The four school houses of Greenacres Primary Academy

 ALBION          CAIRO            ROME             ATHENS

In the nineteenth century, Oldham became world-famous for its cotton mills. There were more cotton spindles in the town then there were in almost any country in the world.

“There is more cotton spun in Oldham alone than in Germany and France put together.” (Daily Mail, 22 June 1909)

Because there were over 300 mills, the people who built them had to think of ever more impressive names. Our school houses are named after four local mills with classical history connections.

ALBION

The name Albion was used by Ancient Greek geographers for the island of Britain. The Romans referred to “white land” of Albion because of the white chalk cliffs of Dover.

Built in 1835, Albion Mill was a spinning and weaving mill in Bradshaw Street. The site is now a car park behind the Coliseum theatre.

© Copyright Immanuel Giel and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

CAIRO

Cairo is the capital city of Egypt, famous for the pyramids and Sphinx of Giza. The 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Khufu is the only surviving relic of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Cairo Mill still stands on the hill down Greenacres Road. It was built in 1903 and is now a hi-tech electronics factory.

© Copyright Chris Allen and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

ROME

Rome is the capital city of Italy, named after its mythical founder, Romulus. Rome was the centre of the Roman Empire. Almost 2,000-years-old, the city’s Colosseum is an amphitheatre where thousands of Romans would watch gladiatorial contests and other entertainment.

The massive Rome Mill in Springhead housed over 140,000 spindles when it was built in 1907. The site is now housing.

© Copyright M. Campbell and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

ATHENS

One of the world’s oldest cities, Athens is the capital city of Greece. The Parthenon is an iconic temple on the Acropolis hill. In 1896, Athens hosted the first modern-day Olympic Games.

Athens Mill was built in 1905 on Brook Lane in Lees. It stopped spinning cotton in 1933 and was later used for storing tractors. It was demolished in 1993 and is now landscaped.