Page 25 - Shaw Connected - December 2018

Oldham Through Time
The Infirmary, Union Street, Oldham, 1907
The Informary opened in 1872 and provided health services in Oldham until it closed in 1989. It is now the site of Oldham Sixth Form College, opposite Our Lady of Mount Carmel & St Patrick Catholic Church. Medical care improved by the end of the nineteenth century with the opening of a hospital at Strinedale, and the workhouse (now the site of the Royal Oldham Hospital) and the Infirmary undergoing major improvements; for example, in 1905 Mrs C. Lees opened an extension to the Royal Oldham Hospital, and later a new nurses’ home was built.
West Street, c. 1930, and Oldham Civic Centre
The Civic Centre, shown in the photograph below, was originally the headquarters of Oldham’s Regional Health Authority before they moved to St Peter’s Precinct. This block dates from the mid-1960’s and it now joins onto a newer office block, which houses the tower of the Civic Centre. Completed in 1977, it performs most of the functions of the local council. The tower is 200 feet (61 metres) high, stands at the summit of the town and was designed by Cecil Howitt & Partners.
About The Author
Steven John Dickens has a BA. Hons in History (Sheffield University) and an MA in Twentieth Century History (Liverpool University) and is a retired charge nurse and college lecturer. He has always had an interest in local history and social history and has also lectured on the history of the NHS. He has previously written for several local history publications, genealogy journals and magazines; including The Manchester Genealogist and The Journal of the Altrincham History Society.
Oldham Through Time : £14.99, available now in all good book stores. Also available on Kindle, Kobo and iBook formats. Any purchases through their website gets a 10% discount https://www.amberley-books.com/oldham-through-time.html
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