Failsworth
Encyclopedia
At 53°30′37"N 2°9′27"W Failsworth lies 163 miles (262 km) north-northwest of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. It shares common boundaries with Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 and Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...

, on its west and northeast respectively. Failsworth is traversed by the A62 road
A62 road
The A62 is a major road in Northern England that runs between the two major cities of Manchester and Leeds.The road is approximately 40 miles long. It runs north east from Manchester through Failsworth and Oldham then Saddleworth before crossing the Pennines at Standedge into West Yorkshire...

, from Manchester to Oldham, the heavy rail line of the Oldham Loop and the Rochdale Canal
Rochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" canal in northern England, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. The "Rochdale" in its name refers to the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, through which the canal passes....

, which crosses the north-west corner. The M60 motorway
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...

 passes through Failsworth. For purposes of the Office for National Statistics
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...

, Failsworth forms part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area
Greater Manchester Urban Area
The Greater Manchester Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the large conurbation that encompasses the city of Manchester and the continuous metropolitan area that spreads outwards from it, forming much of Greater Manchester in North West England...

.

The surface of the land in Failsworth gently slopes from east to west, away from the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...

 and from the brooks which bound it on the north-west and south-east.

Failsworth has a large country park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...

, Daisy Nook
Daisy Nook
Daisy Nook is a country park in Failsworth, Greater Manchester, England. The park runs through the Medlock Valley in an area once called Waterhouses. Waterhouses was one of three 'houses' in the Failsworth area, the other two being Millhouses and Woodhouses.-History:The name Daisy Nook came from a...

, located on its eastern border, on land mostly belonging to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

. The undulating, wooded land is a popular destination for visitors wishing to participate in walking, horse riding, fishing and many other outdoor pursuits.

Population change

Population growth
Population growth
Population growth is the change in a population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals of any species in a population using "per unit time" for measurement....

 in Failsworth since 1901
Year 1901 1911 1921 1931 1939 1951 1961 1981 1991 2001
Population 14,152 15,998 16,973 15,726 17,505 18,032 19,819 20,951 20,160 20,007
Source: A Vision of Britain through Time

Economy

Failsworth is a centre for the production of hats, manufacture began as a cottage industry before the firm of Failsworth Hats was set up in 1903 to manufacture silk hats. For a time the company operated from a factory near the former Failsworth Council offices and remains in the area to this day. Today, Failsworth's main areas of economic activities are in electrical goods manufacture (such as Russell Hobbs
Russell Hobbs
Russell Hobbs is a manufacturer of household appliances based in Failsworth, Greater Manchester, England.-Formation:After working with REME in World War II and leaving in 1947 as a Major, Bill Russell , from High Wycombe, joined Morphy Richards and helped to design the pop-up toaster, the electric...

) by Salton Europe (formerly Pifco Ltd, pre-2001), and plastic producers and distributors Hubron Limited. Many Failsworth residents work in Manchester, with many commuters choosing to live in the area because of its transport links which include the train service from Failsworth railway station
Failsworth railway station
Failsworth railway station opened on 26 April 1881 and was situated in Failsworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It was notable for its wooden platforms...

 on the Oldham Loop Line.

In the July 2007, the Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...

 supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...

 chain opened one of their 24-hour Extra branches on the banks of the newly regenerated wharf. The move has not been welcomed by small shop owners who have claimed that they have lost customers to the new store and may be forced to close. It was intended that Tesco's arrival would be a catalyst to attract other stores, bars and restaurants to Failsworth. The only other large store in the Failsworth boundary is a branch of Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...

 which is situated in the converted Marlborough Mill.

Housing Units Ltd is located on Wickentree Lane and is a large home furnishing store which has been in operation since 1947.

Landmarks

A major landmark of the area is Failsworth Pole on Oldham Road. The first 'political pole' was erected in 1793 although a local historian suggests there were others before and that maypole
Maypole
A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, particularly on May Day, or Pentecost although in some countries it is instead erected at Midsummer...

s probably stood on the site for centuries. The pole that now stands on the site replaces one blown down in 1950.

Following a major restoration of the Pole, clock tower and gardens in 2006 a bronze statue of Benjamin Brierley
Benjamin Brierley
Benjamin Brierley , English weaver and writer in Lancashire dialect, was born in Failsworth, the son of humble parents, and started life in a textile factory, educating himself in his spare time...

 was erected in the gardens.

At the road junction of the A62 with Ashton Road West stands the cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...

