Mossley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mossley |
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 View of Mossley |
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 Mossley
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| Population | 10,921 (2011 census) |
| OS grid reference | SD9702 |
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| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE |
| Postcode district | OL5 |
| Dialling code | 01457 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament |
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| Website | www.mossley-council.co.uk |
Mossley is a town located in Greater Manchester, England. It sits in the beautiful Tame Valley near the Pennines mountains. Mossley is about 3 miles (5 km) south-east of Oldham and 9 miles (14 km) east of Manchester. In 2011, about 10,921 people lived here.
What's special about Mossley is that it's where three old English counties meet: Lancashire, Cheshire, and the West Riding of Yorkshire. This means that different parts of the town used to belong to different counties! Mossley is also the only area in Tameside that has its own local council, called a parish council, which started in 1999.
Contents
History of Mossley
What's in a Name?
The name Mossley is very old, dating back to around 1319. It means "a woodland clearing by a swamp or bog." This tells us a bit about what the area might have looked like long ago!
Fun Events and Music
Mossley is famous for helping to start the annual Whit Friday Band Contest. This is a big event for brass bands from all over the world! It began on June 6, 1884, when Mossley and its nearby towns, Stalybridge and Uppermill, held their own brass band events.
A Special Gift to Mossley
A man named George Lawton, who was very wealthy, loved Mossley. When he passed away in 1949, he left most of his money to the people of the town. Part of this gift was used to build a public meeting place called the George Lawton Hall. It's a place where people can gather for events and activities.
How Mossley is Governed
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For a long time, Mossley had its own local government. In 1885, it officially became a municipal borough, which meant it had its own town council. The council met at the Mossley Town Hall.
Later, in 1974, Mossley became part of the new metropolitan borough of Tameside. However, the people of Mossley wanted to have more say in their local area. So, in 1999, they formed a new civil parish and council. This council decided that Mossley should be called a "town," and now it even has its own town mayor!
The town's council has members from different parts of Mossley, based on the old county borders. There are members for the Cheshire part, the Lancashire part, and the Yorkshire part. Mossley's unofficial coat of arms even shows symbols from these three counties: a sheaf of corn for Cheshire, a red rose for Lancashire, and a white rose for Yorkshire.
Representing Mossley in Parliament
From 1918 to 1950, Mossley had its own special area, or constituency, that elected a Member of Parliament (MP) to speak for them in the national government. Today, Mossley is represented by the MP for Stalybridge and Hyde.
Geography of Mossley
Mossley is nestled among the hills of the Pennines mountains. It's also on the western edge of Saddleworth Moor, which is a large area of open moorland. Because of its location, Mossley often gets a lot of rain and snow!
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Grotton | Friezland | Greenfield | |
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Saddleworth | ||
 Mossley  |
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| Ashton-under-Lyne | Stalybridge | Saddleworth Moor |
Churches in Mossley
Mossley has several churches, and their locations often match the old county borders:
- St. Joseph's Church is a Roman Catholic church in the town centre.
- All Saints' Church is in Micklehurst, which is in the Cheshire part of Mossley.
- St John the Baptist Church is in the Yorkshire part.
- St George's Church is in the Lancashire part.
Education in Mossley
Primary Schools
- St. Joseph's R.C. Primary School
- Livingstone Primary School
- St. George's Primary School
- Milton St. John's Primary School
- All Saints Micklehurst
Secondary School
- Mossley Hollins High School
Transport in Mossley
Mossley railway station is on the Huddersfield line. You can catch trains from here to places like Manchester Piccadilly, Stalybridge, Huddersfield, Leeds, and Hull.
Several bus routes also serve Mossley:
- The 343 bus goes between Hyde and Oldham. It's the only bus that connects nearby Carrbrook with Mossley.
- The 350 bus travels between Oldham and Ashton.
- The 356 bus runs between Ashton-under-Lyne, Uppermill, and Oldham.
- The 357 bus goes between Ashton-under-Lyne and Holmfirth (on Tuesdays only). This bus connects Mossley to West Yorkshire.
Long ago, from 1904 to 1945, there was a tram network in Mossley. Today, the modern tram system, Manchester Metrolink, stops at nearby Ashton-under-Lyne, where you can connect to the city centre.
Media in Mossley
For local news and TV shows, people in Mossley watch BBC North West and ITV Granada.
You can also listen to local radio stations like BBC Radio Manchester, Capital Manchester and Lancashire, Heart North West, Smooth North West, XS Manchester, Greatest Hits Radio Manchester & The North West, and Tameside Radio, which is a community station.
The local newspaper for Mossley is the Tameside Reporter, which comes out every Thursday.
Twin Town
Mossley has a "twin town" in France called Hem. It's located near the city of Lille. This twinning helps build friendships and understanding between the two communities.
Sports in Mossley
Mossley has many local sports teams for people to join or support:
- Mossley A.F.C. (football)
- Mossley Mayhem Softball Club
- Mossley Athletic JFC (junior football)
- Mossley Juniors F.C. (junior football)
- Mossley AFC Running Club
- Micklehurst Cricket Club
Fairtrade Town
In 2009, Mossley's Town Council decided to work towards making Mossley a Fairtrade Town. This means that the town supports fair trade, which helps farmers and workers in developing countries get a fair price for their products. A group of local people started the Fairtrade Mossley group to make this happen.
Notable People from Mossley
- Ernest Sykes, a brave soldier who received the Victoria Cross award.
- Melanie Sykes, a well-known TV presenter and model.
- John Mayall, who owned a very large cotton spinning company long ago.
- Jon Courtenay, the winner of Britain's Got Talent in 2020.
- Lee Broadbent and Eoghan Clifford, members of the rock band Cabbage.
- Ray Hill, an activist who worked against fascism.
- Peter McGarr, an award-winning composer who lives in Mossley.
- Chris Cyprus, an artist.
See also
In Spanish: Mossley para niños
