Mills Hill
| Mills Hill | |
|---|---|
 Mills Hill
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| Mills Hill shown within Greater Manchester | |
| OS grid reference | SD 88847 06031 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | OLDHAM and MANCHESTER |
| Postcode district | OL1, OL9 and M24 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Mills Hill is an industrial and residential area that lies on the common border of Middleton and Chadderton in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. It lies 1.3 miles east of Middleton town centre and 1.4 miles to the west of central Chadderton. It is contiguous with Middleton Junction, Moorclose, Firwood Park and Chadderton Park. Mills Hills lies along the course of the Rochdale Canal and the River Irk.
Until the mid-1800s, the area surrounding Mills Hill was mainly farmland with very few dwellings, now dissected by the Rochdale Canal, which opened in 1804, and the Caldervale Line railway, which opened in 1839. The Middleton to Oldham turnpike road (A669) was constructed and passed though Mills Hill around 1810. The Rose of Lancaster public house on Haigh Lane opened at the new canal during this period. An inn sign was first recorded in 1803.
There had long been a cottage industry of handloom weaving in these parts. The damp climate due to the proximity of the Pennine hills is ideal for spinning and weaving as it gives strength and stability to the thread.
There was a fulling mill called Walk Mill by the canal – fulling was a finishing process for the woollen cloth. Silk weaving flourished in the area too. Walk Mill was also the site of one of the areas oldest public houses, the Duke of Bridgewater, first licensed in 1842. The pub closed on 5 April 1956.
The Scowcroft Lane bridge over the Rochdale Canal in this area was given a grade II listed building status in 1987.
The current railway bridge at Mills Hill dates from 1934, replacing an older bridge dating to 1839. The new bridge allowed for double deck trams and buses to operate from Middleton to Chadderton for the first time.
On 11 July 1927 major flooding took place in Middleton when the Rochdale Canal burst its banks at an aqueduct in the Mills Hill area following a period of heavy rainfall, sending millions of gallons of water crashing down into the River Irk below. This resulted in three fatalities and widespread damage downstream in Middleton.
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Wikipedia