Chorlton-cum-Hardy 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 City of Salford, Salford to ...
, England, southwest of the
city centre.
Chorlton ward had a population of 14,138 at the
2011 census, and
Chorlton Park 15,147.
By the 9th century, there was an Anglo-Saxon settlement here. In 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 ...
, improved drainage methods led to population growth. In the late
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literature ...
and
Edwardian
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
periods, its rural character made it popular among the
middle class
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Co ...
. The loss of its railway station, the conversion of larger houses into flats or bedsitters, and significant social housing development to the south of the area changed its character again in the 1970s. However, the existing Manchester Metrolink tram stop called Chorlton was built on the site of that former railway station and from Manchester, it is served by East Didsbury trams and Manchester Airport trams.
Historically, Chorlton was a village on
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
's southern border with
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's coun ...
, and a township within the ancient parish of Manchester. It was incorporated into the city of Manchester in 1904. Chorlton borders
Stretford
Stretford is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, south of Manchester city centre, south of Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford and n ...
,
Sale,
Didsbury,
Withington, and
Whalley Range. The
River Mersey
The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed par ...
runs past Chorlton along its southern boundary. The area's eastern boundary has changed since the 19th century because of incorporation into the City of Manchester and division into wards.
History
Toponymy
Chorlton probably means Ceolfrith's farm or settlement from the
Old English personal name and ''tūn'', an enclosure, farmstead or village. Hardy is derived from a personal name, Hearda, and ''ēg'',
Anglian for island or dry ground in a well-watered land. It has alternatively been suggested that Hardy may mean "by the woods", in reference to the ancient forest of Arden Wood that grew on both sides of the
River Mersey
The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed par ...
in the area. Chorlton was recorded as Chollirton in 1250, Chollerton from 1292 and as Chourton in 1572.
It was also noted down as Chawerton on a map of the
Salford Hundred
The Salford Hundred (also known as Salfordshire) was one of the subdivisions of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England (see:Hundred (county division). Its name alludes to its judicial centre being the township of Salford (th ...
by John Speed in 1610.
The ancient hamlets of Chorlton and Hardy, separated by the
Chorlton Brook, together with Martledge and
Barlow Moor, did not come under the combined name of Chorlton-cum-Hardy (''cum'' is Latin for "with") until the 18th century; local historian Cliff Hayes reports that he can find no mention of Chorlton-cum-Hardy before 1700. The name was adopted by Victorian property developers who arrived in the wake of the coming of the railway in 1880, to distinguish this Chorlton from
Chorlton-on-Medlock
Chorlton-on-Medlock or Chorlton-upon-Medlock is an inner city area of Manchester, England.
Historically in Lancashire, Chorlton-on-Medlock is bordered to the north by the River Medlock, which runs immediately south of Manchester city centre. ...
. The form Chorlton with Hardy was used to some extent from the early 19th century onwards and in the early years of the 20th.
Early history
The district was part of the kingdom of
Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
from the 7th century, but settlement in the Mersey valley may well have been later. Thomas L. Ellwood suggested 610 AD as the date of founding the settlement, but John Lloyd in his 1972 history considered the period 610 to 900 AD more likely.
The area now known as Chorlton-cum-Hardy comprises the ancient settlements of Chorlton along with Hardy and Barlow to the south on the north side of the Mersey
and Martledge, the area around the present-day public library, to the north of Chorlton and Hardy. Chorlton was part of the
Withington manor
Manor may refer to:
Land ownership
*Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England
*Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism
*Man ...
. Hardy was little more than a farm and a few houses, but Barlow was home to the family of that name, who occupied the
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals with ...
of
Barlow Hall
Barlow Hall is an ancient manor house and Grade II listed building in Chorlton-cum-Hardy in the suburbs of Manchester, England. A house has existed on the site since at least the 13th century, but the present building dates back no further than t ...
for several hundred years. Barlow Hall was built on a defensive site on rising ground on the north bank of the Mersey. In 1567 the lord of the manor was Alexander Barlow, a staunch
recusant
Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation.
