Oldham Civic Centre
Oldham Civic Centre
LocationWest Street, Oldham
Coordinates53°32′33″N 2°06′59″W / 53.5424°N 2.1165°W / 53.5424; -2.1165
Built1977
ArchitectCecil Howitt & Partners
Oldham Civic Centre is located in Greater Manchester
Oldham Civic Centre
Shown in Greater Manchester

Oldham Civic Centre is a municipal building in West Street, Oldham, England.

History

The low-level western section of the Civic Centre was originally built as offices for the housing and social services departments[1] as well as the Regional Health Authority and was completed in 1962.[2] The facility was extended to include a 15-storey tower, designed by Cecil Howitt & Partners[3] and built by Henry Boot[4] so enabling the council to move out of the aging Oldham Town Hall into the enlarged complex.[5] The enlarged complex, which incorporated an event and conference venue known as the "Queen Elizabeth Hall" intended to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977,[6] was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on 1 March 1977.[4]

The facility had its own cold war nuclear bunker built to protect senior councillors, council officers, police officers, engineers, doctors and communications experts in the event of a nuclear attack.[7][8] The tower in the facility, which now forms the headquarters of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, is 175 feet (53 metres) high.[9] The only other structure of comparable height and scale is the Church of St Mary with St Peter at the opposite (i.e. east) end of the town centre.[10]

In January 1982 Steve Davis became the first snooker player to achieve a televised maximum break in a match against John Spencer in the Lada Classic at the Civic Centre.[11][12]

The Victoria Cross awarded during the First World War to Sergeant John Hogan, who was born in Royton, currently displayed in the Civic Centre, was presented to Oldham Council in October 1983.[13][14][15]

References

  1. ^ "What lies beneath". Oldham Chronicle. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  2. ^ Dickens, Steven (2018). Oldham Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445661728.
  3. ^ URBED (May 2004), The Heart of Oldham; A masterplan for Oldham Town Centre (PDF), Oldham.gov.uk, archived from the original (PDF) on 28 November 2007, retrieved 30 November 2007
  4. ^ a b "Eerie reminders of a nuclear Armageddon in Oldham". About Manchester. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Town Hall, Oldham (1201655)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Plans for Oldham's Town Centre Regeneration could see Queen Elizabeth Hall demolished". About Manchester. 14 March 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Oldham Civic Centre nuclear bunker revealed after almost 50 years of secrets". Manchester Evening News. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  8. ^ "North Korea H-bomb test: This Northern Ireland town is one of the safest places to go if the worst happens". Belfast Live. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Oldham Civic Centre". Emporis. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Oldham Town Centre Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan: Supplementary Planning Document" (PDF). Oldham Borough Council. 1 January 2019. p. 100. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Records in Snooker". RKG Snooker. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Calendar of Events in the History of English Billiards and Snooker". Snooker Games. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Oldham Metropolitan Borough". Victoria Cross. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  14. ^ "VC hero given memorial stone honour". Oldham News. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Oldham commemorates first Victora Cross hero 100 years on". Saddleworth Independent. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
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