Diggle, Greater Manchester
Encyclopedia
Diggle is a village within the Saddleworth
parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
, in Greater Manchester
, England. The village is situated on the moorlands of the Pennine hills.
Historically
part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
, it is located at one end of the recently restored Standedge Canal Tunnel
, Britain's longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel.
In the heart of the village there is the Diggle Chippy, The Hanging Gate pub, a Newsagent, and a Post Office
/off-licence. There is also a brass band club called The Diggle Band Club which regularly hosts band contests and concerts.
There is also an Anglican church in the village, Kilngreen - as well as a Methodist church, Wrigley Mill. The local school caters for 200 children ages 4 to 11.
Recently the world renowned Saddleworth Whit Friday Band Contest has started to include Diggle since 2009 as one of the contests.The Diggle Blues Festival is an annual event that takes place in June. Started in 2010, nine bands use three venues and perform over a three day weekend that allows people the opportunity to see every performance (all for free).
Diggle is home to Diggle F.C, an FA registered amateur Football Club which plays its home games at Churchill Playing Fields, Uppermill
. It competes in the Huddersfield and District Association Football League
. There is also a village brass band
.
to Huddersfield
and Leeds
runs through Diggle. There used to be a local railway station
in the village, which opened in 1849, but it was one of many to go in the Beeching era, closing in 1963. The nearest stations to Diggle are in Greenfield
in Greater Manchester and Marsden
in West Yorkshire
.
The only bus service that serves Diggle is the 184, which provides an hourly Monday–Saturday daytime service from the Old Station Turning in Diggle to Manchester via Dobcross
, Uppermill and Oldham. There is also an additional hourly Monday–Saturday daytime and two-hourly Sunday daytime service between Huddersfield and Manchester, which runs along Huddersfield Road in Diggle.
See SaddleworthNews.com and Greater Manchester Police (Oldham East and Saddleworth) Twitter feed.
Saddleworth
Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets amongst the west side of the Pennine hills: Uppermill, Greenfield, Dobcross, Delph, Diggle and others...
parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 219,600, and spans . The borough is named after its largest town, Oldham, but also includes the outlying towns of Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton and Shaw and Crompton, the village of...
, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. The village is situated on the moorlands of the Pennine hills.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
part of the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
, it is located at one end of the recently restored Standedge Canal Tunnel
Standedge Tunnels
The Standedge Tunnels are four parallel tunnels that run beneath the Pennines at the traditional Standedge crossing point between Marsden and Diggle, on the edges of the conurbations of West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester respectively, in northern England.There are three railway tunnels and a...
, Britain's longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel.
In the heart of the village there is the Diggle Chippy, The Hanging Gate pub, a Newsagent, and a Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
/off-licence. There is also a brass band club called The Diggle Band Club which regularly hosts band contests and concerts.
There is also an Anglican church in the village, Kilngreen - as well as a Methodist church, Wrigley Mill. The local school caters for 200 children ages 4 to 11.
Recently the world renowned Saddleworth Whit Friday Band Contest has started to include Diggle since 2009 as one of the contests.The Diggle Blues Festival is an annual event that takes place in June. Started in 2010, nine bands use three venues and perform over a three day weekend that allows people the opportunity to see every performance (all for free).
Diggle is home to Diggle F.C, an FA registered amateur Football Club which plays its home games at Churchill Playing Fields, Uppermill
Uppermill
Uppermill is a village in Saddleworth—a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England, historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies on the River Tame in a valley amongst the South Pennines, east of Oldham, and east-northeast of Manchester...
. It competes in the Huddersfield and District Association Football League
Huddersfield and District Association Football League
The Huddersfield and District Association League is a football competition based in the area Huddersfield, England. It was founded in 1898. The league has a total of four senior divisions and four reserve divisions. The highest senior division, Division One, sits at level 14 of the English football...
. There is also a village brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
.
History
The name "Diggle" comes from the Saxon word degle meaning "valley". Like many of the Saddleworth villages, it traces its history back to a collection of hamlets.Transport
A major railway line that connects ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
and Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
runs through Diggle. There used to be a local railway station
Diggle railway station
Diggle Railway Station served the village of Diggle and was located on the Huddersfield Line to the north of Uppermill. Situated immediately to the west of the Standedge tunnels, it was opened in 1849 along with the first rail tunnel and closed to passenger traffic in 1968...
in the village, which opened in 1849, but it was one of many to go in the Beeching era, closing in 1963. The nearest stations to Diggle are in Greenfield
Greenfield, Greater Manchester
Greenfield is a village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It is east of Oldham, and east-northeast of the city of Manchester...
in Greater Manchester and Marsden
Marsden, West Yorkshire
Marsden is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, west of Huddersfield and located at the confluence of the River Colne and the Wessenden Brook...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
.
The only bus service that serves Diggle is the 184, which provides an hourly Monday–Saturday daytime service from the Old Station Turning in Diggle to Manchester via Dobcross
Dobcross
Dobcross is a village in Saddleworth—a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is located in a valley in the South Pennines, along the course of the River Tame and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, east-northeast of Oldham and west-southwest of...
, Uppermill and Oldham. There is also an additional hourly Monday–Saturday daytime and two-hourly Sunday daytime service between Huddersfield and Manchester, which runs along Huddersfield Road in Diggle.
Crime
Diggle has relatively low crime levels. During June, July and August 2011, there has been an increase in reported burglary. Most notably, offenders have been gaining access through insecure doors and windows, obtaining car keys, and stealing owner's cars away from their premises.See SaddleworthNews.com and Greater Manchester Police (Oldham East and Saddleworth) Twitter feed.
External links
- Diggle's webpage at Virtual Saddleworth
- Diggle school's webpage