Cheadle Hulme
Cheadle Hulme is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Cheshire, it is south-west of Stockport and south-east of Manchester. It lies in the Ladybrook Valley, on the Cheshire Plain, and the drift consists mostly of boulder clay, sands and gravels. In 2011, it had a population of 26,479.
Evidence of Bronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon activity, including coins, jewellery and axes, has been discovered locally. The area was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was a large estate which included neighbouring Cheadle. In the early 14th century, it was split into southern and northern parts at about the future locations of Cheadle Hulme and Cheadle respectively. The area was acquired by the Moseley family in the 17th century and became known as Cheadle Moseley. Unlike many English villages, it did not grow around a church; instead it formed from several hamlets, many of which retain their names as neighbourhoods within Cheadle Hulme. In the late 19th century, Cheadle Hulme was united with Cheadle, Gatley and other neighbouring places to form the urban district of Cheadle and Gatley. This district was abolished in 1974 and Cheadle Hulme became a distinct place in its own right, as part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport.
Cheadle Hulme has a railway station and is close to Manchester Airport, the M60 and the A34.
History
Early history
The Domesday Book provides the earliest mention of the area, where it is recorded as "Cedde", Celtic for "wood". Local archaeological finds include Bronze Age axes discovered in Cheadle. Evidence of Roman occupation includes coins and jewellery, which were discovered in 1972. The modern-day Cheadle Road was originally known as Street Lane, and may be of Roman origin. A stone cross dedicated to the Anglo-Saxon St Chad, discovered in 1873, indicates Anglo-Saxon activity. The cross was found in an area called "Chad Hill", on the banks of the Micker Brook near its confluence with the River Mersey; this area became "Chedle". Suggestions for the origin of the name include the words cedde, and leigh or leah, in Old English meaning "clearing", forming the modern day "Cheadle". "Hulme" may have been derived from the Danish word for "water meadow" or "island in the fen".According to the Domesday Book in 1086, the modern-day Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme were a single large estate. Valued at £20, it was described as "large and important" and "a wood three leagues long and half as broad". One of the earliest owners of the property was the Earl of Chester. It was held by a Gamel, a free Saxon, under Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester, and later became the property of the de Chedle family, who took their name from the land they owned. By June 1294 Geoffrey de Chedle was Lord of the Manor. Geoffrey's descendant Robert died in the early 1320s, leaving the estate to his wife Matilda who held it until her death in 1326. As there were no male heirs the manor, which was now worth £30 per annum, was divided between her daughters, Clemence and Agnes. Clemence inherited the southern half, and Agnes inherited the northern half,. The two areas became known as "Chedle Holme" and "Chedle Bulkeley" respectively. Shortly afterwards the Chedle Holme estate was divided and the part where Hulme Hall is now situated became known as "Holme", and held by the Vernons. The estates were reunified on the death of the last of the Vernons in 1476.
The only daughter of Clemence and William de Bagulegh, Isabel de Bagulegh, succeeded her parents as owner of the manor, and married Sir Thomas Danyers. Danyers was rewarded for his efforts in the crusades through an annual payment from the King of 40 marks, as well as the gift of Lyme Hall. His daughter Margaret continued to receive payments after his death.
The first John Savage succeeded Margaret, and nine more followed him. The tenth died young, so the estate passed to his brother, Thomas Savage. In 1626 Charles I created the title of Viscount Savage for him. On his death the estate passed to his daughter Joan, who later married John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester. Joan died during childbirth at the age of 23, and the estate passed to the Marquess. The Marquess practised Catholicism, and in 1643 the estate was confiscated due to persecution of Catholics in the English Civil War.
Following this, the estate was acquired by the Moseley family of Manchester and became known as Cheadle Moseley. Anne Moseley was the last of this family to hold the manor, as her husband could not afford to keep it following her death. It was purchased by John Davenport, who bequeathed it to the Bamford family when he died childless in 1760. After the last Bamford died without male issue in 1806, the estate passed to Robert Hesketh who took the name Bamford-Hesketh; it is from this family that the Hesketh Tavern public house in Cheadle Hulme got its name. The last person to hold the manor was Winifred, Countess of Dundonald, one of Bamford-Hesketh's descendants.
