Blackley is a suburban area 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 ...

, England. Historically in

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 ...

, it is approximately north of

Manchester city centre Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England situated within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way which collectively form an inner ring road. ...

, on the

River Irk The River Irk is a river in the historic county of Lancashire in the North West England that flows through the northern most Lancastrian towns of the ceremonial county of Greater Manchester. It rises to the east of Royton and runs west past ...

History

The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Blæclēah = "dark wood" or "dark clearing". In the 13th and 14th centuries Blackley was referred to as ''Blakeley'' or ''Blakelegh''. By the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, Blackley had become a park belonging to the lords of Manchester.' Its value in 1282 was recorded as £6 13s 4d, a sum approximately equivalent in buying power to £333,500 today. The lords of Manchester leased the land from time to time. In 1473, John Byron held the leases on Blackley village, Blackley field and Pillingworth fields at an annual rent of £33 6s 8d. The Byron family continued to hold the land until the beginning of the 17th century when Blackley was sold in parcels to a number of landowners. By the middle of the 17th century, Blackley was a rural village of just 107 inhabitants. There was gradual residential development in the 1930s to 1960s, where most farmland was built upon. Today, only pockets of the suburb are undeveloped green space, with farmland remaining close to the Manchester Ring Motorway. Crab lane in 1908

Blackley has an important history in the chemical industry, starting with the Borelle Dyeworks founded by Angel Raphael Louis Delaunay in 1785 and run by ICI, who expanded it as a research centre for chemicals and pharmaceuticals. There were several other dye and chemical works. Connolly's Ltd made telecommunication cabling, later becoming part of BICC.

Governance

Blackley, since 2010, has been part of the parliamentary constituency of Blackley and Broughton. The current

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

Graham Stringer Graham Eric Stringer (born 17 February 1950) is a British Labour Party politician serving as MP for Blackley and Broughton since 1997. Before entering Parliament, he served as leader of Manchester City Council from 1984 to 1996, and chair o ...

(Labour), who was first elected in 1997 for the predecessor constituency

Manchester Blackley Manchester, Blackley was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. In boundary changes for the ...

. The candidate of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

came second in the general election of 2019, with 24.6% of the vote compared to Stringer's 61.9%. The suburb is split between the local government wards of

Higher Blackley Higher Blackley is an electoral district or ward in the north of the City of Manchester, England. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 11,688. Heaton Park, one of Europe's largest parks, is in this ward. A new "education village ...

and Charlestown on Manchester City Council. The three councillors for both wards are members of the Labour Party.

Economy

During the 1930s, residential development started to take place in the formerly rural village to provide more homes for Manchester's growing population. It became an area with a mixture of housing: mainly privately owned homes for owner occupation and private renting. In 2014, Blackley appeared on a list of ''Top 10 Places to Live In Greater Manchester''. The suburb is popular for commuters into

Manchester City Centre Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England situated within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way which collectively form an inner ring road. ...

. The few opportunities to work in the suburb itself include the Hexagon Tower Development, close to North Manchester Hospital, which is a centre for scientific research into plastics and related innovation.

The church of Saint Peter

The Church of St Peter on Old Market Street is a Gothic Revival church, which was built in 1844 by E. H. Shellard. It was erected at a cost of £3162. It was designated a

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 Ir ...

on 20 June 1988. The interior is aisled and particularly impressive for its complete 170 year old interior, with the extremely unusual survival of all the fine boxes and pews. The churchyard contains the war graves of ten service personnel of

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 ...

, and seven of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Green spaces

Blackley has several green spaces:

Boggart Hole Clough

Boggart Hole Clough Boggart Hole Clough is a large woodland and urban country park in Blackley, a suburb of Manchester, England. It occupies an area of approximately , part of an ancient woodland, with picturesque ''cloughs'' varying from steep ravines to sloping g ...

is a large woodland and urban country park. The park has a

bowling green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

, tennis and basketball courts, a boating lake and a children's play area. It has its own permanent orienteering course and an athletics track. There is an old stone bridge across the brook running through the clough. The clough was designated a local nature reserve in 2008.

Blackley Forest

Site of Biological Importance A Site of Biological Importance (or SBI) is one of the non-statutory designations used locally by the Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire County Councils in England to protect locally valued sites of biological diversity which are describ ...

and an example of one of the country's first Community Woodlands. It was planted to commemorate the Queen's coronation and also local people killed in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The area has had woodland on it since the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

in 1066, when there were wild boar, deer and eagles. The forest is a mix of

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

, grassland and wetlands, with a network of paths and steps. The stretch of the

in the forest is fringed by

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains ...

trees with some colonies of autumn

crocus ''Crocus'' (; plural: crocuses or croci) is a genus of seasonal flowering plants in the family Iridaceae (iris family) comprising about 100 species of perennials growing from corms. They are low growing plants, whose flower stems remain under ...

Heaton Park

Heaton Park Heaton Park is a public park in Manchester, England, covering an area of over . The park includes the grounds of a Grade I listed, neoclassical 18th century country house, Heaton Hall. The hall, remodelled by James Wyatt in 1772, is now only ...

, at around , is the biggest park in Greater Manchester, and one of the largest municipal parks in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

, providing some 25% of Manchester's total green space. It is the grounds of

Heaton Hall Heaton Park is a public park in Manchester, England, covering an area of over . The park includes the grounds of a Grade I listed, neoclassical 18th century country house, Heaton Hall. The hall, remodelled by James Wyatt in 1772, is now only ...

, a Grade I listed, neoclassical 18th century country mansion. The hall was remodelled to a design by

James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to 1806. Early life W ...

in 1772, and is open to the public as a museum and events venue. Although the park is officially part of the

City 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 two ...