The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...
who was imprisoned for his beliefs and died in 1584 leaving a son who held similar beliefs. Two of his sons entered the
Order of Saint Benedict
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
, one of them,
Ambrose Barlow
Ambrose Edward Barlow, O.S.B. (1585 – 10 September 1641) was an English Benedictine monk who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. He is one of a group of saints canonized by Pope Paul VI who became known as the Forty Martyrs of En ...
a missionary priest in the
Leigh
Leigh may refer to:
Places In England
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan
** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency)
* Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Pronounced :
* Leigh, Dorset
* Leigh, Gloucestershire
* Leigh, Kent
* Leigh, Sta ...
parish, was imprisoned several times and executed for his priesthood in 1641 at Lancaster. Two sons of the
papist
The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthodo ...
, Anthony Barlow were charged with treason in the
Jacobite rising of 1715
The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ;
or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts.
At Braemar, Aberdeenshire ...
. The estate remained with the family until the death of Thomas Barlow in 1773, when it was sold to the Egertons of
Tatton Hall.
In 1666 Barlow Hall was one of the largest houses paying
hearth tax
A hearth tax was a property tax in certain countries during the medieval and early modern period, levied on each hearth, thus by proxy on wealth. It was calculated based on the number of hearths, or fireplaces, within a municipal area and is co ...
in the Withington manor.
The estimated population in 1640 was 85; in 1714 it was 325. The 1801 census recorded 513 inhabitants, and the 1811 census 619: by 1851 it had increased to 761. The
Tithe Commissioners' survey carried out in 1841 provides details of the size and tenure of every piece of land. The tithe map reveals the township had two major landowners: Wilbraham Egerton of Tatton owned 888 acres and George Lloyd 231, the rest was shared between 21 others. Most land was meadow and pasture while 490 acres was arable. Many small landowners owned orchards or market gardens. At this time the village consisted of its ancient halls and scattered farms centred on Chorlton Green and Beech Road and a few buildings on Barlow Moor Road.
Its public houses were the Bowling Green, built in 1693, and the Horse and Jockey, which was licensed in the early 19th century.
Marl had been dug in Martledge since at least 1598; the disused pits filled with water gave the area its common name of the Isles. The Chorlton Brick Company was established there in the early part of the 20th century and continued producing bricks for about forty years. Turf-cutting was a significant industry in Martledge, as well as in the White Moss and Jackson's Moss areas.
Suburban growth
Until the last quarter of the 19th century, Chorlton's population had increased slowly. When the railway reached neighbouring Stretford in 1849, upmarket villas were built on a flood-free area in Edge Lane and High Lane. Wilbraham Road was built in 1869 to connect the
Egerton
Egerton may refer to:
People
* Egerton (name), a list of people with either the surname or the given name
* Egerton family, a British aristocratic family
* George Egerton, pen name of Mary Dunne Bright (1859–1945), Australian-born writer
Place ...
holdings across Withington from Edge Lane to
Fallowfield
Fallowfield is a suburb of Manchester, England, with a population at the 2011 census of 15,211. Historically in Lancashire, it lies south of Manchester city centre and is bisected east–west by Wilmslow Road and north–south by W ...
. The
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
built a line from
Manchester Central through
Chorlton station which opened on 1 January 1880. Over the following decade land close to the station was developed for residential and commercial purposes centred on the Barlow Moor Road/Wilbraham Road crossroads, northeast of the old village centre. Houses built in the 1880s attracted more affluent residents who worked in
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. ...
to high quality homes in a more rural area.
Irish immigrants came to work in the expanding industries of Manchester, in small-scale horticulture and farming and
domestic service. They brought Roman Catholicism, and by the first decade of the 20th century a church (St Augustine's) and convent school had been established on High Lane.
Further growth was aided by the arrival of Manchester Corporation's tramway before the First World War: a terminus was built on Barlow Moor Road a short distance south of the junction with High Lane.
Chorltonville was developed as a garden suburb south of
Chorlton Brook: the houses are mostly large and semi-detached and individual in design, standing on tree-lined roads.
Alexandra Park Aerodrome (1917–24), was Manchester's first major airfield located east of the Midland Railway overbridge on Mauldeth Road West.
After the First World War came a period of residential development to the east of the new village on either side of Wilbraham Road and a council housing estate at
Merseybank
Merseybank is a suburb of Chorlton-cum-Hardy situated towards West Didsbury 4 miles south of Manchester city centre, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scot ...
