Pike view thrilled old King Canute

The spirit of mystery and romance which encircles Hartshead Pike has made the spot a cherished one for generations of people from Oldham and Ashton.

Its historical origins are shrouded in mystery, though we know for certain that there have been at least three stone towers on Hartshead Pike (which is the actual name of the hill itself rather than the tower).

Erection date of the first one is unknown but we do know that it was re-built by public subscription in 1751.

That building was struck by lightning and subsequently collapsed.

The present tower which now stands like a lonely sentinel overlooking the four counties of Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire and Derbyshire, dates from 1863.

It was re-built south of the original to commemorate the marriage of Prince Albert Edward (later King Edward VII) to Princess Alexandra of Denmark.

In a previous article, we read how the Druids lit great bonfires on Hartshead during their sacred ceremonies and antiquarians have long recognised that the way leading up the hill is an Ancient British trackway which pre-dates the Romans.

F.T. Stubbs, in fact, was convinced that the hills of Hartshead, Bucton (Mossley) and Alphin (Greenfield) were used as astronomical observatories at around the same time as Stonehenge was being built. He deduced this by observing the rising of the sun at the summer solstice from Bucton Castle.

The Romans used Hartshead Pike as a watchtower, positioned perfectly as it was 940 feet up between their roads from Melandra fort at Glossop via Mossley and their main road from Manchester to York via Glodwick Lows and Scouthead.

Legend has it that the first ever stone tower was built during the reign of King Canute (1016–35) to commemorate his passing through the district.

It is said that the tower was built at the exact point where he sat resting on the hill to take in the breathtaking view before him.

Royalty certainly has a strong connection here; another long held local belief states that King Henry II (1154-89) visited the Baron of Ashlynne and witnessed sports and tournaments about Hartshead Pike.

King James I (1603-25) also came to the area to hunt boar and is reputed to have stayed at a house which still stands off Lane Head Road, called The Golden Spot.

This is reached along a trackway still known locally as Royal Lane and some have said that golden coins are buried in the vicinity! The hill has often been used as a beacon point — and perhaps one of its most famous bonfires was lit in 1588 as part of the chain of beacons which stretched from London to York warning of the approach of the Spanish Armada.

History abounds around Hartshead and it is a fine place to go walking at any time of the year.

If you do, make sure you go up Twirl Hill Road (left off Lees New Road) and look for the tythe stone on your right not too far up from the junction.

Mistakenly inscribed as such by John Coulthart in 1840, what you are looking at is actually a fantastic piece of our ancient history. Following much research, scholars are convinced that this stone marks the place where a tything was held.

This was a type of court, held outdoors, consisting of 10 men and the existence of tythings is recorded prior to the Norman Conquest. In very old days, the locals did indeed refer to the stone as the tythen stone and it is another one of our districts hidden historical gems.


Author’s Footnote: The Chronicles of Alda are based on historic fact with a little conjecture and a sprinkling of poetic licence.