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Iconic bridge has spanned Oldham’s past
Date published: 25 August 2010
TIME is running out for one of Oldham’s most famous landmarks as the demolition of Mumps Bridge looms ever closer.
The North bridge, which stands over the road out of Oldham, will be lifted away by crane this weekend.
The road under this section of the bridge will be shut from 7pm on Friday until 6am on Tuesday and diversions will be in place.
The iconic bridge — which proudly announces to visitors they are in the home of the tubular bandage — is being removed to make way for the arrival of Metrolink which will run through the town centre by 2014.
Healthcare company Seton’s, which was founded by Ivor Stoller and later taken over by his son Norman, developed the tubigrip bandage that became famous across the globe and is used in hospitals and doctors surgeries all over the world.
Contractors MPact-Thales are working with the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive to see if the stones that make up the 150-year-old bridge can be used elsewhere.
Council leader Howard Sykes, said: “This work is a major milestone in bringing the tram to Oldham and is symbolic of the huge changes we are set to benefit from as a borough.
“Mumps Bridge is the past, Metrolink, connecting our residents, businesses and students better to the Greater Manchester region is our future.
“This work will eventually provide a new public transport interchange at Mumps, offering integrated access to commuters using trams and buses, including a Park and Ride scheme.
“It also enables us to redesign the Mumps area and provide better through routes to the A62, Southlink and the town centre. The project will be crucial in positioning us ready to capitalise on the economic recovery – delivering essential new infrastructure that will put us on the map and be a catalyst for future economic development.”
The former B&Q site at Mumps will be transformed into a 200-space Park and Ride hub which transport chiefs hope will transform the derelict area into a key gateway into the town centre.
When the trams start running they will go across Mumps Roundabout every six minutes. There will be further stops on Union Street, King Street, Manchester Street and in Westwood before trams rejoin the loop line in Werneth.
Work to convert the loop line to tram tracks is underway and it will open in three phases: to Central Park in spring, 2011, to Mumps in autumn, 2011, and to Rochdale Railway Station in spring, 2012. The line will then divert to run along Union Street in 2014.
The town centre line is one of 15 major transport schemes funded by the Greater Manchester Transport Fund — a £1.5 billion investment programme created by GMITA and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities.
Memories of the Iron Curtain
Reader Pat Whittaker shares her recollections of Mumps Bridge
IN the 1950s, as an Oldham Borough policeman based at Townfield Division, my husband often did traffic duty under Mumps Bridge, or as it was known in the force, the Iron Curtain.
Wearing long white coats, white gloves and of course the Oldham Borough helmet, the men of this division stood under the bridge, in the middle of this busy junction of seven roads and controlled the traffic at certain times of the day.
Lit by a powerful light and standing on an 18inch high traffic box under the railway bridge these policemen usually worked for a 30 minute stretch and then for the next 30 minutes patrolled the triangle of Huddersfield Road, Cross Street and Lees Road to arrive back at Mumps for their next half hour on the box.
On weekdays, about half past four, a fleet of double-decker Leyland buses, directed by the officer, roared out of Walshaw Place pouring out black clouds of diesel fumes, on their way to various cotton mills, engineering works and factories to pick up homeward bound workers.
In foggy weather, flaming paraffin lamps at road level lit up the bobby’s box and also lined the pavement edges. It makes you cough to think about it!
The policemen wore smog masks and acquired blackened faces and necks as the day wore on.
There were many incidents said to have occurred runaway cattle on their way to the slaughter house, a circus elephant that made for the spot, a famous comedian exchanging repartee in his open sport’s car and members of the public attempting to cross to the traffic man to engage in conversation as vehicles thundered through and along the road.
On several occasions the bobby had to jump up for his life to avoid a car out of control.
As traffic lessened about 6.30, two policemen carried the box to its resting place for the night, the yard of the town’s “posh shop”, near-by Buckley and Prockter.
Everyone, including the Townfield men, swore that it would be impossible for traffic lights to be designed for this complicated junction of roads.
Look what happened!
MORE pictures in the E-Chron - click the link (subscription required)
Comments
I think that the loss of the bridge is unnecessary and very sad. It has been an important foacl point for generations and is one of the few remaining parts of the 'real' Oldham we used to love.
I hope the Chron will do a feature on it and put on record the interesting details of its construction, cost etc. In my view it should have been Listed - but I'm only a Council Tax payer & therefore don't get listened to.
i do wish Cllr sykes would back up his comments with actual facts. what the people of oldham want is to see this new gateway design thats planned for mumps in detail. not some pretty artists impression of what it'll look like.
at the momment the basic info given states that tram, car and pedestrians are all going to clash at mumps creating one massive traffic nightmare!
what a great future oldhamers have to look forward too! more gridlock! but then we're used to it!