. The
Ashby Ashby may refer to:
People
* Ashby (surname)
* Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of Ashby (1267–1314), governor of Rockingham Castle and steward of Rockingham Forest, England
* Walter Ashby Plecker (1861–1947), American physician and publ ...
, a two-seater light car, was produced in Chorlton-cum-Hardy by Victor Ashby and Son from 1922 to 1924.
From the 1960s onwards a council estate at Nell Lane near Southern Cemetery and patchy redevelopment in other areas were completed. There has been immigration particularly from the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
and from
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
; the Polish community arrived in the 1950s and 1960s.
Governance
Civic history
The district was a
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 the
ancient parish of Manchester in the
Salford Hundred
The Salford Hundred (also known as Salfordshire) was one of the subdivisions of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England (see:Hundred (county division). Its name alludes to its judicial centre being the township of Salford (th ...
of Lancashire. The abolition of Withington's manorial rights in the 1840s meant that local government began to be formalised. Chorlton became part of
Chorlton Poor Law Union
Chorlton Poor Law Union was founded in January 1837 in response to the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, also known as the New Poor Law. It was overseen by an elected board of 19 guardians representing the 12 parishes in the area it served: Ardwick, Bu ...
(named after Chorlton-on-Medlock), then Withington Urban District.
From 1876 to 1894 Chorlton was part of the district administered by the Withington Local Board, and from 1894 to 1904 part of Withington Urban District. It was absorbed into the
City of Manchester in August 1904, together with the rest of the urban district.
A separate Withington Committee of the city council existed from 1904 until 1914.
Boundary with Trafford
In 1987 the
Local Government Boundary Commission for England
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) is a parliamentary body established by statute to conduct boundary, electoral and structural reviews of local government areas in England. The LGBCE is independent of government and pol ...
revised the
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 City of Salford, Salford to ...
and
Trafford
Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers Retrieved on 13 December 2007. and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, ...
boundary. The most notable differences for Chorlton-cum-Hardy were that Stretford Stadium was now actually in
Stretford
Stretford is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, south of Manchester city centre, south of Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford and n ...
, and the Jackson's Boat pub in
Sale. Other minor adjustments were made in the Turn Moss area.
Political representation
Since the 1970s both of the wards have been in the
Manchester Withington parliamentary constituency. Until then Chorlton ward had been in the
Manchester Moss Side parliamentary constituency. In the
2015 general election, the
Labour Party's Jeff Smith won the seat with 57.3% of the vote unseating the incumbent
Liberal Democrat candidate
John Leech.
Smith was reelected in the 2019 general election.
Most of Chorlton is divided into two
wards,
Chorlton and
Chorlton Park, which includes the Mersey Bank and Nell Lane estates of south and south-east Chorlton. The remainder of the area is included in the
Whalley Range ward. As of
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, each of the three wards is represented by three Labour councillors.
Geography
The ancient township of Chorlton cum Hardy covered of low-lying, flat land on the north bank of the River Mersey. In
medieval
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 a ...
times the district formed part of the Manor of
Withington, an area stretching from Longford Park to Debdale Park and south to the Mersey. The highest land is at the south-east end, where it reaches a little over OD. It is divided by the
Chorlton Brook, which runs east to west to its confluence with the Mersey. Chorlton grew north of the brook; the hamlets of Barlow and Hardy were on the southern part, which stretches along the north bank of the Mersey for two miles (3.2 km).
Because the county boundary was determined by the course of the Mersey, it traditionally did not exactly follow the river when it changed course: this happened occasionally in the period before improved flood control measures were introduced in the 1840s. The Manchester–Trafford boundary now follows the course of the river. Chorlton is surrounded by
Stretford
Stretford is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, south of Manchester city centre, south of Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford and n ...
,
Sale,
Didsbury,
Withington, and
Whalley Range.
Chorlton's climate is generally
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...
, with few extremes of temperature or weather. The mean temperature is slightly above average for the United Kingdom. Annual rainfall and average amount of sunshine are both slightly below the average for the UK.
Between Chorlton Brook and the river, Chorlton Ees Nature Reserve occupies the site of Withington
sewage works which closed in 1972. The derelict site was restored and has a network of trails through its grassland and woodland. In the 1970s, gravel was extracted from the Mersey floodplain at Barlow Hall Farm and used in the construction of the
M60 motorway. The area around the flooded
gravel pit was restored as Chorlton Water Park and is now a
Local Nature Reserve.
