Audenshaw is a market town
in
Tameside
The Metropolitan Borough of Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It is named after the River Tame, which flows through the borough, and includes the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, ...
,
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
, England, east of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
.
Historically
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
part of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
, in
2011 it had a population of 11,419.
The name derives from Aldwin, a
Saxon personal name, and the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
suffix ''shagh'' meaning "Woodland".
Nico Ditch
Nico Ditch is a six-mile (9.7 km) long linear earthwork between Ashton-under-Lyne and Stretford in Greater Manchester, England. It was dug as a defensive fortification, or possibly a boundary marker, between the 5th and 11th century.
The ...
, an
early-medieval linear earthwork possibly built as a defensive barrier against
Vikings
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...
, runs through the area. Medieval Audenshaw was a division of the
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...
of
Ashton in the county of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
.
Audenshaw expanded as a centre for
textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution
Textile manufacture during the British Industrial Revolution was centred in south Lancashire and the towns on both sides of the Pennines in the United Kingdom. The main drivers of the Industrial Revolution were textile manufacturing, iron found ...
and the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
with inhabitants employed in hat-making, cotton-spinning, calico-printing, and silk-weaving. In 1974, Audenshaw
Urban District
Urban district may refer to:
* District
* Urban area
* Quarter (urban subdivision)
* Neighbourhood
Specific subdivisions in some countries:
* Urban districts of Denmark
* Urban districts of Germany
* Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...
became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside.
History
![Audenshaw Reservoir, 2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Audenshaw_Reservoir%2C_2005.jpg)
The name Audenshaw is a corruption of its earlier name ''Aldwinshagh'' which derives from Aldwin, a
Saxon personal name, combined with the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
suffix ''shagh'' meaning "Woodland".
[.]
Nico Ditch
Nico Ditch is a six-mile (9.7 km) long linear earthwork between Ashton-under-Lyne and Stretford in Greater Manchester, England. It was dug as a defensive fortification, or possibly a boundary marker, between the 5th and 11th century.
The ...
, a medieval linear
earthwork, runs through the area. Stretching from Ashton Moss in the east to just east of
Stretford in the west, the origin of the ditch is unclear. According to legend, it was completed in a single night by the inhabitants of Manchester, as a protection against Viking invaders in 869–870, and that it was the site of a bloody battle between Saxons and Danes and that
Gorton
Gorton is an area of Manchester in North West England, southeast of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw.
A major landmark is Gorton Monastery, a 19th-century Hig ...
and
Reddish
Reddish is an area in Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. south-east of Manchester city centre. At the 2011 Census, the population was 28,052. Historically part of Lancashire, Reddish grew rapidly in the Industria ...
got their name from the battle, "Gore Town" and "Red-Ditch". Despite the legend, the U-shape of the ditch – as opposed to the usual V-shape of military earthworks – and the absence of an associated bank indicates that Nico Ditch was probably a boundary marker. Although it is thought to be earlier, the earliest documented reference to Nico Ditch is in a charter detailing the granting of land in Audenshaw to the monks of the
Kersal Cell
Kersal is a suburb and district of Salford in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, northwest of Manchester and was historically part of the county of Lancashire.
History
Kersal has been variously known as Kereshale, Kershal, Ker ...
. In the document, dating from 1190 to 1212, the ditch is referred to as "Mykelldiche", and a magnum fossatum, Latin for "large ditch".
In 1877, part of the original village of Audenshaw was demolished to make way for the three
Audenshaw Reservoirs. Also destroyed to allow the construction of the reservoirs was a section of Nico Ditch.
Governance
During the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
Audenshaw is supposed to have been a
thanage
The Thanage is a system of nobility, predating the modern Peerage in Scandinavia and the British Isles.
The basic title in the Thanage is the Thane, who in the Peerage is called a Baron.
Superior to the Thane is the Median-Thane, who in the Pe ...
held by
Saxons
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
,
but following the
Norman conquest of England fell within the
historic county boundaries of
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
, and noted as a division of
Ashton, an ancient
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...
and parish within the
hundred of Salford.
The division of Audenshaw spanned the village of Audenshaw, and the outlying settlements of Danehead, Hooleyhill, Littlemoss, North-street, Walkmill, Waterhouses and Woodhouses.
This arrangement persisted until the creation of Audenshaw's first local authority, a
local board of health
Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environmenta ...
in 1870.
Audenshaw Local Board of Health was a regulatory body responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation in the locality. Under the
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level un ...
, the area of the local board became the
Audenshaw Urban District, a local government district in the Ashton-under-Lyne
Poor Law Union and
administrative county
An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...
of Lancashire.
Under the
Local Government Act 1972, the Audenshaw Urban District was abolished, and Audenshaw has, since 1 April 1974, formed an
unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unpa ...
of the
Metropolitan Borough of Tameside
The Metropolitan Borough of Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It is named after the River Tame, which flows through the borough, and includes the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Du ...
, within the
Metropolitan county of
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
.
