Fallsworth is a town in Oldham, Greater Manchester. It is roughly 4 miles from Manchester and 3 miles from Oldham. The population of Fallsworth at the last census was 20,680.

History of Fallsworth

Little is known about the original inhabitants of Fallsworth. While it is likely that the area was populated, Fallsworth never appeared in the Domesday Book in 1086. In fact, the first mention of the town was in 1212, which taxes from various farms going to King John.

For a good few hundred years, the bulk of the industry for Fallsworth was farming. It did not seem to generate a lot of income for the 1,000 residents of Fallsworth, though. The bulk of them needed supplementary jobs, with many turning to hand weaving, which is something which died off for them when the industrial revolution started.

The population of Fallsworth has barely changed since the 1960s. In fact, there is only 150 or so residents in it. There is only 6,000 more residents in Fallsworth now than in 1901. This means that it is one of the slowest expanding towns in the region.

Fallsworth is currently known for its hat production, although few hats are produced here nowadays. The bulk of the industry is in the manufacture of electrical appliances, with Russell Hobbs producing some of the equipment here, in addition to Spectrum Brands. A small amount of plastics are also produced in this region. Despite this, many of the people who live in Fallsworth do not actually work here. They have selected the area due to its relatively small size, as well as the transport links it has into Oldham and Manchester.

Back in 2007, a lot of the residents of Fallsworth complained due to the opening of a Tesco Supermarket. The intention was for the supermarket to rejuvenate the area and to try and attract some new business in, but it has the opposite effect. Smaller businesses started to close down because they were losing custom to the 24-hour Tesco. It still stands, with smaller businesses still suffering.

Perhaps the most prominent feature of Fallsworth is a large pole. It was erected in 1950, although there were others which stood in place before this. The pole currently in place replaces one which was erected in 1793 after a strong gust of wind blew it down. This can be found on Oldham road.

Nearby is the cenotaph. 200 people from Fallsworth lost their lives during World War I. On Remembrance Sunday, the cenotaph still attracts thousands of people. In fact, it is still one of the most attended memorials for a small town. Remembrance Sunday events include a march through the town by the local 2020 Field Squadron.

As mentioned previously; Fallsworth is a base for many people, with them working elsewhere within Greater Manchester. This is all down to the A62 road which passes through Fallsworth. It is this road which provides fantastic transport links to Manchester and Oldham. The M60 orbital motorway provides even more access to the other parts of Greater Manchester.

There are also several regular buses running throughout the area. This includes buses to Manchester City Centre office of Salford Roofing, Oldham, Huddersfield and Saddleworth. The tram runs every six minutes and heads into Central Manchester and Rochdale.

Fallsworth is notable for being the home to Mike Coogan. He is a three time European Masters Athletics Champion. This is in addition to being ranked number 1 in the world for both the 200m and 400m. He is still competing to this day. He runs on behalf of the East Cheshire Harriers. Members of ‘Stone Roses’ also grew up in the area.