Chorltonville, a
garden village covering , was developed in 1911 south of Chorlton Brook and became the home of professional classes who moved into the area.
Demography
Population change
Economy
Chorlton Precinct, built in the 1970s and rebranded as "The Square" in 2009, has been the subject of redevelopment plans.
In 2010 Manchester City Council's South Manchester Regeneration Team issued an action plan for improvements to the "Chorlton District Centre" for the period 2010 to 2020. It proposes investment in the district aimed at creating "a strong, vibrant and successful centre that supports the local community and has the ability to exploit the economic potential of Metrolink".
Government and public sector employers in Chorlton include the
Department for Work and Pensions
, type = Department
, seal =
, logo = Department for Work and Pensions logo.svg
, logo_width = 166px
, formed =
, preceding1 =
, jurisdiction = Government of the United Kingdom
, headquarters = Caxton House7th Floor6–12 Tothill Stree ...
, Manchester Mental Health and Social Care, and Manchester Social Services. The district centre has a library, three health centres, three dentists and a number of banks.
In 2014 insurance claim figures revealed that the M21 postcode, encompassing Chorlton-cum-Hardy, was the most burgled postcode in the UK with 45.2 claims per 1,000 people.
Landmarks
Manchester City Council designated Chorlton Green a
conservation area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
in 1970 and Chorltonville in 1991.
Chorlton Library
Chorlton Library was built in 1914 to a design by Manchester City Council architect
Henry Price. It was funded by a £5000 donation from steel magnate and philanthropist
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans in ...
, one of about 3000
Carnegie libraries around the world. The single-story flat-roofed building is constructed of red brick dressed with
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a buildi ...
, and is designed in the
Edwardian Baroque
Edwardian architecture is a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to the year 1914 may also be included in this style.
Description
Edwardian architecture is ...
style.
In 2013 Manchester Council announced plans to sell the library after its reorganisation of the provision of leisure and library services in Chorlton into a new £5.7 million "joint service centre" to be built on the site of Chorlton shopping precinct.
Fears that the library would then be demolished were allayed when on 21 August 2013 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 I ...
following a campaign by local Liberal Democrat councillor Victor Chamberlain.
Southern Cemetery
Southern Cemetery is the largest municipal cemetery in the United Kingdom and contains many
notable burials, including industrialist
John Rylands and broadcaster and music impresario
Tony Wilson
Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager, impresario and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4.
As a co-founder ...
.
[
] The burial ground originally occupied of land that cost Manchester Corporation £38,340 in 1872. Its cemetery buildings were designed by architect H J Paull and its layout is attributed to the city surveyor, James Gascoigne Lynde. The cemetery opened on 9 October 1879 and had mortuary chapels for
Anglicans
Anglicanism is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Euro ...
,
Nonconformists, and
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
s linked by an elliptical drive and a Jewish chapel at the west corner of the site. The original cemetery is registered by
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
in the
Register of Historic Parks and Gardens for its historic interest and the mortuary chapels and other structures are
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 I ...
s.
Transport
In the 19th century, public transport was provided by the railway through the southern suburbs of Manchester and horse buses from Chorlton Green towards Manchester city centre. In the early 20th century the electric tramway reached Chorlton. Mauldeth Road West's dual-carriageway had a central strip intended for use as a double-track for electric trams. Trams remained in service until January 1949. Passenger railway services ended in 1967 when Chorlton-cum-Hardy station closed.
Most bus services are operated by
Stagecoach Manchester on high-frequency services into the city centre.
From 1992 conversion of the former railway line through Chorlton to a
Metrolink line was planned, but failed to secure funding. Work started in 2010, and the line opened on 7 July 2011, providing residents with a rail journey into the city centre for the first time in 44 years. The tram stop is on the site of the
old railway station. Services terminated one stop further south at St Werburgh's Road, on the site of the old Chorlton Junction signal box, but in 2013 services were extended to East Didsbury and in November 2014 to
Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those ...
Religion
Since 1847 Chorlton has been in the
Anglican Diocese of Manchester
The Diocese of Manchester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, England. Based in the city of Manchester, the diocese covers much of the county of Greater Manchester and small areas of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.
