Failsworth

Location within the British Isles.

Failsworth is a town in North West England. It is generally seen as the town linking Oldham to Manchester, yet it was countryside until comparatively recent times and the boom of the Industrial Revolution. Today it stands in the borough of Oldham.

Little more than 300 years ago its population was over just 1,000, today it is about 21,000. Farming was the main industry of the area with villagers supplementing their meagre incomes by hand-loom weaving until the advent of cotton and the Industrial Revolution.

People of the area still maintain a strong community spirit and their pride in Failsworth is fierce. 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 Maypoles probably stood on the site for centuries. The pole that now stands on the site replaced the last one, blown down in 1950.

Failsworth is famous for its hats. Manufacture began as a cottage industry before the firm of Failsworth Hats was set up in 1892 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 through Pifco Limited, and plastic producers and distributors Hubron Limited.

Categories: Towns in Greater Manchester