Audenshaw is represented in
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
by the
Denton and Reddish constituency. Since its creation in 1983, the constituency has been held by the
Labour Party,
At (53.4743°, −2.1122°), north-northwest of
central London and east of Manchester, Audenshaw stands at the head of the Dane valley.
Guide Bridge
Guide Bridge is an area west of Ashton-under-Lyne, in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, Guide Bridge was built as a village around an eponymous bridge over the Ashton Canal.
History
Industries included Sco ...
is an area of Audenshaw.
The Member of Parliament for the
Denton and Reddish constituency since 2005 has been
Andrew Gwynne
Andrew John Gwynne (born 4 June 1974) is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Denton and Reddish since 2005. A member of the Labour Party, he has been Shadow Minister for Public Health since 2021 and previousl ...
MP, representing the
Labour Party. His majority in the
2005 general election was 13,498 over the
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
candidate Julie Searle.
Audenshaw is an
electoral ward of
Tameside
The Metropolitan Borough of Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It is named after the River Tame, which flows through the borough, and includes the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, ...
, England.
The ward is represented by three councillors: Oliver Ryan (Lab), Maria Bailey (Lab), and Teresa Smith (Lab)
indicates seat up for re-election.
Demography
According to the
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament.
Overview
The ONS is responsible for t ...
, at the time of the
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.
The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for Nationa ...
, Audenshaw had a population of 12,790. The 2001 population density was , with a 100 to 93.2 female-to-male ratio. Of those over 16 years old, 28.4% were single (never married), 43.3% married, and 8.8% divorced. Audenshaw's 5,260 households included 29.0% one-person, 38.5% married couples living together, 8.8% were
co-habiting couples, and 11.4% single parents with their children. Of those aged 16–74, 33.4% had no
academic qualifications, similar to the Tameside average (35.2%), but above that of England (28.9%).
In 1951 the breakdown of social class in Audenshaw was recorded as 22.7% middle class and 19.3% working class. By 1971, this had changed to 23.4 middle class and 17.2% working class. The rest of the population was made up of clerical workers and skilled manual workers.
At the 2001 UK census, 80.28% of Audenshaw's residents reported themselves as being Christian, 1.1% Muslim, 0.6% Hindu, 0.3% Buddhist, and 0.1% Sikh. The census recorded 11.0% as having no religion, 0.2% had an alternative religion and 6.7% did not state their religion.
Population change
Notable people
*
Matthew Hughes (born 1950): politician, born in Audenshaw; Was the distinguished Principal of John Septamus Roe in Perth who grew the school from a small school in Mirrabooka to the largest private school in the state of WA. Matthew went on to become the first Labor party Member of the Legislative Assembly for the electorate of Kalamunda.
*
Lonelady
Julie Campbell, known as LoneLady, is a music artist from Manchester, England, influenced by the post-punk era, but later integrating dance and funk influences. She first started making music on a 4-track cassette recorder in her towerblock flat i ...
: 21st-century singer and guitarist, real name Julie Campbell, comes from Audenshaw
*
Ellis Plummer (born 1994):
Manchester City footballer; born in Audenshaw
*
Brooke Vincent
Brooke Levi Vincent (born 4 June 1992) is an English actress, known for her portrayal of Sophie Webster in the ITV soap-opera ''Coronation Street'', which she played from 2004 to 2019.
Early life
Vincent was born in Audenshaw, Greater Manche ...
(born 1992): actress, Sophie Webster in ''Coronation Street''; born in Audenshaw
*
Mick Hucknall
Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year career ...
(born 1960): singer, went to school at
Audenshaw School
Audenshaw School is an all-boys secondary school in Audenshaw, Greater Manchester, England. Previously, the school was known as Audenshaw Grammar School. It opened to boys in 1932.
History
On 29 July 1932, Audenshaw Grammar School for Boys was ...
*
Austin Hopkinson (born 1879–1962) Audenshaw MDC Councillor, MP, Founder of Audenshaw engineering firm, Pikrose, benefactor, donated his home Ryecroft Hall to the people of Audenshaw.
Transport
Audenshaw was once served by a
mainline railway station. The station closed in 1950. The town is now served by a
tram stop
A tram stop, tram station, streetcar stop, or light rail station is a place designated for a tram, streetcar, or light rail vehicle to stop so passengers can board or alight it. Generally, tram stops share most characteristics of bus stops, ...
on the
East Manchester line
The East Manchester Line (EML) is a tram line of the Manchester Metrolink in Greater Manchester, England, running from Manchester to Ashton-under-Lyne via Droylsden and Audenshaw. The line opened in 2013 as part of phase three of the system's exp ...
of the
Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink (branded locally simply as Metrolink) is a tram/ light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. The network has 99 stops along of standard-gauge route, making it the most extensive light rail system in the United Ki ...
, providing services westbound to
Eccles and
MediaCityUK and eastbound to
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...
.