...
and Archdeaconry of Manchester; and since 1850, in the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford. Between 1541 and 1847 it was in the
Diocese of Chester and before that the
Diocese of Lichfield and Coventry. In
medieval
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 a ...
times the parish church was the
Collegiate Church in Manchester, dependent on which was the
chapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently.
Often a chapel of ease is deliberately b ...
at Didsbury.
A timber-framed chapel dedicated to St Clement provided by the Barlow family in 1512 was used until 1779 when it was replaced by a brick chapel, probably on the same site.
(Its Grade II
listed gatehouse and bell turret remain at Chorlton Green.) Chorlton was designated a parish in 1839 and by 1860 the chapel was deemed inadequate for the expanding population. Lord Egerton provided land for a replacement but not all parishioners supported the proposal and the old chapel remained after the new church was completed in 1866. After the old chapel was demolished in 1949
St Clement's Church became the parish church.
In 1898 a new parish was established consisting of part of St Clement's parish and some others. The foundation stone of
St Werburgh's Church was laid on 5 November 1899, its chancel and transepts dedicated in 1900, it was completed and opened on 1 June 1902 and consecrated 15 July 1902.
A
Methodist chapel
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
was built in about 1805 and replaced by a larger building in 1827. It moved to Manchester Road in 1873 when the
neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
chapel was built. It has a memorial to those who lost their lives in the First World War in the grounds. Manley Park Methodist Church was established in a
tin tabernacle in 1905. The present building opened in 1910. A smaller chapel was used by Welsh Methodists. A Congregational Chapel opened in 1883 was replaced in 1894 and became the United Reformed Church, the MacFadyen Memorial Church, but was demolished and its congregation meets in the church hall. Other denominations established churches: the Unitarians in Wilbraham Road in 1901; the Macpherson Memorial Primitive Methodist Church was built in 1896 and enlarged in 1908; the
Baptist Maclaren Memorial Church in 1907; the Presbyterians in 1908; and the Emmanuel Free Church in 1909. The Unitarian and Baptist Chapels have been demolished, although their congregations are still in existence. The Congregationalists and Baptists have joined the United Reformed Church in the former Congregational church hall. Chorlton Evangelical Church (founded 1930) meets at Ivygreen Road; its present building was opened in 1951.
A Roman Catholic mission began in 1892 at St Peter's Chapel in Barlow Moor Road and another was established at St. Augustine's in High Lane. A new church was built in 1927 when the parish became St. John's. St Ambrose of Milan was founded in 1932 at
Barlow Moor and new church opened in 1958. The architects were Reynolds & Stone. Its dedication to St
Ambrose of Milan was chosen because St
Ambrose Barlow
Ambrose Edward Barlow, O.S.B. (1585 – 10 September 1641) was an English Benedictine monk who is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. He is one of a group of saints canonized by Pope Paul VI who became known as the Forty Martyrs of En ...
's birthplace was in the parish.
The present-day population includes many
Muslims, mostly of
south Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...
n origin. There are mosques in
Whalley Range and an Islamic high school for girls in Chorlton.
There are small numbers of
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
s: one congregation uses the former
Primitive Methodist Chapel and another, the
Vairochana Buddhist Centre. The oldest, founded 1975, belongs to the Kagyu Ling school of
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in maj ...
. The Manchester Centre for Buddhist Meditation, High Lane, Chorlton, was used by the UK Samatha Association from the 1980s and established as such after its purchase by the Association. This centre supports local Buddhist meditation in the
Theravada
''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...
Buddhist tradition.
Education
Sir Nicholas Mosley
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
of
Hough End Hall who died in 1612, left £100, £5 a year for 20 years, to pay for a schoolmaster at Chorlton Chapel.
The Wesleyan Methodists began a
Sunday school
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
S ...
and day school in about 1810, whereas the Anglican Sunday school did not begin until a later date. In 1845 the Rev. William Birley was responsible for building a Church School at Chorlton Green. When the building was found to be inadequate it was replaced by a new school on the site in 1879. A number of private schools existed in the late 19th century including C. C. Dadley's grammar school and Tom Mostyn's art school. In 1898 a school was under construction for the Roman Catholic parish of St Augustine and in 1901 a new church school was built at St Clement's Road and the old building was used for infants and juniors until this was no longer necessary. In 1904, when Chorlton was incorporated into Manchester, a municipal school was opened and moved to its permanent premises in Oswald Road in 1909.