Modern history
In 1801, the population was 971 and had risen to 2,319 by 1851. In 1868, the area became a parish, but it was merged with Cheadle Bulkeley in 1879 and became part of the Cheadle and Gatley district in 1894. The name "Cheadle Moseley" continued to be used for the area, and appeared on tithes and deeds until the 20th century. In 1974, the Cheadle and Gatley district was abolished and Cheadle Hulme became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport.In the Second World War, Cheadle Hulme was a refuge for evacuees from Manchester and the Channel Islands. The area had its own Home Guard, as well as several air-raid shelters. Cheadle Hulme was also home to large parts of RAF Handforth. This was a maintenance unit, classed as a Universal stores depot, "RAF Handforth No 61 M.U. ". The depot, opened in 1939 and closed in 1958–59, covered large areas of land in Cheadle Hulme and neighbouring Handforth.
The depot stored and dispatched every item that the RAF used in wartime, from knives and forks to aircraft engines. The site was served by a large, internal railway system which left the Manchester to Crewe mainline prior to Handforth railway station. The site of the exchange sidings and junction is at the rear of the Pets At Home offices on Epsom Avenue. The depot had its own shunting locomotives, which were stored in an engine shed that stood at the Wilmslow bound exit slip road for the Handforth Dean shopping centre.
The only surviving buildings of RAF Handforth are the government pay offices adjacent to the Total Fitness gym on Dairyhouse Lane. These buildings were the Headquarters of the depot and have survived in military/MoD use to this day. The depot had satellite sites within Cheadle Hulme, these being Site Number 5, general storage and site number 6 which is now covered by part of the Hursthead housing estate. Three large steel built, vehicle storage sheds stood at the junction of Malmesbury Road and Lyncombe Close/Tintern Road. The last of these sheds survived well into the 1980s and was latterly used by the local council as a rubbish dump. This stood between Tollard Close and Tintern Road. The houses on May Avenue were built by the RAF as married quarters and exist to this day.
As well as the above sites, several domestic sites existed within Cheadle Hulme. These provided sleeping, eating and washing facilities for the Airmen and women stationed at RAF Handforth. Grove Lane park was the site of an Officers' mess, Cinema, NAAFI, Post Office, chapel and bath house among other buildings. The Grove, near the junction of Grove Lane and Pingate Lane, was Nissen hut accommodation, as were the flats on Gillbent Road opposite the shops and the large field at the junction of Longsight Lane and Stanley Road. The remains of the air raid shelters can still be seen at this location to this day. The wooded area to the rear of numbers 48–64 Hall Moss Lane also housed an officers' mess, NAAFI, post office, chapel and bath house.
RAF Handforth was a large and important storage facility that contributed directly to the war effort. The site stretched from the centre of Handforth village, through Cheadle Hulme and onwards to Woodford. The industrial estate Adlington Park in Woodford/Poynton was a dispersed site of RAF Handforth. Cheadle Hulme itself escaped being badly damaged, but its villagers knew the extent of the war, mainly due to the large and visible presence of the RAF and could hear the sounds of air-raids on Manchester.
Cheadle Hulme did not grow around a church like many English villages, but instead grew from several hamlets that existed in the area. Many of the names of these hamlets still appear in the names of areas, including Smithy Green, Lane End, Gill Bent, and Grove Lane. Some of the many farms such as Orish Mere Farm and Hursthead Farm which covered the area also retain their names in schools that were built in their place.
The area was struck by an F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day. The tornado later moved over Stockport town centre, causing further damage.