, two of a number of entrances are accessed from the suburb of Blackley, on Middleton Road.

Transport

Blackley is well served by buses primarily along the main arterial routes of Rochdale Road (A664), and Cheetham Hill Road/Bury Old Road (A665) directly to and from

. Initially these would have been provided by the precursors to, and

Manchester Carriage and Tramways Company 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 tw ...

, and currently by First Greater Manchester. Other journeys are provided by

Stagecoach Manchester Stagecoach ManchesterCompanies House extract company no 2818654

, which took over JPT in April 2014. There are frequent Metrolink trams from Bowker Vale to and from Manchester city centre and as far south as

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population ...

and as far north as

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

. Manchester's M60 orbital motorway is the northern boundary of Blackley.

Education

Primary schools

Blackley has a number of primary schools, which include: * Charlestown Community Primary School * Crab Lane Primary School * Crosslee Community Primary School * Holy Trinity CE Primary School * Mount Carmel RC Primary School * Pike Fold Primary School * St Clare's RC Primary School * St John Bosco RC Primary School * Victoria Avenue Primary School

Secondary schools

* The Co-operative Academy of Manchester * The Co-operative Academy North Manchester * Our Lady's RC High School. There are nearest secondary schools, including Manchester Communication Academy.

Special and Alternative Schools

* Camberwell Park School * Manchester Hospital Schools * North Ridge High School

Sports

Blackley Golf Club The course at Blackley Golf club

The award-winning Blackley Golf Club has occupied its present site close to the M60 since 1937. The club celebrated its centenary in 2007, and a new clubhouse opened in 2009. The clubhouse offers use for wedding receptions and private hire. There is a golf shop, open to club members and the public. The course's green is separated by fields from the motorway. A public footpath runs along the perimeter. Blackley Cricket Club Crab lane cricket ground

Blackley Cricket Club currently plays in the Greater Manchester Cricket League. The club is located on Crab Lane. It won the cricket league title for Greater Manchester in 2009.

Notable people

(either born in Blackley, or resident of Blackley) *

John Monks John Stephen Monks, Baron Monks (born 5 August 1945) is a Labour Co-operative member of the House of Lords and former trade unionist leader, who served as the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the UK from 1993 until 2003. ...

, Baron Monks of Blackley: Member of the House of Lords. Former General Secretary, TUC *

Hasney Aljofree Hasney Aljofree (born 11 July 1978) is an English former footballer who played as a defender. He began his career with Manchester United, during which time he earned one cap for the England U18 side. He joined Bolton Wanderers in 1996 and mad ...

, Swindon Town footballer *

John Bradford John Bradford (1510–1555) was an English Reformer, prebendary of St. Paul's, and martyr. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for alleged crimes against Queen Mary I. He was burned at the stake on 1 July 1555. Life Bradford was born ...

, Protestant martyr *

Northside Northside or North Side may refer to: Music * Northside (band), a musical group from Manchester, England * NorthSide, an American record label * NorthSide Festival (Denmark), a music festival in Aarhus, Denmark * "Norf Norf", a 2015 song by Vinc ...

singer, Warren “Dermo” Dermody * Stephen Bywater, professional footballer * Howard Davies, Economist and Author: Current Chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland and former director of the London School of Economics. *

David Heyes David Alan Heyes (born 2 April 1946) is a British people, British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and former Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashton-under-Lyne (UK Parliament constituency), Ashton- ...

, Labour Politician: Former Labour MP for

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 ...

Bernard Hill Bernard Hill (born 17 December 1944) is an English actor. He is well recognized for playing King Théoden in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Captain Edward Smith in ''Titanic'', and Luther Plunkitt, the Warden of San Quentin Prison in t ...

, actor of film, stage and television * Jon Macken, former Manchester United and Manchester City footballer * Bernard Manning, comedian *

Wilf McGuinness Wilfred McGuinness (born 25 October 1937) is an English former football player and manager, who played twice for England in his short playing career. He succeeded Sir Matt Busby as manager of Manchester United in 1969. Following his tenure at ...

, former Manchester United player and manager * Joe McIntyre, Former Professional Footballer * Malcolm Roberts, Musician, Entertainer and Eurovision contestant. *

Roger Byrne Roger William Byrne (8 September 1929
England Football Online. Retrieved 6 June 20 ...

, captain of Manchester United, and one of eight players who died in the Munich air disaster, of February 1958. *

Peter Townley Peter Townley (born 16 November 1955) is a Church of England priest who has been Archdeacon of Pontefract since 2007. Townley was born in Blackley, Manchester and educated at Moston Brook High School, the University of Sheffield and Ridley Hall, ...

, Church of England Archdeacon – current

Archdeacon of Pontefract The Archdeacon of Pontefract is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Leeds. As Archdeacon he or she is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within the five area deaneries of Dewsbury, Wakefield, Pontefract ...

Vini Reilly Vincent Gerard "Vini" Reilly (born 4 August 1953) is an English musician and leader of the post-punk group the Durutti Column. He is known for his distinctively clean, fluid guitar style, which stood out from his punk-era contemporaries in its ...

, Musician:

The Durutti Column The Durutti Column are an English post-punk band formed in 1978 in Manchester, England.Strong, Martin C. (1999) "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", Canongate, The band is a project of guitarist and occasional pianist Vini Reilly wh ...

References

External links

Blackley - Districts & Suburbs of ManchesterFriends of Blackley ForestSt. Peter's & St. Paul's ChurchesSt. Andrew's Church, Higher BlackleyHeaton Park
{{Authority control Areas of Manchester