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Oldham Archives

Oldham Archives holds the archives for the town of Oldham.

Oldham Archives is a unique resource that defines what Oldham is today. Our extensive collections of maps, photographs, books and archives record the history of the borough from village to cotton capital of the world.

Whether it’s exploring your family history or finding out how Oldham has changed with the development of new communities, Oldham Archives brings the stories of the past to life.

While we move to our new home at Spindles, the service is currently closed to visitors.

We are not able to accept new donations or provide access to our physical collections and can only offer a limited enquiry service.

You can make use of digital resources like Ancestry, Find My Past and the British Newspaper Archive to find out more about the fascinating history of Oldham. If you visit Oldham Library or any of our branch libraries, you can access these resources for free.

Our opening hours when we re-open will be:
Monday to Friday 10am-5pm;
Saturday 10am-1pm.

We are closed between Christmas and New Year.

Our research service has been paused until our new home at Spindles opens. We cannot check original archive or local studies material while it is in storage unless a statutory requirement applies. If your request relates to information we might hold about yourself, please contact us directly using the details below. If your request falls under Freedom of Information or Environmental Information legislation, please contact the Information Management Team.

Archive Collections

Archives are unique, original documents created in the course of everyday activities. Oldham’s archives date from 1597 and cover an enormous range of subjects and activities.

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Many Suffragettes hold banners ready for a march

Local Studies Sources

We hold many types of record, registers, maps and other sources.

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Re-colorized photograph of Market Street in Oldham during the Victorian era

Family History Resources

If you are interested in tracing your family history find out how our Local Studies & Archives team can help.

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Sepia photograph of women in the Victorian era wearing dresses all posed sat together

Heritage Collections

The local studies and archives collections form part of Oldham's Heritage Collections. Our online catalogue will help you find information about what is in our collections.

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Old Newspaper front page reads 'Women's Suffrage Pilgrimage. To tell all England women why Women want the vote'

Contact

Oldham Archives,
Greaves Street,
Oldham,
OL1 1AL.
T: 0161 770 4654.
E-mail archives@oldham.gov.uk