Greenacres, Greater Manchester
Encyclopedia
Greenacres or archaically
Greenacres Moor, is an area of Oldham
, in Greater Manchester
, England. It lies on the west side of the River Medlock
opposite the village of Lees
.
An upland area, rising gently in altitude from west to east, Greenacres is a residential area located next to parts of Clarksfield, Waterhead
, Mumps and Derker
, all in the east of Oldham.
Greenacres is perhaps most notable for being the site of one of Oldham's largest municipal cemeteries
, appropriately named Greenacres Cemetery, of which the land was purchased by Oldham Municipal Borough Council in 1850 and opened in 1857. It has allotments for both Church of England
and Roman Catholic observants. Greenacres has also long been the site of a Nonconformist
congregation.
, but the area was urbanised with cotton mill
s and densely packed redbrick terraced house
s as part of Oldham's rapid industrialisation
in the 19th century. The main road from Oldham to Huddersfield
passes through the locality, which also facilitated this urbanisation.
Asa Lees & Co. were cotton-spinning machinery
manufacturers whom had their base at Greenacres.
Greenacres was once the site of shallow coal measures
. It also formed a significant part of the Oldham Above Town
registration district.
chapel and congregation. Greenacres Congregational Church has a history which spans virtually the whole period of non-conformity in the United Kingdom.
Reverend Robert Constantine, the Minister of Oldham Parish Church was ejected from his church and livings in 1662 by the Act of Uniformity 1662
for not subscribing to a nationalised system of Protestant beliefs and practices. In 1672 he began preaching to the people of Greenacres in a thatched cottage. After a short time they moved to a larger building nearby, and in 1699 yet again. In the 1780s, as the cause flourished, it became evident that those premises were inadequate and a decision was made to erect a larger and better Chapel suited to the requirements of the congregation and the surrounding community. This building, which still exists today, was built in 1794 opened in 1785.
Archaism
In language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula...
Greenacres Moor, is an area of 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...
, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. It lies on the west side of the River Medlock
River Medlock
The River Medlock is a river of Greater Manchester in North West England. It rises near Oldham and flows, south and west, for ten miles to join the River Irwell in the extreme southwest of Manchester city centre.-Source:...
opposite the village of Lees
Lees, Greater Manchester
The village consists of a small cluster of shops and businesses on either side of the A669 Lees Road, surrounded by some terraced houses and some small estates...
.
An upland area, rising gently in altitude from west to east, Greenacres is a residential area located next to parts of Clarksfield, Waterhead
Waterhead, Greater Manchester
Waterhead , is an area of Oldham, and an electoral ward of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England...
, Mumps and Derker
Derker
Derker is an area of Oldham, a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in north-central Oldham, close to the boundary with Royton.Historically a part of Lancashire, Derker was recorded as a place of residence in 1604 with the name Dirtcar....
, all in the east of Oldham.
Greenacres is perhaps most notable for being the site of one of Oldham's largest municipal cemeteries
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
, appropriately named Greenacres Cemetery, of which the land was purchased by Oldham Municipal Borough Council in 1850 and opened in 1857. It has allotments for both Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and Roman Catholic observants. Greenacres has also long been the site of a Nonconformist
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
congregation.
History
Until 1807, Greenacres had been open moorlandMoorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
, but the area was urbanised with cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s and densely packed redbrick terraced house
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
s as part of Oldham's rapid industrialisation
Industrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
in the 19th century. The main road from Oldham to Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
passes through the locality, which also facilitated this urbanisation.
Asa Lees & Co. were cotton-spinning machinery
Cotton-spinning machinery
Cotton-spinning machinery refers to machines which process prepared cotton roving into workable yarn or thread. Such machinery can be dated back centuries. During the 18th and 19th centuries, as part of the Industrial Revolution cotton-spinning machinery was developed to bring mass production to...
manufacturers whom had their base at Greenacres.
Greenacres was once the site of shallow coal measures
Coal Measures
The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. It represents the remains of fluvio-deltaic sediment, and consists mainly of clastic rocks interstratified with the beds of coal...
. It also formed a significant part of the Oldham Above Town
Oldham Above Town
Oldham Above Town was, from 1851 until c.1881, a statistical unit used for the gathering and organising of civil registration information, and output of census information. It was a sub-district of the larger registration district of Oldham, in the then registration county of Lancashire, in...
registration district.
Nonconformism
Greenacres has long been the site of a NonconformistNonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
chapel and congregation. Greenacres Congregational Church has a history which spans virtually the whole period of non-conformity in the United Kingdom.
Reverend Robert Constantine, the Minister of Oldham Parish Church was ejected from his church and livings in 1662 by the Act of Uniformity 1662
Act of Uniformity 1662
The Act of Uniformity was an Act of the Parliament of England, 13&14 Ch.2 c. 4 ,The '16 Charles II c. 2' nomenclature is reference to the statute book of the numbered year of the reign of the named King in the stated chapter...
for not subscribing to a nationalised system of Protestant beliefs and practices. In 1672 he began preaching to the people of Greenacres in a thatched cottage. After a short time they moved to a larger building nearby, and in 1699 yet again. In the 1780s, as the cause flourished, it became evident that those premises were inadequate and a decision was made to erect a larger and better Chapel suited to the requirements of the congregation and the surrounding community. This building, which still exists today, was built in 1794 opened in 1785.