, built in 1923 in remembrance to over 200 Failsworth men who lost their lives in the First World War. Attendances at the cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday
In the United Kingdom, 'Remembrance Sunday' is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day. It is the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m...

 remain high, averaging around 2000 people. The annual Remembrance parade is led by 202 Field Squadron, RE (TA), who are based in Failsworth. In June 2007 the War Memorial was rededicated after at £136,000 makeover by the Failsworth War Memorial Steering group, and opened by Colonel Sir John B Timmins.

Education

The local comprehensive
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...

 is Failsworth School
Failsworth School
Failsworth School is a mixed gender secondary school and specialist Sports College admitting children between 11 - 16 year of age. The school is located in Failsworth, within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester.-School:...

, which moved to a new building in 2008 (previously two separate buildings known as the Upper School and the Lower School) which caters for children aged between 11–16 years of age. The £28 million project allowed secondary schooling in the town to come under one roof as opposed to the previous Lower and Upper schools on Partington Street and Brierley Avenue. The school has specialist Sports College
Sports College
Sports Colleges were introduced in 1997 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, PE, sports and dance. Schools that successfully apply to the Specialist Schools Trust and become Sports...

 status.

Transport

Failsworth's main thoroughfare is Oldham road (A62) which links Manchester and Oldham. The M60
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...

 is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester with access gained via junction 22

There are frequent buses running through Failsworth towards Oldham and Manchester on First Manchester
First Manchester
First Manchester is one of the bus companies serving Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...

's 82 and 83 services. There is also frequent services running towards Oldham and Manchester with services 180 and 184. Other destinations which can be reached from Failsworth on the bus are Ashton-under-Lyne, Chadderton, Huddersfield, Rochdale, Royton, Saddleworth and Shaw and Crompton.

Failsworth railway station
Failsworth railway station
Failsworth railway station opened on 26 April 1881 and was situated in Failsworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It was notable for its wooden platforms...

, located on Hardman Lane, was situated on the Oldham Loop Line. The un-manned station was managed by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...

 and allowed passengers to transit to Manchester Victoria
Manchester Victoria station
Manchester Victoria station in Manchester, England is the city's second largest mainline railway station. It is also a Metrolink station, one of eight within the City Zone...

 or Rochdale via Oldham. It closed in October 2009 for conversion to a Metrolink station under the proposed phase 3a extension of the Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...

.

Twin town

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Country Place County / District / Region / State Originally twinned with Date
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...


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Landsberg am Lech
Landsberg am Lech
Landsberg am Lech is a town in southwest Bavaria, Germany, about 65 kilometers west of Munich and 35 kilometers south of Augsburg. It is the capital of the district of Landsberg am Lech....


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Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

Failsworth Urban District 1974

Notable people

The weaver, poet, essayist and writer, Benjamin Brierley
Benjamin Brierley
Benjamin Brierley , English weaver and writer in Lancashire dialect, was born in Failsworth, the son of humble parents, and started life in a textile factory, educating himself in his spare time...

, was born in Failsworth and was famed for his work in the Lancashire dialect
Lancashire dialect and accent
Lancashire dialect and accent refers to the vernacular speech in Lancashire, one of the counties of England. Simon Elmes' book Talking for Britain said that Lancashire dialect is now much less common than it once was, but it is not yet extinct...

. A statue was erected of him in 1898 in Queens Park, Manchester. A bronze statue is in the public gardens by The Pole.

In the field of politics, Sir Elkanah Armitage
Elkanah Armitage
Sir Elkanah Armitage DL was a British industrialist and Liberal politician.-Early life:He was born the third of six sons of Elkanah Armitage, a farmer and linen weaver from Failsworth, Lancashire...

 was a 19th century industrialist, Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...

 politician and former Lord Mayor of Manchester. In the modern era, David Heyes
David Heyes
David Alan Heyes is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Ashton under Lyne since 2001.-Early life:...

 MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

, represents the Ashton under Lyne parliamentary constituency
Ashton-under-Lyne (UK Parliament constituency)
Ashton-under-Lyne is a constituency centred on the town of Ashton-under-Lyne that is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...

 for the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

.

Gary Mounfield
Gary Mounfield
Gary Manny "Mani" Mounfield , is an English rock bassist of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. He has a distinctive playing style that combines a fast moving rock style with a dance rhythm or dub groove...

 is a musician who was a member of the internationally renowned band, The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...

 during the Madchester
Madchester
Madchester was a music scene that developed in Manchester, England, towards the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The music that emerged from the scene mixed alternative rock, psychedelic rock and dance music...

 period, and later joined the Primal Scream
Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney...