Governance
Cheadle Hulme was historically part of the ancient parish of Cheadle within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire. It formed the township of Cheadle Moseley. Following the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, part of Cheadle Moseley was amalgamated into the Municipal Borough of Stockport. Cheadle Moseley became a separate civil parish in 1866, but in 1879 it was united with the neighbouring civil parish of Cheadle Bulkeley to form the civil parish of Cheadle.Established in 1886, Cheadle Hulme's first local authority was the Cheadle and Gatley local board of health, a regulatory body responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation for the area of Stockport Etchells township and the part of Cheadle township outside the Municipal Borough of Stockport. The board of health was also part of Stockport poor law union. In 1888 the board was divided into four wards: Adswood, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme and Gatley. Under the Local Government Act 1894 the area of the local board became Cheadle and Gatley Urban District. There were exchanges of land with the neighbouring urban districts of Wilmslow and Handforth in 1901, and the wards were restructured again, splitting Cheadle Hulme into north and south, and merging in Adswood. Due to the fast-paced growth of the district, the wards were again restructured in 1930, with the addition of Heald Green. In 1940 the current wards of Adswood, Cheadle East, Cheadle West, Cheadle Hulme North, Cheadle Hulme South, Gatley and Heald Green were established. Under the Local Government Act 1972 the Cheadle and Gatley Urban District was abolished, and Cheadle Hulme has, since 1 April 1974, formed an unparished area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester.
Since 1950 Cheadle Hulme has been part of the Cheadle parliamentary constituency, and has been represented by Conservative member Mary Robinson since 2015. Six councillors, three representing Cheadle Hulme South ward and three representing Cheadle Hulme North, serve on the borough council.
Geography
At, Cheadle Hulme is in the south of Greater Manchester. Stockport Metropolitan Borough straddles the Cheshire Plain and the Pennines, and Cheadle Hulme is in the west of the borough on the Cheshire Plain. The area lies in the Ladybrook Valley next to the Micker Brook, a tributary of the River Mersey which flows north–west from Poynton through Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme, joining the Mersey in Stockport. Cheadle Hulme is situated south-west of Stockport town centre, and south-east of Manchester city centre.The majority of buildings in the area are houses from the 20th century, but there are a few buildings, landmarks, and objects that date from the 16th century, in addition to Bramall Hall which dates from the 14th century. In particular, there are many Victorian buildings in several places across the area. The local drift geology is mostly glacial boulder clay, as well as glacial sands and gravel. For many years the clay has been used for making bricks and tiles.
Cheadle Hulme's climate is generally temperate, like the rest of Greater Manchester. The mean highest and lowest temperatures of and are slightly above the average for England, while the annual rainfall of and average hours of sunshine are respectively above and below the national averages.
Demography
According to the Office for National Statistics, Cheadle Hulme had a population of 28,952 at the 2001 census. The population density was, with a 100–92.5 female-to-male ratio. Of those aged over 16, 19.7% were single and 41% married. Cheadle Hulme's 11,981 households included 27.6% one-person, 43.5% married couples living together, 6.5% were co-habiting couples, and 8.1% single parents with children. Of those aged 16–74, 20.8% had no academic qualifications.About 76.5% of Cheadle Hulme's residents reported themselves as being Christian, 1.9% Muslim, 0.9% Jewish and 0.7% Hindu. The census recorded 12.3% as having no religion, 0.3% had an alternative religion and 7.2% did not state their religion.
Economy
For many years Cheadle Hulme was rural countryside, made up of woods, open land, and farms. The local population was made up of farmers and peasants, living in small cottages and working the land under the tenancy of the Lord of the Manor. Most families kept animals for food, grew their own crops, and probably bought and sold produce at Stockport market. Water was obtained from local wells and ponds, and sometimes the Micker Brook.Local silk weaving became a large part of everyday life. The work took place in domestic cottages in a room known as a "loomshop", and the woven silk was transported to firms in Macclesfield away. Silk-weaving remained commonplace in the area until the early 20th century, when the process became industrialised. Other industries in the area included a corn mill, which collapsed some time during the First World War, located next to the Micker Brook; cotton weaving; and brickworks, one located where the fire station is and one near the railway station. A coal wharf was situated opposite the railway station and supplied the area with coal.
