Greenfield, Greater Manchester
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Greenfield is a village in the Saddleworth parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It is thirteen miles (20 km) to the northeast of the City of Manchester and four miles (6.4 km) east of Oldham.
Lying within the ancient county boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Greenfield is mainly situated on and around two roads in the Chew Valley in the Pennines. One of these roads is the main road from Oldham to Holmfirth.
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[edit] Geography and administration
Administration under the West Riding County Council led to problems, as Greenfield came under the administration of Holmfirth for such things as the fire service, despite Holmfirth being significantly further away than Oldham. This was particularly problematic in the winter months, as the roads into the village often become blocked or dangerous due to snow and ice coupled with the village's exposed position on the Pennine moorland.
[edit] Physical geography
Greenfield also contains four reservoirs, three of which are linked to one another: Greenfield, Yeoman Hey, and Dovestones. The fourth is Chew Reservoir at the head of Chew Valley, which is the highest man-made reservoir in the United Kingdom.[citation needed] There is a yachting club on Dovestone Reservoir, the largest of these, and a set of walking paths round the first three. A steep walking path also connects Dovestones to Chew Reservoir.
Saddleworth Moor, which rises above Greenfield and leads over impressively barren and disorientating moorlands to Holmfirth was the site used by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, known as the 'Moors Murderers', to bury their child victims in the early 1960s. The sinister nature of the area and the dreadfuness of the crimes were the subject of a Smiths songs in the early 1980s.
Greenfield is also the home of an amateur rugby league side, Saddleworth Rangers, as well as Greenfield and Saddleworth cricket clubs. There are two junior and infant schools, and three churches (one Methodist and two Anglican).
[edit] History
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[edit] Landmarks
Pots and Pans is a locally well known hill ovelooking the village: The monument on top is a war memorial constructed in 1923 and is sighted so that it is visible from all the seven villages that comprise Saddleworth. It is situated approx 1200 feet above sea level[citation needed] and every year on Remembrance Sunday a service is held there.
[edit] Present day
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Greenfield is served by the Greenfield railway station. It is is only railway station in the parish of Saddleworth, and lies along the Huddersfield Line.
