Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates/Shaw and Crompton
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Shaw and Crompton is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester. It contains the town of Shaw, previously known as Crompton, and lies at the edge of the South Pennines, 8.7 miles (14 km) to the northeast of Manchester. There is evidence of ancient British and Anglian activity in the area, and by the Middle Ages it was a small township, although lacking a lord's [Manorialism|manor]]. Farming was the main industry with some hand-loom woollen weaving until textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution initiated rapid urbanisation. By the late 19th century Crompton had emerged as a densely populated mill town with 48 cotton mills, some very large. Imports of foreign cotton led to a decline in textiles in the mid-20th century and the last mill closed in 1989. The borough is mainly suburban, with a population of 21,065. Six surviving former cotton mill are now home to large distribution companies, among them Shop Direct Group's Shaw National Distribution Centre, a major employer in the area.(Full article...)