Lees, Greater Manchester
Encyclopedia
The village consists of a small cluster of shops and businesses on either side of the A669 Lees Road, surrounded by some terraced house
s and some small estates. Lees is separated from the main conurbation of Oldham by a small amount of green belt
land in the valley of Leesbrook, on either bank of the River Medlock
.
A part of Lees is known locally as County End; Springhead
in Saddleworth
forms a contiguous urban area with Lees, though the border between the two forms part of the ancient county boundary
between Lancashire
and the West Riding of Yorkshire
. Crossbank
is an area of Lees.
on First Manchester
's 180 and 184 services. Other destinations which can be reached from Lees on the bus are Huddersfield
, Hyde
, Middleton
, Mossley
, Saddleworth and Stalybridge
.
There is no railway station. Lees railway station
closed in 1955, followed by the complete closure of the line in 1964. There was also a small engine shed situated east of the station.
-born Annie Kenney
, one of the first suffragette
s to be imprisoned worked at Lees's Leesbrook Mill. Annie's younger, Lees-born sister Jessie Kenney was also a campaigner for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom
. By the age of 21 Jessie was the Women's Social and Political Union
's youngest organiser. Laurence Chaderton
, one of the original translators of the Authorized King James Version of the Bible
was a native of Lees. Disgraced former MP Phil Woolas
lives in the locality.
Helen Bradley
was born in Lees in 1900.
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 and some small estates. Lees is separated from the main conurbation of Oldham by a small amount of green belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
land in the valley of Leesbrook, on either bank 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:...
.
A part of Lees is known locally as County End; Springhead
Springhead, Greater Manchester
Springhead is a suburban area of Saddleworth, a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England.Situated along the eastern edge of the Greater Manchester Urban Area, Springhead is contiguous with the village of Lees, the Oldham districts of Greenacres and...
in Saddleworth
Saddleworth
Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets amongst the west side of the Pennine hills: Uppermill, Greenfield, Dobcross, Delph, Diggle and others...
forms a contiguous urban area with Lees, though the border between the two forms part of the ancient county boundary
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
between Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
. Crossbank
Crossbank
Crossbank is an area of Lees, a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England.Historically a part of Lancashire, the name Crossbank is thought to derive from the days of the Knights Templar when a cross was etched into an earthen bank to denote lands granted to...
is an area of Lees.
Transport
Lees is accessed on the roads on the A669 from Saddleworth and Oldham. Along this road, there are frequent buses running towards Oldham and ManchesterManchester
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...
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 180 and 184 services. Other destinations which can be reached from Lees on the bus are 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....
, Hyde
Hyde, Greater Manchester
Hyde is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2001 census, the town had a population of 31,253. Historically part of Cheshire, it is northeast of Stockport, west of Glossop and east of Manchester....
, Middleton
Middleton, Greater Manchester
Middleton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Irk, south-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester...
, Mossley
Mossley
Mossley is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. The town is located in the upper section of the Tame valley in the foothills of the Pennines, northeast of Ashton-under-Lyne and east of Manchester.Mossley has the distinction of...
, Saddleworth and Stalybridge
Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically a part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of...
.
There is no railway station. Lees railway station
Lees railway station
Lees railway station was opened in 1856 at Lees, Greater Manchester as part of the London and North Western Railway route from Oldham to Greenfield. The station closed in May 1955, when the Delph Donkey passenger train service to Delph via Greenfield was withdrawn. Not far from the station was Lees...
closed in 1955, followed by the complete closure of the line in 1964. There was also a small engine shed situated east of the station.
Notable people
Notable people associated with Lees include SpringheadSpringhead, Greater Manchester
Springhead is a suburban area of Saddleworth, a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England.Situated along the eastern edge of the Greater Manchester Urban Area, Springhead is contiguous with the village of Lees, the Oldham districts of Greenacres and...
-born Annie Kenney
Annie Kenney
Annie Kenney was an English working class suffragette who became a leading figure in the Women's Social and Political Union...
, one of the first suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
s to be imprisoned worked at Lees's Leesbrook Mill. Annie's younger, Lees-born sister Jessie Kenney was also a campaigner for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom
Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom as a national movement began in 1872. Women were not prohibited from voting in the United Kingdom until the 1832 Reform Act and the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act...
. By the age of 21 Jessie was the Women's Social and Political Union
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union was the leading militant organisation campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom...
's youngest organiser. Laurence Chaderton
Laurence Chaderton
Laurence Chaderton was an English Puritan divine, and one of the translators of the King James Version of the Bible.-Life:...
, one of the original translators of the Authorized King James Version of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
was a native of Lees. Disgraced former MP Phil Woolas
Phil Woolas
Philip James Woolas was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth from his election in 1997 to 2010. He was the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration in the Home Office, as well as being the Minister of State for the Treasury...
lives in the locality.
Helen Bradley
Helen Bradley
Helen Bradley MBE was an artist born in the village of Lees, Lancashire, England. Her oil paintings vividly depict Lancashire life as it was between 1900 and 1910....
was born in Lees in 1900.
External links
- leesvillage.org, Lees Community Association.
- www.visitoldham.co.uk, A brief history of Lees.