The secondary schools in Chorlton are
Loreto High School,
CHS South and
Chorlton High School. Chorlton High School, formerly Chorlton Grammar School, opened in 1925.
Sport and recreation
In the early 19th century bull-baiting, badger-baiting and cockfighting were popular but were outlawed by an Act of Parliament of 1835 and the last bull-baiting in Chorlton is recorded the same year. Prize-fighting, horse and foot racing, and wrestling took place on the meadows and led to disorder. If the forces of law and order appeared participants and spectators could escape across the Mersey into Cheshire and continue their sport. Horse races are said to have been held on land now part of Chorlton Park in the 16th century.
After the Second World War the Chorltonville owners' committee sold the recreation area and tennis courts which were absorbed into gardens of adjoining houses, and the rest became a football ground, now owned by
West Didsbury & Chorlton A.F.C.
Broughton Park RUFC which was established in 1882 in Salford, moved to Hough End in 2004.
South West Manchester Cricket Club, one of the oldest in the Manchester area, are members of the Saddleworth & District Cricket League: the ground is at Ellesmere Road North, the old clubhouse is what was Hobson's Hall Farm. Chorlton-cum-Hardy Cricket Club is based at Hardy Lane.
An area of what is now Chorlton Park was used many centuries ago for horse racing. As a public park, it dates from 1928: there are gardens, many trees, and recreational facilities. The Recreation Ground, Beech Park, was opened in 1896, donated to the community by
Lord Egerton.
Longford Park also is the home of Trafford Athletics Club. There is a synthetic six-lane track that is used heavily in the summer for regional competitions and British Milers' Club meets. Below the main stand is Longfords Gym, run in association with the Athletics Club. There is an 18-hole free to play disc golf course, community football pitches and all-weather tennis courts.
The first part of the Chorlton Cycleway has been delivered with Dutch-style junctions.
Culture
A number of poets and minor publishers of poetry were active in the late 20th century and a poetry group meets at Chorlton Library. There are three amateur dramatic societies that rehearse and perform in Chorlton.
The Beech Road Festival took place on Beech Road, Beech Road Park and Chorlton Green in June or July, with commercial and educational stalls, entertainments and live music and a tug-of-war competition. The festival first began in 1991, when two regulars from the Bowling Green Hotel came up with idea of hiring an articulated truck, a sound system and some generators for local acts Rattle 'n' Reel, Hectors House and Toss The Feathers to play on the August bank holiday Sunday on the rec (Beech Road Park), there was a good crowd and the first tug-of-war competition. Unfortunately, it has not taken place since 2011, when a combination of sunny weather and good social media marketing meant the event was attended by an unexpectedly large crowd estimated at 20,000 people, leading to a number of incidents which threatened to overstretch the modest police presence of eight officers at the event. As a result, The Association of Beech Road Traders – the organisation which ran the festival in order to raise money for nearby Beech Road Park – made the unanimous decision to cancel the festival indefinitely.
The Unity Festival takes place in
Chorlton Park, encouraging racial and cultural unity and provides a platform for performances by dancers, musicians and singers. Chorlton Big Green Festival takes place in late March/April combining live music, dancing, food,
real ale
Real ale is the name coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for beer that is "brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous car ...
, cider, arts and crafts, workshops, cycling and films. It aims to encourage sustainable living and has a different theme each year.
The Chorlton Arts Festival in May generally features a programme of events over nine days; in 2020, it was shifted to online due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. The Chorlton Book Festival takes place over two weeks in the autumn. Chorlton takes part in the Manchester Food & Drink Festival in early October, and in 2013 the inaugural Chorlton Coffee Festival was held in June.
Cinemas and dance halls
Several cinemas opened in the first half of the 20th century. The first was the Chorlton Pavilion bought by H. D. Moorhouse in 1909 followed by the Palais de Luxe in 1915. It closed in 1958. The Rivoli opened on Barlow Moor Road in 1936 and changed its name several times to the Essoldo, the Classic and the Shalimar before closing in the 1980s. Likewise, the Majestic on Manchester Road had several names, the Savoy, the ABC and the Gaumont. There are no remaining cinemas in Chorlton, with the nearest being situated in Manchester city centre,
East Didsbury or at the nearby
Trafford Centre.
