Saddleworth

Coordinates: 53°33′N 2°00′W / 53.55°N 2°W / 53.55; -2

Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets amongst the west side of the Pennine hills: Austerlands, Delph, Denshaw, Diggle, Dobcross, Friezland, Grasscroft, Greenfield, Grotton, Lydgate, Scouthead, Springhead, Uppermill.

Saddleworth, which lies east of the large town of Oldham and 11 miles (17.7 km) east-northeast of the city of Manchester, is broadly rural, has a scattered population of 24,351, increasing to 25,460 at the 2011 Census. making it one of the larger civil parishes in the United Kingdom.

Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, for centuries Saddleworth was a centre of woollen cloth production in the domestic system. Following the Industrial Revolution, in the 18th and 19th centuries, Saddleworth became a centre for cotton spinning and weaving. By the end of Queen Victoria's reign, mechanised textile production had become a vital part of the local economy. One of the most famous mills, based in Friezland, was the Royal George Mill owned by the Whitehead family and manufactured felt used for many purposes including pianofortes, billiard tables and flags. The three brothers, Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead, James Heywood Whitehead and Francis Frederick Whitehead who owned the Mill were extremely philanthropic and amongst other bequests in the 1850s built Christ Church in Friezland along with the Parsonage, School and Headmaster's house.The land on which these were built was purchased in 1849 from L. & N.W. Railway Company. Christ Church, Friezland is still thriving today whilst the Church School has been rebuilt and the beguiling Parsonage and grounds, built in the Gothic Revival style, has become a Grade || Listed Building and as "Friezland Grange" is now in private hands. The boom in industry called for greater transport links, including the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and several railways.