Lees | About the Area

The village of Lees lies within the borough of Oldham and on the eastern side of the River Medlock and at the foot of the hills of the Pennines. Locally Lees is known as the County End, as it is located on the Lancashire side of the county boundary with West Riding of Yorkshire.

For many centuries, Lees was just a handful of hamlets that were linked to the township of Ashton-under-Lyne. Farming was its main industry until the industrial revolution at the beginning of the 19h Century, which saw a shift to producing cotton.

It was also about then that Lees began to develop its reputation for its natural spring water. Waters from the Lees Spa became a fashionable drink, so much that it was bottled and sold around the country. Visitors came from all over the country and visiting numbers drastically increased during the 1800s. Plans were then put in place to develop Lees into a Spa Town but this was halted when unplanned process of urbanisation took place due to the boom in proofs available from the textiles industry. The dream of the next Harrogate was left behind.

Lees expanded as a factory village and at its height; the district of Lees was home to 11 cotton mills and changed the character of the village altogether. In more recent years, Lees has continued to grow in size in both residential and amenities. Its role has once again turned to a commuter village, for people who work in Western Yorkshire and Oldham. Commercial and distribution companies now use the old cotton mills.

Transport links
Lees is situated on the A669, which runs from Saddleworth and Oldham. The M60 is also in easy access from Lees. The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive manages the transport links in Lees.

Rail
There is no train station in Lees. The nearest train station is Oldham Mumps, which is 1.65 miles from Lees.

Bus
Although there is not a bus station situated in Lees, there are frequent buses running to Oldham, Manchester, Huddersfield, Hyde, Middleton, Mossley, Saddleworth and Stalybridge. These services are provided by First Manchester. 

Local Services
Details of local services in Pencoed

Library
Lees Library
Community Hub
Thomas Street
Lees
Oldham
OL4 5DA
0161 633 5764

Hospital
There is no Hospital in Lees but the area does have a medical centre:

Lees Health Centre
Egerton Street
Oldham
OL1 3SF