The bus 220 runs between Manchester city centre and Stalybridge, via Openshaw, Audenshaw and Dukinfield. The bus 221 runs between Dukinfield and Manchester city centre, via Audenshaw and Openshaw. The bus 345 runs between Ashton-under-Lyne and Denton, via Dukinfield and Audenshaw. The bus 347 runs between Ashton-under-Lyne and Haughton Green, via Guide Bridge, Audenshaw and Denton.
Economy
Prior to the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
, the main occupation in Audenshaw was that of farming. The earliest recorded agriculture in the Tameside area was in Audenshaw in the period 1190–1212. As was the case in neighbouring
Denton, in the 19th century most of Audenshaw's residents were occupied in the hatting industry, the manufacture of cotton and silk, and
calico
Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...
printing.
According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment Audenshaw's residents aged 16–74 was 20.3% manufacturing, 18.7% retail and wholesale, 10.1% property and business services, 9.0% health and social work, 8.2% construction, 6.8% transport and communications, 6.3% education, 6.2% public administration, 5.2% finance, 3.8% hotels and restaurants, 0.9% energy and water supply, 0.4% agriculture, 0.1% mining, and 4.0% other. Compared with national figures, the town had a relatively high percentage of residents working in manufacturing (14.8% in England).
The census recorded the economic activity of residents aged 16–74, 2.2% students were with jobs, 3.0% students without jobs, 4.7% looking after home or family, 6.5% permanently sick or disabled, and 2.7% economically inactive for other reasons.
Landmarks
![St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/St._Stephen%27s_Church%2C_Audenshaw%2C_2005.jpg)
There are nine Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
s in Audenshaw*. These include two lodges which were originally a single barn, a trough and pillar, and St Stephen's Church. The church was constructed in 1846, at a cost of £2,900 (equivalent to £ in ) and provided space for a congregation of 750.
Ryecroft Hall, a Grade II listed building, was donated to the people of Audenshaw by the local Member of Parliament,
Austin Hopkinson, in 1921.
The war memorial at the entrance to Audenshaw Cemetery is also a Grade II listed building and commemorates the 140 men from Audenshaw who lost their lives in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Standing , it features a bronze statue of a soldier standing on top of a square column; the sculptor was
Percy George Bentham
Percy George Bentham (1883–1936) was a British sculptor whose works include portrait busts, statues and several war memorials. He was a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors, and a member of the Art Workers' Guild.
He was born in Fu ...
. There are slabs of black granite on the fours sides of the column with the names of the deceased. Unveiled in 1920 before a 10,000 strong crowd, it cost £1,300 (£ in ).
Education
![Audenshaw Grammer School](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Audenshaw_Grammer_School.jpg)
There are two nursery schools, five primary schools, and one secondary school in Audenshaw. Opened in 1932 as Audenshaw Grammar School for Boys,
Audenshaw School
Audenshaw School is an all-boys secondary school in Audenshaw, Greater Manchester, England. Previously, the school was known as Audenshaw Grammar School. It opened to boys in 1932.
History
On 29 July 1932, Audenshaw Grammar School for Boys was ...
is now the only secondary school in the town. In 2008, the school was the most successful in the borough in terms of proportion of pupils attaining five or more A*–C grades at
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
(GCSE) including maths and English (64% in Audenshaw School compared with the average of 41.8% for Tameside and 47.6% for England) and most points per pupil at
A-level. It is a specialist
technology college
In the United Kingdom, a Technology College is a specialist school that specialises in design and technology, mathematics and science. Beginning in 1994, they were the first specialist schools that were not CTC colleges. In 2008, there were ...
. Until 1964, secondary education was also provided by Poplar Street Primary School which was built in 1914, although its primary school still exists.
Sport
The
Audenshaw Greyhound Racing and Sports Ground existed from the turn of the 20th century, initially as an athletic and
coursing
Coursing by humans is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight, but not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, ...
ground and then as a
trotting track
The trot is a ten-beat diagonal horse gait where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time with a moment of suspension between each beat. It has a wide variation in possible speeds, but averages about . A very slow trot is somet ...
,
speedway dirt track and
greyhound racing track until 1934. This is not to be confused with the Athletics stadium that existed on the south side of the Manchester Road.
Audenshaw is also home to the historic rugby club Aldwinians RUFC, once captain by England's
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
captain from 1956 to 1958,
Eric Evans MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Audenshaw
*
List of mills in Tameside
This list of mills in Tameside, lists textile factories that have existed in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England.
From the Industrial Revolution until the 20th century, the towns of Tameside were a major centres of textile manufacture, par ...
*
List of people from Tameside
This is a list of famous and infamous people from Tameside, a metropolitan borough in North West England. This list includes people from the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Longdendale, Mossley and ...
*
Audenshaw Junction rail accident
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
e-tameside.co.uk– Guide to Tameside online
Audenshaw Local HistoryAudenshaw Libraries, a historySt Hilda's Church, AudenshawAudenshaw Booklets
{{authority control
Towns in Greater Manchester
Unparished areas in Greater Manchester
Geography of Tameside