Visit Royton Places

Welcome to Visit Royton Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Royton

  

Royton Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Royton

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Royton history

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Toponymy

The name Royton is Anglo-Saxon in origin, and it has been suggested that the Rye crop is the root of the name . The first known written record of Ryeton (or Ryton) was in a survey of Lancashire in 1212 .

Early history

There is evidence of Stone Age human activity in the area, by way of a Neolithic stone axe found at Royton Park . The ancient Britons are thought to have inhabited the area . The remains of a Roman or Early Medieval bloomery was discovered in 1836 . There is no physical manifestation of the Vikings/Norsemen in the locality .

Textiles and the Industrial Revolution

The population of Royton during the Middle Ages comprised a small community of retainers and farmers, most of whom were involved with pasture, but supplemented their incomes by weaving woollens in the domestic system . During the Early Modern period, the weavers had been using spinning wheels in makeshift weavers’ cottages . The construction of a water powered cotton mill by Ralph Taylor at Thorp Clough in 1764 is said to be the first structure of its kind . The introduction of the factory system led to a tenfold increase in Royton’s population in less than a century .

Post-industrial history

Since deindustrialisation, Royton’s population has continued to grow as a result of intensive housing redevelopment . The town has subsequently been described as “doing better than most” in Greater Manchester . Since the turn of the millennium Royton has been earmarked for cosmetic gentrification .

Royton landmarks

Royton Hall, the township’s former manor house, was built as early as the 13th century. The east wing was crafted in the Elizabethan or Jacobean architectural style. During the First World War, it was used to house Belgian refugees, and following the war was bought by Dr John Thomas Godfrey.

Royton geography / climate

Royton lies at the foothills of the Pennines, roughly 688 feet (210 m) above sea level. The larger towns of Rochdale and Oldham lie to the north and south respectively. Royton forms part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area.

You can visit Royton places with Walkfo Royton to hear history at Royton’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Royton has 91 places to visit in our interactive Royton map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Royton, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Royton places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Royton & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 91 audio facts unique to Royton places in an interactive Royton map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Royton Places Map
91 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Royton historic spots	Royton tourist destinations	Royton plaques	Royton geographic features
Walkfo Royton tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Royton

  

Best Royton places to visit

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Royton has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Royton’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Royton’s information audio spots:

Crompton Hall Crompton Hall was an historic house situated at Crompton Fold in the township of Crompton, Lancashire, and within the historic parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham .

Chadderton F.C. Chadderton Football Club is a football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester. They are currently members of the North West Counties League Division One North and play at Andrew Street.

Chadderton Hall Park Chadderton Hall Park is a park in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester. It contains a large field area with a small football pitch, a playground area, several flower gardens and a small café situated next to the Park’s bowling green.

Textile Mill, Chadderton Half of the building was destroyed by fire on 11 July 1950. The remaining section continued to be used for cotton waste sorting by W. H. Holt and Son until 1988.

Cowhill, Greater Manchester Cowhill (archaically Cow Hill) is a locality of Chadderton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester. It is located 0.5 miles (0.80 km) southeast of the town centre close to its eastern boundary with Oldham. An ancient hamlet which grew into an industrial village, Cowhill is now a residential area and includes a large housing development, Crossley Estate.

Hartford Mill Hartford Mill was a Grade II-listed building located off Block Lane, in the Freehold area of Oldham, UK. The mill was located in the Oldham area of Freehold and is Grade II listed above Block Lane.

Manor Mill, Chadderton Manor Mill, Chadderton is an early twentieth century, five storey cotton spinning mill. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. Production finished in 1990.

Werneth Park Werneth Park is a public park in Oldham, Greater Manchester. It includes a Grade II* listed Community Centre, Music Rooms, Dame Sarah Lees Memorial, Gardens and sports facilities.

Werneth Hall Werneth Hall is a Grade II* listed privately owned Jacobean manor house in Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built in 17th century and is now owned by a private family.

Orme Mill, Waterhead Orme Mill, Waterhead is a cotton spinning mill in Waterhead, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built in 1908 and was taken over by Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s. Production finished in 1960 and the mill was passed on to Ferranti in 1964.

Visit Royton plaques