Friday 30 October 2015

Oldham: 20 years plus one day


Next morning we made another jaunt. 

This time northwards and upwards, up to Denshaw. With its population of five hundred people Denshaw is celebrated for its annual brass band contest held on every Whit Friday.

Frank was keen to point out the village shop. In November of last year the Saddleworth Independent reported:
Saddleworth’s most remote village will have its own shop again soon as the disused public toilets in the centre of the village are being converted into a new general store.


And so it came to pass.

It was beautiful sun-through-cloud morning, and looking south the whole of Oldham and Manchester was set out before us. Higher still along the road to Ripponden the grassland moors have turned to gold, shimmering in the breeze. Westwards and almost hiding from us, Rochdale.

This is a landscape that will soon be a painting



Twenty years on house prices have changed, and those lovely mills that remain are now warehouses for mail order and online shopping. Every village now has a posh café. What remains the same is this part of England having easy and swift access to breath taking landscapes in rain or shine. I’ll be back soon.

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Thank you very much for your comments - Tim