The building of the railways in the early 1840s introduced new employment opportunities for people in places such as Stockport and Manchester, as well as an influx of people coming to live in the area. In the mid-19th century, one of the earliest shops was opened in the Smithy Green area, selling groceries, sweets and other provisions. As people settled in the area, more shops were opened and new houses were built, many of which still stand. During the early 20th century Cheadle Hulme experienced a rapid growth in population, mostly due to an influx of people from Manchester and other large towns and cities coming to live in the area, and it gradually became more suburban. In the 1930s more houses were built around the Grove Lane and Pingate Lane, Gill Bent Road, Hulme Hall Road and Cheadle Road areas, and new roads replaced old farms. In the 1960s the Hursthead estate was built on land that was once Hursthead Farm. By 2009 the only farm remaining was Leather's Farm on Ladybridge Road.
Cheadle Hulme is served by a fire station on Turves Road which opened in October 1960. Before this the area made use of a service in Cheadle. An ambulance station is near the fire station, and the closest public hospital is Stepping Hill Hospital in Hazel Grove. Until the early 2000s the area had a police station which served as the headquarters for the west Stockport area. The building, which opened in 1912, was sold in 2006 and converted into flats.
Cheadle Hulme has a large variety of businesses serving the area. Station Road is home to the shopping precinct and contains among other businesses an Oxfam shop, an Asda supermarket, a hairdressing salon, an optician, a pharmacy, some clothing retailers and several restaurants. There are more restaurants and cafés along Station Road as well as solicitors and building societies, and long-running family businesses such as Pimlott's butchers are also prominent. In 2002, a Tesco Express opened on the site of an old petrol station, and in July 2007 Cheadle Hulme became the home of Waitrose's first purpose-built retail outlet in northern England. Other retailers include a Wetherspoons pub, Homebird chic interiors store and Mountain Ski Services, a local ski and snowboard tuning service.
According to the 2001 census, the biggest industry of employment for Cheadle Hulme residents is that of wholesale and retail trade and repairs with approximately 16% of people employed in that industry. This is followed closely by real estate, renting and business activities with 15% of people employed in this area. Other big areas of employment include manufacturing, health and social work, and education. Approximately 30% of people were classed as "economically inactive" in the 2001 census. This included retired people, people who had to look after their family, and disabled or sick people.
Landmarks
, a Grade I listed building, is a 14th-century black and white timber framed Tudor manor house, located between Cheadle Hulme and Bramhall. Described by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council as "the most prestigious and historically significant building in the Conservation Area", it is situated in the middle of of landscaped parkland featuring lakes, woodland and gardens. Both house and grounds are open to the public and are in one of the 19 conservation areas in the borough.The Swann Lane, Hulme Hall Road, and Hill Top Avenue conservation area contains 16th and 17th century timber-framed buildings, Victorian villas, churches, and some former farmsteads. There are two Grade II listed buildings in this area: Hulme Hall, a timber-framed manor house which dates from either the 16th or 17th century, and 1 Higham Street, formerly Hill Cottage, which is of a similar period and style to Hulme Hall. The Church Inn public house, which dates from either the late 18th or early 19th century, is situated on the edge of this area.
Around 300 men from Cheadle Hulme served in the First World War, and it was decided that those who died should be commemorated. Various ideas, including a library and clock tower, were suggested and in the end a cenotaph was built on the corner of Ravenoak Road and Manor Road in 1921. Additions for later wars have been made, and due to the busy traffic around that particular place there have been suggestions for moving it to a quieter area.
Bruntwood Park has a variety of facilities, including orienteering, an 18-hole, par 3 pitch and putt golf course, children's play areas, football pitches, and a BMX track. Bruntwood Park is also home to The Bowmen of Bruntwood, Stockport's only archery club. Bruntwood Park is a Grade B Site of Biological Interest, and in 1999 was given a Green Flag Award for its high standards. The land it occupies was once a large estate, which at one time included a stud farm. Bruntwood Hall, a Victorian Gothic building constructed in 1861, has been used for various purposes, including serving as Cheadle and Gatley Town Hall from 1944 until 1959. It is now a hotel and since the 1940s the park has been open to the public.
Oak Meadow Park is a small park on Station Road, with a large grass area and woodland. In the early 2000s it was renovated and refurbished, with new fences, benches and footpaths. The project to maintain and improve the park is a continuous process overseen by a local volunteer group. The park is used for special community events throughout the year.
