CASTLETON
has a long history but didn't get its modern
name until November 1876. Before that it was
known as Blue Pits village, a mainly rural community,
whose name apparently originated from the blue
sand, which was mined from the many pits thereabouts.
It was more of a hamlet than a village - until
the spreading tentacles of a 19th century phenomena,
known as the Industrial Revolution reached it.
Almost overnight the landscaped changed from
hills and trees to mills and factories.
For the next 60 years engineering and textiles,
particularly cotton, was the lifeblood of Castleton.
In turn the rapidly increasing workforce led
to the development of a thriving commercial
and business community.
The latter half of the 20th century saw the
gradual decline of cotton and a consequent reduction
in the number of engineering firms that supplied
the looms and shuttles.
It was then that Castleton changed its face
once again with the appearance of modern housing
estates, distribution warehouses and high tech
industries.
But despite the changes Castleton is still rich
in history, as a walk around the village will
show.
Source :
www.rochdaleobserver.co.uk
71 Church St, Littleborough 