. Dale Longworth is a musician and music producer with the electronic music group, N-Trance
N-Trance
N-Trance are a British electronic music group, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, who were formed by Kevin O'Toole and Dale Longworth, in 1990. The group has sold over 5 million records worldwide and some of their hit singles include "Set You Free", "Forever", as well as covers of the popular 1970s...

, who found fame with the record Set You Free
Set You Free (N-Trance song)
"Set You Free" is a song written and recorded by the dance group N-Trance, featuring vocals from Kelly Llorenna. It was first released as a white label record in 1992, and became a chart hit in 1995...

. James Mudriczki, Lowell Killen, Kevin Matthews, Tony Szuminski (and former member Neil McDonald) make up the line-up for the Alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band Puressence
Puressence
Puressence are a British rock band from Failsworth, Greater Manchester, England, formed in May 1992.-Band membership:The band currently consists of:*James Mudriczki: Vocals*Lowell Killen: Guitar*Kevin Matthews: Bass guitar...

. The band have charted in the Top 40 on a number of occasions and have large fanbase throughout Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

.

Broadcaster
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...

, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

 and retired cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....

, Michael Atherton, was raised in the Lord Lane area of the town. The former Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...

 and England Captain
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...

 has a road, Atherton Close, named after him and is located in opposite the cricket club in the Woodhouses area of the town where Michael played in his youth. Boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

, Anthony Farnell
Anthony Farnell
Anthony Farnell , known as the Woodhouse Warrior, was born in Manchester and grew up in Failsworth, Greater Manchester. He is a former WBU middleweight champion...

, is a former WBU
World Boxing Union
The World Boxing Union is a boxing sanctioning body.Until recently it was fully recognised by the British Boxing Board of Control as a legitimate sanctioning body.WBU titles were particularly well recognised in Europe and Africa....

 Middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...

 champion who was known as the Woodhouse Warrior. Retiring at the age of 25, Farnell has since become a fight trainer and owns a gym (Arnie's Gym) in nearby Newton Heath
Newton Heath
Newton Heath is an urban area of the city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It is east north east of Manchester city centre and has a population of 9,883....

 where he has tutored David Barnes
David Barnes (boxer)
David Barnes is a British professional boxer from Manchester in England who competes in the light welterweight division. He is the former holder of both the British light welterweight and welterweight titles. -Early career:...

 (BBBoC Light welterweight
Light welterweight
-Professional boxing:The light welterweight class is a weight division in professional boxing that has a limit of 63.5 kg or 140 pounds...

 champion), Anthony Crolla (2006 ABA Lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....

 champion) and Frankie Gavin
Frankie Gavin (boxer)
Frankie Raymond Gavin is a British professional boxer from Birmingham who, whilst an amateur, won the gold medal at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships to become English boxing's first ever World Amateur champion....

 (2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships
2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships
The 2007 AIBA World Boxing Championships were held in Chicago, United States from October 23, 2007 to November 3, 2007. It was held at the UIC Pavilion. It was the biggest World Championships in AIBA history. The championships were originally awarded to Moscow...

 gold medal winner). Former Manchester United footballer, Ronnie Wallwork
Ronnie Wallwork
By the start of the 1997–98 season, he had become a regular in the Manchester United reserve team and made his senior debut on 25 October 1997, when he came on as a 64th minute substitute for Gary Pallister in the 7–0 home win against Barnsley...

, resides in Woodhouses. The former Failsworth School pupil gained notoriety for an on-field incident whilst on loan
Loan (football)
In sports, a loan involves a particular player being allowed to temporarily play for a club other than the one he is currently contracted to. Loan deals may last from a few weeks to all season-long....

 at Royal Antwerp in 1999 which led to an extended ban

Supermodel
Supermodel
The term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term became prominent in the popular culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and labels...

 Agyness Deyn
Agyness Deyn
Agyness Deyn is an English fashion model, actress and singer.-Early life:Deyn is from Failsworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester...

 was raised in the area before her family re-located to Ramsbottom
Ramsbottom
Ramsbottom is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on the course of the River Irwell, in the West Pennine Moors. Historically within Lancashire, it is located north-northwest of Bury, and north-northwest of Manchester...

.

External links

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