Some interesting facts about Mark Masonry during Oldham’s Maritime Heyday…
by Cliff Murphy*
It was about this time of year, 144 years ago in 1873 that Mark Masonry first came to Oldham with the formation of the Union Lodge of Mark Master Masons No.171. Formed mainly by members of Craft Lodge of Friendship 277 (now sadly no longer with us), additional Members joined from the many Seafarers who visited Oldham when it was a famous seaport.
To those of us who know Oldham well, the picture above shows Oldham Town Centre in its heyday – the Town Hall on the right, recently given a new lease of life as a £37m cinema complex, the Greaves Arms on the left – now in disuse – the iron railings of Yorkshire St where the Pleasure Boats used to tie up.
(I well remember my Grandma sitting me on her knee when I was young, both of us making rowing motions as she sang “Row row row thi boat, all down Yorkshire Street. Don’t thi row too fast mi lad, or tha’ll wet thi feet”. Mind you, I used to feel a bit daft as I was 18 at the time).
In 1873, Brethren used to be able to sail up Union St and moor their boats outside the Union Club but it wasn’t until 1989, that in recognition of Oldhams strong Maritime history, a Lodge of Royal Ark Mariners was eventually founded in the town – Union RAM 171.
In those days when Oldham was the Cotton Capital of the world, ships from the Southern States of the USA used to sail into the town and unload onto the Mill Barges directly. The great thing about this arrangement, of course, was that they never went back empty-handed. They would be reloaded with fresh tripe and cowheel from the Tripe Mines at Chadderton, then sail back to America to feed the starving masses with these Oldham delicacies.
Indeed, before he defected to the Dark Side (or West Yorkshire Mark as we call it), that famous Oldham Mason, Martin Roche told me his Grandad was the Shop Steward for OADTMA (Oldham & District Tripe Miners Association).
As many of our older Members will know, Oldham’s time as a seaport sadly came to an end in 1963 when 4 thieves in subaqua gear stole the enormous brass plug of the drainage system at Werneth Docks causing the complete disappearance of the seawater within the space of 24 hours. Who will ever forget the Great Drain Robbery as it was known forever after?
42 years later in 2005, the Union Club, unfortunately, closed with the Union 171 Lodges relocating to Uppermill (Mark) and Rochdale (RAM) .
To the right of the Town Hall is Greaves St where you’ll now find the Old Bill Restaurant, the new home of Mark Masonry in the town following the relocation last year from Manchester of Goulburn Lodge No.680 – Mark Masonry back in Oldham Town Centre !
Will the Mariners ever return ?? Who knows…
• Picture used by kind permission of the artist, Cliff Murphy. Further info about Cliff’s work can be found by visiting – cliffmurphy.moonfruit.com
Eric Grosvenor 3rd April 2017
Quite a brilliant report from all our yesterdays. Today’s comedians could do with scriptwriters like you Garry, instead of the garbage some of the “Alternative so called comedians come out out with. Most enjoyable reading, reminds me of Shark fishing in the river Roche.
robert m summers 1st April 2017
Well I never, who would have thought.
Trevor 1st April 2017
Very apt on this day
David Stevens 1st April 2017
Me thinks the assistant provincial secretary has too much time on his hands. Very well researched though. Perhaps on 2nd April we might find he’s sold this story n eBay with profits going to the festival!
Well done done Garry (the original Aplril fool) Errock.
Dave Rainford 1st April 2017
Who would have thought that Oldham once rivalled Manchester as a thriving maritime centre and that it all went down the drain.