Oyez, oyez . . . it’s celebration time

HISTORIC . . . Town Crier Andrew Powell announces the special event to mark the 150th anniversary

Shaw marks 150 years since historic occasion

ONE hundred and fifty years of local government in Shaw and Crompton has been marked with a special event.

The District Executive met in Crompton Library for a short talk by local historian Frances Stott about how the local board, urban district and parish councils came about.

Members of the local community were also able to enjoy a photo exhibition of “now and then” images showing a visual timeline of Shaw and Crompton.

A visit was also made to the Blue Bell Pub, in Market Street, where the first meeting of the local board took place in March 1864, and where a blue plaque hangs to commemorate the original meeting.

During the event, Shaw and Crompton Parish Council Chairman Dave Murphy said: “The Crompton local board met in this very building on March 10, 1864. 150 years later, we stand here to commemorate that historic occasion.

“Though the street scene has changed considerably, what the board stood for remains the same in the new form of the Shaw and Crompton Parish Council.”

A free commemorative booklet, “History of Local Government in Shaw and Crompton”, is available at Crompton Library, Royton Town Hall and online at www.oldham.gov.uk/from_crompton_to_shaw