The Chorlton Palais de Danse in Barlow Moor Road became a nightclub before the site was redeveloped.
Creative and performing arts
Until October 2009 Chorlton was the location for the
Cosgrove Hall animation studios where the children's series ''
Chorlton and the Wheelies'', ''
Jamie and the Magic Torch'', ''
The BFG
''The BFG'' (short for ''The Big Friendly Giant'') is a 1982 children's book written by British novelist Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It is an expansion of a short story from Dahl's 1975 book '' Danny, the Champion of the World ...
'', ''
The Wind in the Willows
''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets ...
'', ''
Noddy's Toyland Adventures'', ''
Oakie Doke'', ''
Cockleshell Bay'', ''
Lavender Castle'', ''
Danger Mouse Danger Mouse may refer (or appear in) to:
* ''Danger Mouse'' (1981 TV series), a 1981 British animated television series
* ''Danger Mouse'' (2015 TV series), a 2015 reboot of the British animated television series
* Danger Mouse (musician) (born ...
'' and ''
Count Duckula'' were created. The area is used by film crews for TV locations, such as ''
The Second Coming
The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messian ...
'', as it retains much of its original Victorian architecture. ''
White Van Man
"White van man" is a stereotype used in the United Kingdom for a smaller-sized commercial van driver, typically perceived as a selfish, inconsiderate driver who is mostly petit bourgeois and often aggressive. According to this stereotype, the " ...
'' used several Chorlton locations and was shown on BBC3 Television in 2010.
Chorlton Cum-Hardy was also the home to ''
Bulman
''Bulman'' is a British television crime drama series, principally written and created by Murray Smith. It was first broadcast on ITV on 5 June 1985. The series, featuring retired ex-cop George Bulman ( Don Henderson) and his assistant Lucy M ...
'' a British television crime drama series from 1985 to 1987 created by
Murray Smith.
Public services
Policing in Chorlton-cum-Hardy is the responsibility of the
Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England.
, Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 mem ...
(GMP); the suburb is in the GMP's South Manchester Division. Chorlton Police Station was situated on Barlow Moor Road, between Beech Road and the bus station, until it closed in October 2011. The first police station was established in Beech Road in 1885 by the
Lancashire Constabulary and was replaced by the one, now closed, on Barlow Moor Road in the 1960s.
Waste management
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.
This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitori ...
is co-ordinated by the
local authority
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
via the
Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.
In popular culture
The ITV sitcom ''
The Cuckoo Waltz
''The Cuckoo Waltz'' is a British television sitcom produced by Granada Television for the ITV network between 1975 and 1980. It was written by Geoffrey Lancashire, and produced and directed by Bill Gilmour.
The series, which was set in 197 ...
'', starring
Diane Keen,
David Roper and
Lewis Collins was nominally set in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, referenced in certain episodes.
Notable people
*
George Arthurs (1875–1944), librettist and songwriter
* Sir
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew Busby (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish football player and manager, who managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–71 season. He was the first manager of a ...
, (1909–1994) lived at 214 Kings Road in Chorlton-cum-Hardy for over 30 years. He was the manager of
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd), or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The club competes in the Premier League, ...
*
Quentin Crisp, author, raconteur and notable gay icon died in Chorlton in 1999, while visiting the UK on the eve of performing his one-man show, and was cremated at Southern Cemetery.
*Alderman James Herbert Dawson, one of the promoters of the garden suburb at
Chorltonville, was a long-serving councillor in Manchester and in
Lytham St Annes
Lytham St Annes () is a seaside town in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England. It is on the Fylde coast, directly south of Blackpool on the Ribble Estuary. The population at the 2011 census was 42,954. The town is almost contiguous wi ...
.
*
Alcock Alcock is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Notable people with the surname Alcock
* Alfred William Alcock, British naturalist
* C. W. Alcock, British sports administrator and creator of the FA Cup
* Charles R. Alcock, American ...
and
Brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model use ...
, the first men to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, were long-term residents, and a house in Oswald Road is marked by a
blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...
in honour of Brown.
