Chadderton - Geography

Geography

Further information: Geography of Greater Manchester

At 53°32′46″N 2°8′33″W / 53.54611°N 2.1425°W / 53.54611; -2.1425 (53.5462°, -2.1426°), and 165 miles (266 km) north-northwest of central London, Chadderton lies at the foothills of the Pennines, 2.7 miles (4.3 km) east-southeast of Middleton, and 1.1 miles (1.8 km) west of Oldham. It is in the northeast part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area, the UK's third largest conurbation, on undulating land rising from 300 feet (91 m) above sea level in the west to 450 feet (137 m) in the east. Chadderton Heights, on the hillier northern edge of the town, is its highest point at 509 feet (155 m).

Chadderton's modern commercial centre lies close to the boundary with Oldham; the expansion of Oldham in the mid-19th century caused urbanisation along the eastern boundary of Chadderton, which spread outwards into the rest of the township. Continued growth in the late-19th and early-20th centuries gave rise to a densely populated, industrial landscape of factories and rows of terraced housing, typical of mill towns in northern England. There is a mixture of high-density urban areas, suburbs, and semi-rural locations in Chadderton, but overwhelmingly the land use in the town is urban. The soils of Chadderton are sand based, with subsoils of clay and gravel.

Neighbouring towns, villages and places.

	Castleton	Thornham	Royton
	Middleton		Oldham
		Chadderton
	New Moston	Failsworth	Hollinwood

Chadderton's built environment is distinguished by its former textile factories: "The huge flat-topped brick mills with their square towers and their tall circular chimneys dwarf all other buildings." Rows of early-20th century terraced housing built to house Chadderton's factory workers are a common type of housing stock throughout the town; narrow streets pass through these older housing areas.

Chadderton is contiguous with other settlements on all sides, including a shared boundary with the city of Manchester to the southwest.

Localities within Chadderton include Baretrees, Block Lane, Busk, Butler Green, Chadderton Fold, Cowhill, Greengate, Firwood Park, Foxdenton, Healds Green, Middleton Junction, Mills Hill, Nimble Nook, Stock Brook and Whitegate. Chadderton Fold, the former centrepoint of Chadderton, lies on the banks of the River Irk, 1.3 miles (2 km) north-northwest of Chadderton's modern commercial centre. Hollinwood was formerly a village and industrial district of Chadderton, but was incorporated into neighbouring Oldham following a court case in 1713.