendar of family-friendly events and a diverse retail offer.

The cultural and leisure facilities in Oldham town centre have been further improved with the arrival of numerous multiplex cinemas and restaurants complex, as well as plans for an exciting new theatre and heritage center.

Photo credit: Nat Callaghan via Unsplash

2. Oldham’s popular attractions

Oldham offers an abundance of fun activities and unique places to visit. Among them, you will find:

• Oldham Coliseum. One of Britain's longest-operating theatres, dated back to 1885. Here, you can experience an eclectic mix of drama, music, comedy, musical, and traditional pantomime.
• Gallery Oldham. An award-winning gallery that houses unique collections of artworks and objects dating back to 1883.
• Saddleworth Museum. A famous agricultural and historical museum that looks into the lives of its people, from farmers to soldiers at the Castleshaw Roman Fort.
• Green spaces. There are a number of great parks with magnificent open grassland and a wide panorama of the countryside, including Tandle Hill Park, Alexandra Park, Daisy Nook Country Park and many more.
• The Huddersfield Narrow Canal. An important key part to the UK's transport network - particularly in its early years of operation, before the invention of railways. It contributes to the economic wealth of the north of Britain.
• Hollingworth Lake Country Park and Visitor Center. One of the most popular locations for tourists, known as “The Weighver’s Seaport.” This is a man-made lake that spans up to 118 acres. Built originally as the main water source for the Rochdale Canal during the 19th century.
• The Old Oldham Town Hall. Modelled after Athens, Greece, these distinctive buildings were constructed in 1841. It is one of the last purpose-built town halls in the country. Also the location where Winston Churchill gave his first speech.
• Oldham War Memorial. A monument that commemorates soldiers that sacrificed their lives in the violence of the First World War.

Photo credit: Oldham Coliseum Theatre

3. Nightlife in Oldham

Nightlife in Oldham is known to be filled with a majority of pubs and clubs located on a bustling Yorkshire Street. You can enjoy a vibrant night with eclectic music and tasty drinks at many of Oldham famous clubs including Envy, Liquid Night Club, Maloney’s, 62’s, Milan, The Red Lion, and many more.

Being in the heart of Oldham, like any other areas, has its rough bits and more rundown areas with higher crime rates. Especially during the night that you need to be extra cautious when roaming around the Sholver or Yorkshire streets.

4. Sport in Oldham

Home to world famous Oldham R.L.F.C, a rugby league football club, it has achieved several club honors and won numerous Rugby Football League Championships and Challenge Cups.

There is also Oldham Athletic Association Football Club where the team competes in League Two, fourth tier of the English Football League system. Their home matches are being held at Boundary Park.

Other state-of-the-art facilities open to the public include:

• Saddleworth Pool & Leisure Centre
• Oldham Leisure Centre
• Royton Leisure Centre
• Chadderton Wellbeing Centre
• The Radclyffe Athletic Centre
• Failsworth Sports Centre

Photo credit: Spencer Davis via Unsplash

5. Food in Oldham

Food in Oldham offers suburb choices, with mouthwatering meals and dessert. You will be spoilt with an array of restaurants, coffee shops, and tea rooms that will be suitable for every occasion, mood, and budget.

For delicious international food, a range of Indian, Asian, Continental, and Mediterranean or traditional British restaurants are scattered throughout different areas.

Whether your preference is formal or relaxed, town centre or countryside, you will never be disappointed by Oldham’s buzzing restaurant options. If you are looking for an exclusive fine dining restaurant with a great view, visiting the Oldham’s Country Hotel is the best place. Here, you will find exquisite cuisine complemented by hand picked wine lists and a fantastic customer service.

From quirky cafes to quaint traditional tea rooms, Oldham and the surrounding countryside also provide you with plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy your time with friends and family. You can experience sumptuous sandwiches and delicious home baked cakes.

Photo credit: Oldham Labour Group

6. Shopping in Oldham

Entering Oldham’s town centre is a shopper’s heaven, located two main shopping centres, Town Square Shopping Centre and The Spindles. With an array of shops, from designers to casual fashion stores and jewellery shops including Pandora, H&M, Top Man, The Body Shop, and many more.

Other stores will be located on High Street, including Gamestation, Home Bargains, Poundland, Primark, Sports Direct, and TopShop. There is also a Sainsubry’s and a TK Maxx on Union Street.

Most notably, on the north of the town centre, there is a Tommyfield’s Market. This offers exclusive indoor market halls and an outdoor market that combines with both traditional and modern facilities. Not to mention, Tommyfield’s Market is also Oldham’s best known market as it was established 140 years ago. It is also the pride of the North West, for being the largest open air markets.

There is also Oldham Street Market that is held on Curzon Street and Albion Street every Friday and Saturday. This is a perfect place for shopaholics to search for fashion, delicious food, fresh meat, and many more benefits.

