Moment landmark Hartford Mill Chimney in Oldham demolished to make way for new housing

Dramatic footage shows the moment a landmark chimney in Oldham is demolished to make way for new housing.

The video shows Hartford Mill chimney collapsing as explosives were used to destroy the structure on Sunday 1st October.

The chimney was part of Hartford Mill which was opened in 1907 and produced cotton until the 1950s.

It had been empty since 1991. The building was listed in 1993 as Grade II but its condition deteriorated and the mill became an eyesore.

Plans to knock the mill down were approved in 2019 and demolition began the following year but work was halted due to Covid restrictions and the chimney remained.

The landowner’s plans to knock down the chimney with a specialist machine were not possible due to the equipment not being available.

Councillor Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, said: “I’ve been told knocking down any chimney, especially one which is quite close to housing, is a complex job. That’s why it has remained standing while the rest of the mill was bulldozed.

“The removal of it will be an important milestone in this project and once it’s gone, the site can be cleared so it can then be used for much-needed new housing in the future.

“The council does everything it can to support building on brownfield land, to reduce pressure to build on the greenbelt. This site is a great example of that."

Residents living in nearby Werneth were evacuated from their homes whilst the demolition took place.

Oldham Council say the clearing of the site means that longstanding regeneration plans for the area can now move forward.