An early reference to the name Grotton was in 1603, when it was mentioned in the will of Gilbert Buckley, a member of the local branch of the Buckleys, of Buckley Hall, in the parish of Rochdale. Later the family built the Grotton Hall mansion at Lydgate.

But it was the opening of the Grotton Lido in the 1930s, which really put the village on the map. Ironically, this was around the same time as the West Riding County Council was redrawing its local government boundaries; by forcing Grotton and the other villages in the Springhead UDC to amalgamate with the rest of Saddleworth.
The Oldham Evening Chronicle headlined the opening of the Lido as: “Grotton’s Splendid New Open-Air Bathing Pool.”
The Chairman of Springhead Council (Councillor Harry Wilde, JP) formally opened the lido on 11th May 1935, to memorable scenes, witnessed by an immense crowd of people... “such as has never been seen at Grotton before.”
Throngs of people, basking in the Saddleworth sunshine, attended the scene at Grotton Hollow where they listened to the opening speeches of the dignitaries and to music from an orchestra, before they enjoyed the delights of the Saturday afternoon’s water sport activities.
Competitions included a Ladies bathing beauty contest, won by Miss Alfreda Smalley of Lees, and two raft wrestling competitions for both men and boys. There were free style swimming races for all and also best-style breaststroke races for the men and boys.

The Lido itself was constructed on the site of the former Dunkerley’s Mill (demolished in 1933) and was believed to be the biggest open-air bathing pool in the country. It boasted the very best water purification plant in England and, according to the makers of the plant, Grotton’s lido was even better equipped than the famous pool at Grosvenor House, London.
Two property developers Messrs Whitehouse and Stubbs, who were the pioneers behind the village’s 1930s housing and shopping development, built it. They hoped that the open-air pool would help to create a semi-holiday resort and that Grotton might benefit from the glories previously enjoyed by nearby Lees, to where Manchester physicians sent patients to recuperate.
With an already well-established railway station, it is not difficult to understand the logic that people would be encouraged to visit Grotton’s open-air pool to participate in healthy leisure pursuits.An early reference to the name Grotton was in 1603, when it was mentioned in the will of Gilbert Buckley, a member of the local branch of the Buckleys, of Buckley Hall, in the parish of Rochdale. Later the family built the Grotton Hall mansion at Lydgate.
But it was the opening of the Grotton Lido in the 1930s, which really put the village on the map. Ironically, this was around the same time as the West Riding County Council was redrawing its local government boundaries; by forcing Grotton and the other villages in the Springhead UDC to amalgamate with the rest of Saddleworth.

The Oldham Evening Chronicle headlined the opening of the Lido as: “Grotton’s Splendid New Open-Air Bathing Pool.”
The Chairman of Springhead Council (Councillor Harry Wilde, JP) formally opened the lido on 11th May 1935, to memorable scenes, witnessed by an immense crowd of people... “such as has never been seen at Grotton before.”
Throngs of people, basking in the Saddleworth sunshine, attended the scene at Grotton Hollow where they listened to the opening speeches of the dignitaries and to music from an orchestra, before they enjoyed the delights of the Saturday afternoon’s water sport activities.
Competitions included a Ladies bathing beauty contest, won by Miss Alfreda Smalley of Lees, and two raft wrestling competitions for both men and boys. There were free style swimming races for all and also best-style breaststroke races for the men and boys.
The Lido itself was constructed on the site of the former Dunkerley’s Mill (demolished in 1933) and was believed to be the biggest open-air bathing pool in the country. It boasted the very best water purification plant in England and, according to the makers of the plant, Grotton’s lido was even better equipped than the famous pool at Grosvenor House, London.
Two property developers Messrs Whitehouse and Stubbs, who were the pioneers behind the village’s 1930s housing and shopping development, built it. They hoped that the open-air pool would help to create a semi-holiday resort and that Grotton might benefit from the glories previously enjoyed by nearby Lees, to where Manchester physicians sent patients to recuperate.
With an already well-established railway station, it is not difficult to understand the logic that people would be encouraged to visit Grotton’s open-air pool to participate in healthy leisure pursuits.

Grotton’s station was positioned alongside the famous Delph Donkey railway line, which was part of the L. & N.W.R. branch-line linking Saddleworth with Oldham. Its impressive Station House still survives and in it’s hey day the station was famous for its old country railway atmosphere, when the platform was rich with flowers and was the pride and joy of the station staff and the passengers who used the line.
Gartsides, at Brookside Brewery in Ashton must have also considered the area’s tourism potential, because in 1937 plans were drawn up to build the Grotton Hotel - on the corner of Station Road, not far from the village’s picturesque railway station. Charles Kibble was the hotel’s first manager and on the morning of the 19th July 1939 the licence of the Morning Star, Oldham Road, Springhead, was transferred to him. He opened the pub at 11.30am on the same day, enabling the lido’s alfresco customers to enjoy a frothy pint after their swim.
The building had four main rooms on the ground floor – a central lounge, a concert room for entertainment, a taproom and parlour, plus a ladies room. There was a separate off-licence, with its own entrance at the rear of the building and a large clubroom upstairs. The pub’s interior was furnished in the style of art and decoration popular in the 1930s based on geometric shapes and strong colours.

Grotton today, struggles to retain its village individuality against a backdrop of housing development, but maintains a strong neighbourhood identity with a thriving community centre, a successful Whit-Friday brass band contest and the occasional visual reminder of its recent history.
The Lido had a brief, but popular existence and views of it appear on several old picture postcards. Apart from its 180ft long pool, its facilities included a water chute and a high diving board. There was also a dance floor and a bandstand, on which the White Star Dance Band would play on Tuesday and Saturday evenings. Eventually, adverse weather and the onset of World War Two brought about its closure. Lido House, a sheltered housing unit opposite the Grotton Hotel, now occupies part of the open-air swimming pool site and gives a present day clue to the original enterprise.

In April 1955, the Delph Donkey made its epic last journey and steamed its way out of Clegg Street station for the last time. With its passing, the stations at Glodwick Road, Lees, Grotton and the terminus at Delph were closed. Grotton’s Station House is now a private residence, retaining much of its railway character. The north platform of the old station is still recognisable as part of the pleasant linear park walk from Springhead to Grotton. Alas, the only train to catch now is that for youngsters - in the nearby Old Mill Lane playground.
The Grotton Hotel, or The Grotton, as this popular pub is now called, has been refurbished many times since the 1939 and more recently a couple of years ago when its original art-deco theme was restored to something similar to that experienced by the hotel’s first manager. Unfortunately, its current manager can no longer rely on customers from Grotton’s famous bathing pool as Charles Kibble did, or from thirsty railway travellers. But thankfully, so the pub’s regulars tell me, you can still be served with a frothy pint.

David Needham