Photo credit: Alison Clowes via Flickr

7. Festivals and events in Oldham

Oldham has a number of wide-ranging festivals and events throughout the year, including:

• Saddleworth Festival of the Arts. celebration and showcase of art, drama, and music where international arts are brought together with local groups.
• Whit Friday Brass Band Contest. World famous Saddleworth and Oldham Whit Friday brass band contest.
• Saddleworth Rushcart. A 2-days festival with plenty of Morris Dancing and fun festivities.
• Greater Manchester Fringe Festival. Celebrating new and emerging talents.
• Diggle Blues Festival. A weekend of free blues performance in the scenic Saddleworth village of Diggle.
• South Pennines Walk and Ride Festival. A fortnight of free walks, talks, horse and rides across Saddleworth and the wider South Pennines.
• Festival Oldham. A celebration of the best art and entertainment the town has to offer. With shows, music, and street theatre.
• Cotton Clouds. Hosting an eclectic line-up of artists with an array of activities with everyone to enjoy.

Photo credit: Luke Ellis-Craven via Unsplash

8. Oldham living costs

Budget guide:

• One-way Ticket (Local transport): from £3.50
• Meal out: from £10.00
• Fast Food (McDonalds): from £4.75
• Gasoline (1 litre): from £1.39
• Cinema ticket: from £9.95

9. Travel in and around Oldham

Within the city, you can access affordable and efficient public transportations including train, bus, park and ride, and even floating harbour ferries, in order to visit various parts of the city and its surrounding suburbs.

By bus

The bus system in Oldham is used to serve all 26 areas of the town. There are 83 services which provide 10 minutes frequency between Sholver in Oldham and Manchester Piccadilly Oldham.

The bus can also be used to travel outside of Oldham from Oldham bus station including Ashton-under-Lyne, Roachdale, Cheetham Hill, Huddersfield, Hyde, Manchester, Middleton, and Staybridge.

By metrolink

Established in Oldham town centre in 2014, the four metrolink stops include Oldham Mumps, Oldham Central, Oldham King Street, and Westwood.

This also provides a great connectivity to Manchester city centre and beyond.

Photo credit: Lee Calder via Flickr

By train

Northern Rail provides train services in the Oldham area, running trains to Manchester Victoria. From there passengers can transfer to the Metrolink to Piccadilly which then provides further service into the south of the country or to Salford.

With the train, it will not serve into the Oldham town centre if this will be replaced by Metrolink.

10. Explore the UK from Oldham

Oldham is a great base to explore the beautiful nearby cities, from the aesthetic countryside views, spectacular urban centres, to the iconic viaducts of the country.

Transportation to these places can be through a train that only takes 20 minutes to 35 minutes. Oldham is surrounded by several smaller cities which together form the Republic of Oldham. A number of cities where you can easily travel to include:

Tameside

Tameside is a beautiful metropolitan borough of Great Manchester that encompasses iconic urban centres, moorland, and the specular vistas of the Werneth Low.

This place is famed for its leading centre in cotton, engineering, coal mining and hatting. Here, you can expect to visit numerous great museums including the Portland Basin Museum and the Museum of the Manchester Regiment.

There are also attractions sites that guide you through the history of Tameside through its intriguing stories and family-friendly environment. You can visit Park Bridge Heritage Centre or the Werneth Low Country Park.

If you want to take a walk, there is Ashton Market, one of the oldest and largest markets in the region. Here, you can see all the unique and aesthetic buildings and emerge yourself into the lives of the people.

Photo credit: Chemical Engineer via Wikimedia

Rochdale

Rochdale is a borough located in the north of Greater Manchester. Running alongside the Pennines, Rochdale has some of the most beautiful countryside in the region, and also home to some of the word-famous landmarks.

In this place there is the Rochdale Pioneers Museum where visitors can learn about some of Rochdale's first pioneers.

Most notably, there are a number of world-famous constructions including the Rochdale Town Hall, Europe’s finest town and the Ellenroad Engine House, a largest surviving, spinning-mill engine.

To celebrate the spectacular countryside of Rochdale, Hollingworth Lake is a popular destination for locals and visitors alike. This is a perfect place for people to like outdoor activities because of its many walkways and cycle routes. It is also a base for sailing and rowing clubs, and a number of other exciting watersports.

Manchester

Widely known to the world as the birthplace of the industrial revolution, Manchester has a proud history in politics, science, sport, and arts. In this place, you will find numerous museums, art galleries, sport stadiums, that will fulfill your every desire.

It is one of the most exciting cities to visit in the UK. Popular for its youthful, diverse, bustling, and energetic vibes, everyone is warmly welcomed to experience all that it has to offer. Whether it is from shopping at the Trafford Centre or watching an intense football match at Old Trafford, this city offers something for everyone.

Praise for its diverse culture, Manchester is also the first city in the world to commemorate the LGBTQ+ community by setting rainbow flagstones across the city.

Manchester’s bustling nightlife is also something you can not miss. Home to some of the best hipster bars of the Northern Quarter and the best party palace of the Printworks, your life doesn’t get better than this.