Oldham has earned itself a place in history being a centre of the textile industry which flourished in the industrial revolution. The magnificent mill buildings which made Oldham one of the world's leading cotton spinning towns during the 19th and early 20th centuries are still evident. Its industrial past, so much wrapped up in the textile industry, is featured at both Oldham Museum and the independent Saddleworth Museum, housed in an old mill building.

Much of Oldham's town centre architecture is Victorian. The original Town Hall, with its inpressive facade, was built in 1841. Sir Winston Churchill made his inaugural acceptance speech from the Town Hall steps when he was first elected as a Conservative MP in 1900.

Tommyfield, Oldham's busy market with over 300 traders, is one of the largest outdoor markets in the north of England. Its name is derived from "Tommy's-field", a meadow which pig breeder Tommy Whittaker rented from landowner Sir Nathanial Curzon. Tommyfield was once the cultural heart of Oldham, famous for fairs, sideshows and circuses and a rallying point for mass political meetings.

Today the town has other cultural centres. The new GalleryOldham opened in 2002. It is one of the most progressive galleries in the North West hosting workshops, special events and artists' residences to complement the exhibitions and the impressive collection which includes paintings by Constable, Turner and Lowry and the Charles Lee's Watercolour Collection.