Ididsaythat, structures are listed by English Heritage, not OMBC, and there is an open invitation for the public to make recommendations. The case would have been arguable as it was once one of the longest single span bridges of its kind. However as a Council Tax payer you would have been worried if listing had been granted as listing carries no financial support only a responsibility to maintain. It would have cost a lot and no longer been of any practical use.
JMTS it is worrying, I agree with you again that it is so easy to say "list it, save it, part of our history" but all this costs and I never actually hear where the money is to come from.
Whilst we are at it Ididsaythat lets go back to the smog and parafin lamps..they are also history or lets get real and see this as part of the future and chance to move on.
Still don;t understand why every other bridge on teh network is being refurbished but this icon is being demolished to ensure traffic chaos at Mumps.
Lets hope they pull something really special out of the bag, because I can't see how all these routes crossing won't be a signalised nightmare.
Just wait! Last week the network down to Altrincham broke down and it wasn't repaired until Thursday. The metrolink is a continuous tale of woe for anyone who has the misfortune to use it.
When it comes to Oldham just remember who it was who fought so hard for it.
Morgana60, It's because the Metrolink won't go to where Mumps Station was. It will come closer to the B&Q site and then rejoin the railway track on the far side of where the bridge was. Mumps Bridge is surplus to needs.
JMTS I am aware of the Listing proceedures & think that some things are worth saving - the bridge being one of them.
Mumps bridge is "surpluss to needs" as Oldham Concil is determined that the only route to Manchester must run through Oldham Town Centre.
Oldham Concil continues to ignore the main porpose of the railway line was to take people to Manchester. It may stop some car journeys into Oldham Town Centre, but thouse of us who have to travel from the far side of Oldham to Manchester may be using our cars more rather than plod to Manchester on a tram.
Grid lock on the roads and your tram gets stuck to.
In poor weather the train service was effected, but just wait till you have trams and snow. Metrolinks service fell apart last winter with the first decent bit of snow we've had.
Oldham is 80 odd metres higher than any other part of the Metrolink system, so each winter we are more likey to suffer no service at all.
Metrolinks record or repairs and renewalls is extremely poor. When things go wrong they stay wrong for far too long. It's slow to react to problems.
For all the money being spent on Metrolink you could have re-connected the town to the trans pennine rail network. That may have prooved a better economic boost than this tram system.
No plans for Mumps are shown on Metrolinks website either. Ar we not allowed to know what you have in mind? Another missing section is where Metrolink will "cross" Manchester road roundabout. What will happen there? More traffic chaos?
Seems we're not allow to know about the traffic problems to come.
Ididsaythat, if you ARE aware of the listing procedures why imply that it has anything to do with being a Council Tax payer. Councils get enough stick without the suggestion that they've failed on something that isn't their responsibility.
mumps bridge is not surplus to requirements. all original plans for oldhams metro included the mumps bridge section in until the town centre line was near completion. this was to ensure that the line would stay flowing thought to rochdale while this work was being carried out.
by removing the bridge its now bringing the line down onto road level and clashing with the road and pedestrian traffic.
no i get involved large scale planning in construction, and this is really quite poorly planned out!
Looking at this shows once the town centre section is complete the tram impact on traffic will be minimal :
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=62613205&postcount=4241
The bus lanes in the area will be having a bigger impact than the tram!
This Winter the trams still ran - which is more than the buses did!
The issue at Alt took time to fix because it's next to a train line at this section they are restricted when they can do the work.
Many of the issues with the trams are being addressed they are having a mid life overhall, there is the additional crossing across Manchester - allowing rerouting if needs be.
No public transport is without problems trains included - was over Blackpool the other week ended up waiting nearly 45mins for a train after just missing one as one was cancelled. There were regular cancellations on the Oldham Loop - I've even shared a taxi into Mancester after 2 consecative trains failed to turn up.
I can see all your points, but it has been there since the 1800's and from what i have heard from highways at ombc they still do not know what to do and is day by day, shouldnt it have been figured out before it started.
I am looking at moving out of this town as councillors are just a waste of my breath and voting time.
Everything in Oldham has been a failure,(st peters precinct for one) yet they dont consult the public on nothing.
I dont call myself an oldhamer anymore as oldham is finished
Does anyone else get the impression that the rather disgruntled JMTS is an employee of OMBC or Metrolink?
Have Your Say
A re-hash of Howard's last quote?? Strange how the Oldham Council website does not carry any detalied plans of exactly what is happening and what route the tram will actually take.
Where can we find out exactly what is being done? My guess is that the temporary line to Mumps will not happen at all.
By ProDriver @ 25/08/2010 12:35:30