Failsworth

History

Early settlement rested on a road that runs today between Manchester and Yorkshire. This Roman secondary road formed part of a network from Manchester up north, probably to Tadcaster near York. The section that ran through Failsworth is still known as Roman Road. It was built above marshland and laid on brushwood with a hard surface. Roman Road has also been known as "Street", a Saxon term meaning "metalled road", indicating that it was also used that later period. By 1663, 50 households were registered. *1212 – First official record of Failsworth in King John's Great Inquest of Service *1212 – North-western portion of land held by the Lord of the Manor of Prestwick *1212 – South-eastern portion of land held by the Lords of the Manor of Manchester *Mid-13th century – Richard and Robert de Byron acquired both portions of land *1320 – First record of a named place in Failsworth: Wrigley Head named in the Survey of the Manor of Manchester *1600–1699 – Population mostly working the land and supported by production of cloth *1660 – 43 names registered in the town *1663 – 50 recorded families *1673 – Earliest record of a place of worship: Dob Lane Chapel *1700–1799 – Most inhabitants involved in producing linen cloth, others farming *1735 – Manchester, Oldham and Austerlands Turnpike Trust improves the road between them. *1774 – 242 families recorded, with a population 1,400 *1793 – The first Failsworth Pole erected *1796 – The earliest day school recorded is Pole Lane School. *1801 – Population 2,622 *1803 – The main Turnpike Road is widened to 60 feet from Manchester to Dob Lane End. *1804 – Rochdale Canal opens on 21 December. *1825 – The first cotton mill built *1839 – The first mill built by Henry Walmsley *1844 – Failsworth constitutes a new parish: St John's. *1850…

Geography

At (53.5102°, −2.1575°) Failsworth lies north-north-west of London, as the southern tip of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, sharing borders with Manchester (north to south-west) and Tameside (south to east). It is traversed by the A62 road between Manchester and Oldham, by the former rail line of the Oldham Loop and by the Rochdale Canal, across its north-west corner. The M60 motorway passes through. For the Office for National Statistics, Failsworth counts as part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area. The land in Failsworth slopes gently from east to west away from the Pennines and from brooks that bound it on the north-west (Moston Brook) and south-east (Lord's Brook). Failsworth has a country park, Daisy Nook, on undulating wooded land on its eastern border largely belonging to the National Trust. It is suited to walking, horse riding, fishing and other pursuits.

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  28,464
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,850
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,458
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  24,688
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,769
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  22,664
• European Goldfinch

  Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,477
• Eurasian Wren

  Troglodytes troglodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  19,627

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2025-12-03
  0 km ESE of Carnforth, United Kingdom
• M 2.7 — 2023-06-28
  2 km SE of Cheadle, United Kingdom
• M 3.6 — 2022-05-30
  2 km ESE of Prees, United Kingdom
• M 2.6 — 2014-10-28
  2 km NNE of Hucknall, United Kingdom
• M 3.2 — 2013-08-25
  23 km W of Cleveleys, United Kingdom
• M 2.9 — 2013-01-18
  0 km NE of Hathern, United Kingdom