*Sir
Robert Mark, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, began his career with the
Manchester City Police. He was born in Chorlton and was resident there until his move to Leicester in 1957.
*
George Best
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United. A highly skilful dribbler, Best is regarded as one of the greatest pla ...
, footballer, spent ten years on and off lodging at Aycliffe Avenue.
*
Michael Kennedy (1926–2014), the music critic, author and journalist, was born in Chorlton.
* The
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era i ...
spent nearly eight years of their childhood living in 51, Keppel Road, Chorlton. In 1958, shortly after the birth of their brother
Andy Gibb, who also became a major musical act, they moved to Australia. The street also lent its name to a Bee Gees documentary in 1997.
* Damon Gough, professionally known as
Badly Drawn Boy
Damon Michael Gough (born 2 October 1969), known by the stage name Badly Drawn Boy, is an English indie singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
Gough chose his stage name from a character in the show ''Sam and his Magic Ball'', which he sa ...
, indie songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
* Dr
Aneez Esmail, Associate Vice President,
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...
. First British Pakistani to hold an executive position at a
Russell Group University.
*
Margaret Lacey (1911–1988), actress, born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy
* Charles Wheeler Locke M.B.E. (1908-1980), Chief Warden of Manchester in WW2, lived in Chorlton
*
Joe Mercer
Joseph Mercer, OBE (9 August 1914 – 9 August 1990) was an English football player and manager. Mercer, who played as a defender for Everton and Arsenal in his footballing career, also went on to manage Aston Villa, Manchester City and En ...
O.B.E. (1914-1990) lived at 71 St Werburgh's Road, while he managed
Manchester City
*
Paul Rawlinson (1963-2019), international lawyer, lived at 120 St Werburgh's Road, until the age of 18. He was the first British global chair of the global law firm
Baker McKenzie
Baker McKenzie is an international law firm located in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1949, originally named Baker & McKenzie. It now has 77 offices in 46 countries. It employs 4,809 attorneys total, and approximately 13,000 employees tot ...
.
Other residents have included locally-born actor
Warren Clarke who lived at 8, Grindley Avenue, and Freddie Garrity (of
Freddie and the Dreamers). The actress
Doris Speed lived in Sibson Road, and for over twenty years she played
Annie Walker Annie Walker may refer to:
* Annie E. A. Walker (1855–1929), American artist
* Annie Louisa Walker (1836–1907), English Canadian teacher and author
* Annie Purcell Sedgwick (1871–1950), later Annie Walker, Scottish chemist
* Annie Walker ( ...
, landlady of the
Rovers Return in the ITV soap opera ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based ...
''.
Harry H. Corbett, of ''Steptoe and Son'' fame, started out in the Conservative Club's Dramatic Society.
Harry Goodwin is known for his photographs of pop musicians and sports personalities. He was the resident photographer of the BBC Television programme ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most o ...
'' from its inception in 1964 until 1973. In 2007
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
opened a permanent exhibit of Goodwin's photographs at
Liverpool John Lennon Airport. This happened because
Neil Pakey
Neil Pakey (born 15 January 1961) is the CEO of Nieuport Aviation, and has been Chair of the UK's Regional and Business Airports Group since 2016,He was CEO of Shannon Airport until June 2016. His 3-year tenure in turning around Shannon was regard ...
found some of Goodwin's photographs on display in a local barber's.
*
Brian Cosgrove, he and his business partner,
Mark Hall founded the popular iconic animation studio
Cosgrove Hall Films for
Thames Television
Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...
, a franchise holder of
ITV, in this place.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Manchester-M21
*
Merseybank
Merseybank is a suburb of Chorlton-cum-Hardy situated towards West Didsbury 4 miles south of Manchester city centre, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scot ...
*
Parks and open spaces in Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Notes
References
Bibliography
*Burton, Nick (ed.) ''Chorlton cum Hardy and Stretford, 1905''. (''Old Ordnance Survey maps. Lancashire sheet 111.10''.) Gateshead: Alan Godfrey (includes historical survey and extracts from Slater's directory, 1910)
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Further reading
*
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External links
Chorlton Civic SocietyOld photographs of ChorltonWard maps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chorlton-Cum-Hardy
Areas of Manchester
Irish diaspora in England
Manchester City Council Wards