Transport
Road
Although most of the roads in the area date from the 20th century, there are many older roads formed from ancient routes. Cheadle Road possibly originated in Roman times and Ack Lane is named after Hacon, a local Saxon landowner. Hulme Hall Road is named for the landmark it runs through and has existed since at least the 18th century. Until the 20th century, the roads were little more than country lanes and most traffic consisted of horsedrawn carriages, carts and milk floats. The roads were about half as wide as they are currently and have all since been widened to accommodate the increasing amount of traffic. The first cars appeared in Cheadle Hulme in the early 1900s, but horse-drawn vehicles were the main form of transport until the 1920s. A bus, known as the 'Rattler', was introduced around this time and ran a service through the area. It was, however, very slow and noisy, as its name suggests.The A34 Cheadle by-pass passes nearby; the A5419 and B5095 roads traverse Cheadle Hulme.
Railway
The Crewe to Manchester railway was completed in May 1842 and a railway station known as 'Cheadle' was built opposite the modern-day Hesketh Tavern. When the Stafford to Manchester railway opened in 1845, the original station closed and a new station was built to accommodate the junction between the two railways. The road was renamed to Station Road in the same year and the station was renamed to Cheadle Hulme in 1866. The station has four platforms that serve the Crewe to Manchester and Stafford to Manchester Lines; there are three trains per hour to Manchester and one train per hour to Stoke and Crewe. During the financial year 2007–2008, the station was used by passengers 424,000 times, an increase of 47,000 from the previous year.Air
Cheadle Hulme is situated near to Manchester Airport, the busiest airport in the United Kingdom outside the London area.Buses
There are many buses that operate on a daily basis throughout the area, with frequent services to and from Stockport bus station, passing through neighbouring towns and villages. There are also services to Manchester Piccadilly Gardens, as well as to places such as Woodford, Macclesfield, Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport. Most buses are operated by Stagecoach Manchester.Education
Cheadle Hulme's first school, established in 1785, was named after local grocer Jonathan Robinson, who donated of land on what is now Woods Lane. The school was built on what is now the corner of Woods Lane and Church Road, and was originally for the teaching of four boys and four girls. With the increasing population and the Education Act 1870 All Saints' National School was built across the road in 1873, next to All Saints' Church from which it took its name. Other schools established in the 19th century include the Grove Lane Baptist Day School, built in 1846; Cheadle Hulme School in 1855; the Congregational Church School in the same year; and Ramillies Hall School in 1884. Hulme Hall Grammar School was established in 1928, Queens Road Primary School opened in 1932, and the school that became Cheadle Hulme High School was built near to the site of the Jonathan Robinson School in the 1930s. The majority of the rest of the schools in the area were established in the 1950s and 1960s, including Cheadle County Grammar School for Girls which later became Margaret Danyers Sixth Form College, named after the same Danyers who was lady of the manor in the 14th century. The site is now the Cheadle campus of Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College. In addition to the college, there are nine primary schools, two secondary schools, Cheadle Hulme High School and St. James' Catholic High School, which opened in 1980, three private schools and one special school, Seashell Trust.Culture
Venues
The East Cheshire Chess Club is located on Church Road and there are two amateur theatre societies: Players' Dramatic Society on Anfield Road, and Chads Theatre on Mellor Road. Cheadle Hulme Library, which opened on 28 March 1936, is also located on Mellor Road. Cheadle Hulme once had its own cinema named the Elysian Cinema, which was located on Station Road, but this closed in March 1974. As of 2009, the closest cinemas to Cheadle Hulme are approximately away in Stockport and the Parrs Wood entertainment centre, both leisure complexes which include restaurants, bars, bowling and fitness facilities.Cheadle Hulme is also home to many public houses and restaurants that serve a variety of cuisine, including Indian, Chinese and Italian. The John Millington, a Grade II listed building, was formerly Millington Hall, built for Stockport alderman John Millington. A row of cottages near to the hall served as a meeting place for local Methodists from 1814, before a purpose-built chapel was established. A Sunday school was also established in the same place. The King's Hall was built in 1937 and was originally a dance hall before its conversion into a restaurant and public house.