Middleton Junction is an industrial and residential district lying on the common border of Middleton in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale and Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester.
The area takes its name from the former Middleton Junction railway station and lies along the course of the Rochdale Canal. It is located 1.4 miles south east of Middleton town centre and 1.9 miles west of central Chadderton.
It is contiguous with other areas of Chadderton and Middleton including Moorclose, Mills Hill, Greengate, Alkrington and Firwood Park. Semi rural Foxdenton lies to the east.
History
The area now known as Middleton Junction originally comprised a number of hamlets situated along Grimshaw Lane and Foxdenton Lane on the border of Chadderton and Tonge townships – Lane End and Hillock (described in the early 1800s as "a pleasant hamlet") in Chadderton, Bradshaw Fold and Jumbo in Tonge (Tonge was a former township which was incorporated into Middleton in the late 19th century).
The area around Jumbo was historically part of the estate of the medieval Bradshaw Hall which was demolished in 1910.
In the 16th century, the area consisted largely of undeveloped forest and meadow. The Hall was located on the south side of a valley overlooking the Wince Brook. The estate had a corn mill on the river and began to rent land to farmers.
In 1777, the silk weaving business was introduced to the area and for the next 50 years there was great demand for hand loom weavers' cottages. The estate rented out land north of the current Grimshaw Lane and the settlements of Jumbo and Bradshaw Fold rapidly grew. The estate was bounded on the south by Wince Brook, the west by Tonge and in the north by Chadderton. The only access to the estate road would have been the lane to Foxdenton Hall, later to become Grimshaw Lane.
Two settlements were formed firstly by the home weavers and later by the mill owners. Bradshaw Fold was the area on the north east of the estate, later to be replaced by the station name, Middleton Junction. In the 1861 census, Bradshaw Fold had over 70 weavers' cottages.
On the west, between the current Aspinall Street and Sandy Lane, was the village of Jumbo or Jumba.
In an 1823 slang dictionary, a jumbo is defined as a clumsy or unwieldy fellow. The origin of this expression is based on a well read travel book, Travels in Africa. It describes a tribal custom in Africa where a witch doctor would dress up and perform a noisy dancing ritual. He was known as Mumbo Jumbo. A letter to the Manchester Guardian in 1862 speculates as to the origins of the name.
“….The cottages in the vicinity of Bradshaw Hall are occupied by silk weavers, farm labourers and cotton spinners and commonly known by the singular name “Jumba” which significant title is supposed to be conferred there-on from the jumping gambols and athletic exercises of the residents on Saint Mondays and other holidays.”
In 1779, Thomas Chadderton sold the coal rights to the estate which were probably accessed from the Alkrington pit at Lancashire Fold. The Rochdale canal was built shortly after this (1804), greatly easing the transportation of both coal and cotton.
JW Lees brewery opened at Bradshaw Fold in 1828.
Middleton Junction railway station opened at Lane End on 31 March 1842 with a branch line to Oldham Werneth railway station. The railway line split the hamlet of Lane End in two. The station was originally called Oldham Junction but by August 1842 it was known as Middleton Station, changing its name to Middleton Junction some ten years later. The branch line to Middleton opened in 1857. The station closed in the mid-1960s.
The late 19th century gave rise to a substantial cotton spinning district around the area of the station and along the canal and saw terraced houses built along Grimshaw Lane and its environs. Mills included the Junction Mill, Laurel Mill among others. See List of mills in Chadderton
The name Middleton Junction was adopted as place-name for the area during this period.
Bradshaw Hall and Estate
The estate was a key part of the post-medieval manorial system of North Manchester. It was occupied by descendants of the ancient Chadderton family from 1548 to 1820 and comprised a large part of the current Middleton Junction and Jumbo area.
The remains of the Hall lie beneath private land off Glenn Grove. Although demolished in 1910, it is of significant archaeological interest as the footprint of the hall has not been built upon and the site may contain evidence of earlier occupation.