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Heritage Helpdesk

A helpdesk ran by our Oldham Archives team to help you find out more about what we offer.

A photograph of different local history books open and resting on supportive pillows on a table.

Oldham Parish Church Heritage Open Days

Explore Oldham Parish Church and its vast crypt, memorials and exhibits.

Photograph of the inside of Oldham Parish Church, with the altar in the background centre

Billingtons ‘If Ballrooms Could Talk’

Learn more about the history of Oldham’s famous Billingtons Ballroom.

Digital line drawing of the upper exterior of Billingtons Oldham with red background and white text about event info.

Heritage Helpdesk

A helpdesk ran by our Oldham Archives team to help you find out more about what we offer.

Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Oldham Heritage Open Day

Explore Oldham’s impressive new Shree Swaminarayan Mandir.

Drone shot of Shree Swaminarayan Temple lit up

Meet Frank Rothwell’s Kiichiro Rothwell car

Discover more about a unique car that celebrates Oldham’s links to Japan.

Frank Rothwell stands alongside his Kiichiro Rothwell car outside Gallery Oldham.

1853 Open Studios

Discover the artistic studios that reside in the historic Osborne Mill.

A view of the inside of 1853 Studios, with 6 artworks of various sizes on the wall and a sculpture on a plinth.

Architecture in the Natural World – Oldham Microscopical and Natural History Society Heritage Open Day

Join the Oldham Microscopical and Natural History Society and discover more about our fascinating natural world.

Gallery Tour: Behind the Scenes in the Archive

A free behind the scenes tour of the new Oldham Archives store and public spaces.

Left image: two women in hard hats and hi-vis jackets looking at mobile shelving in a long corridor.

The Search for the ‘Manchester Seven’

Published on: 24 March 2025

The Manchester Evening News of February 2nd 1997 carried an article on Anglo Japanese trade relations which referred to ‘The Manchester Seven’, a phrase used to describe a group of men who went to Kagoshima, Japan in the 1860s to equip a cotton mill with textile machinery from Platt Brothers of Oldham.

Victorian Visitors from Japan

Published on: 18 March 2025

In April 2024 Rebecca, one of Gallery Oldham’s curators, travelled to Kagoshima to continue our research into historic links between Oldham and Japan. Her trip was funded by Art Fund’s Jonathan Ruffer curatorial grant programme. In the first of a series of blogs, Rebecca shares some of the background which led to her making this trip….

175: Sir John Lubbock and his pet wasp

Published on: 06 December 2024

To celebrate 175 years of the borough of Oldham we’re sharing guest blogs linked to items on display. Jo Haigh shares her discoveries about Sir John Lubbock and his pet wasp.