Hale Barns is a village near

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 o ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

, England, south-west 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. ...

, 2 miles west of

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 n ...

and close to the

River Bollin The River Bollin is a major tributary of the River Mersey in the north-west of England. It rises in Macclesfield Forest at the western end of the Peak District, and can be seen in spring form, from the Buxton to Macclesfield road. The stream t ...

. At the 2011 census, the village had a population of 9,736. Medieval Hale Barns was an outlying area of the township of

Hale Hale may refer to: Places Australia *Hale, Northern Territory, a locality *Hale River, in southeastern Northern Territory Canada *Hale, Ontario, in Algoma District United Kingdom * Hale, Cumbria, a hamlet near Beetham, Cumbria *Hale, Greater Man ...

, but a growth in prosperity led to it becoming a separate settlement. The village gets its name from the

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...

barn that used to stand there. Before the industrial revolution, Hale Barns was an agricultural village, but since then evolved into a commuter settlement.

St Ambrose College St Ambrose College is a Christian Brothers' Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Hale Barns, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It was founded in 1946 by Dr Joseph Robertson. In 2012 the school became an academy, and was completely re-b ...

Roman Catholic boys' grammar school is in Hale Barns and the village is also home to Ringway golf club. Cotteril Clough in Hale Barns is an ancient and diverse woodland and a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

. Hale Barns, along with neighbouring Hale and Bowdon, is one of the wealthiest areas in the United Kingdom outside London.

History

What were thought to be fragments of Roman pottery tiles were found in Hale Barns in the 1880s near the site of what is now St Ambrose College. The artefacts were lost before their antiquity could be confirmed, but led local historian W. Thompson Wakin to suggest there was probably a

Roman villa A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house built in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions. Typology and distribution Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) distinguished two kinds of villas n ...

in the area. The first reference to Hale is contained within 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 ...

, at the time 'Hale Barns' was just an outlying

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

contained within the manor of Hale. According to the Domesday Book, the manor of Hale was owned by a Saxon

thegn In Anglo-Saxon England, thegns were aristocratic landowners of the second rank, below the ealdormen who governed large areas of England. The term was also used in early medieval Scandinavia for a class of retainers. In medieval Scotland, there w ...

Aelfward, who was replaced by the Norman,

Hamon de Massey The first Hamon de Massey was the owner of the manors of Agden, Baguley, Bowdon, Dunham, Hale and Little Bollington after the Norman conquest of England (1066), taking over from the Saxon thegn Aelfward according to Domesday Book. His probable ...

who also gained possession of Dunham and Bowdon and would remain barons of the area until the 14th century. The manor was considered prosperous in comparison to other manors in the north west of England.Dore (1972), pp. 13–14, 18, 22–4, 34, 56, 78. The settlements of Hale and Hale Barns are closely linked; what would later become Hale Barns spent most of the medieval period as an extension of the more dominant Hale. During this era the land around Hale and Hale Barns was used agriculturally because although the soil is poor draining, it is fertile. By the middle of the 15th century Hale Barns had established an identity completely separate from neighbouring Hale as demonstrated by the

tithe barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithes. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. Tithe barns were usually associated with the vi ...

which was established around this time. The tithe barn was for storing the

tithes A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more r ...

– a tenth of the farm's produce which was to be given to the church. Such an establishment can be seen as a sign of the area's prosperity. The original barn no longer survives but there is a drawing of it (from 1844). It is the source of the village's name. The first explicit reference to the village of Hale Barns – rather than Hale – is in a document from 1616. The

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

affected all of England; even families were split over

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

or Parliamentarian loyalties. Little is recorded over the divisions within Hale Barns, but Hale and Hale Barns did emerge from the Civil War more or less untouched by events – though there was a heavy tax to pay to support the Parliamentarian army they avoided much of the requisitioning of supplies and animals for passing armies. None of the Royalists in Hale and Hale Barns had their lands confiscated or was forced to pay fines. Hale Chapel - geograph

Having long been agricultural land, in the 18th century the town was divided up into five farms: Tanyard, Partington, Oakfield, Broadoak, and Elm.

Hale Chapel Hale Chapel is a Unitarian chapel in Hale Barns, Greater Manchester (). The chapel was built in 1723 and was originally a Presbyterian meeting house. A vestry was added c1880 and around the same time alterations were made to the rest of the buil ...

was established in Hale Barns by

Nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

s in 1723 on what is now Chapel Lane. It underwent alterations around 1880. The chapel is the earliest place of worship in either Hale or Hale Barns and is 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 Irel ...

, one of only nine in Trafford. It also houses an eighteenth-century pulpit and nineteenth-century stained glass. In 1740, a school was founded by the Unitarian minister of Hale – a time when education was a rare commodity – and can be seen on a map of 1800 along with a tithe barn, two inns, five farms, four cottages, the school house and school rooms. In the late 19th century a building called "Manor House" was built on the site of the old Tanyard farm, for the purpose of the owner's retirement. In 2006 a

timber-framed Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

barn built around 1701 – originally belonging to the Tanyard Farm and later converted to stables for Manor House – was torn down due to lack of funds to maintain the building. The Grade II listed building – known as "Manor House Stables" – was the last timber-framed building in Hale Barns. During the 20th century, urbanisation affected Hale Barns, turning the place from an agricultural village into the commuter settlement it is today, focused around The Square – a shopping precinct. Its main A538 road – Hale Road – runs through the centre of Hale Barns and leads towards Manchester Airport and Wilmslow.

Toponymy

The name Hale, which occurs throughout Britain, derives from the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

''halh'' meaning a nook or shelter, as supported by the surrounding area which has natural features that would provide shelter. "Barns" comes from the Old Tithe Barn.

Governance

Hale Barns is part of Trafford Metropolitan Borough of Greater Manchester. Up until local government reforms in 1974, Hale Barns formed part of the

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 Cheshire. The Hale Barns ward has three out of sixty-three seats on Trafford Council, and at the 2012 local election all three seats were held by the

Conservatives 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 ...

. Since 1997, Hale Barns has formed part of the Altrincham and Sale West Constituency, before that it was encompassed by the Altrincham and Sale constituency. Since the formation of the Altrincham and Sale West constituency in 1997 it had been represented in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

by the Conservative MP,

Sir Graham Brady Sir Graham Stuart Brady (born 20 May 1967) is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Altrincham and Sale West since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Chairman of the 1922 Committee since 2 ...

Geography

Hale Barns is located at (53.3676, −2.318), to the south 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 ...

city centre. It is just east of

and south east of Altrincham. The town is bounded by the River Bollin to the south, the M56 to the east and the residential areas of Altrincham to the west and Newall Green to the north. The ward profile produced by Trafford MBC describes its location and economic nature as follows.

"Hale Barns lies at the southern tip of the Borough (of Trafford) ... The Ward contains a large amount of agricultural land including two private golf courses. There is also a number of private sports clubs within the Ward providing facilities for tennis, bowling and football. It is generally considered to be an affluent Ward in the top 10% wealthiest areas in England." :— Trafford MBC 2006

The climate of Hale Barns – and Greater Manchester as a whole – 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; whereas annual rainfall and average amount of sunshine is slightly below the average for the UK.

Demography

At the 2001 UK census, the village of Hale Barns had a total population of 9,143 and 3732 households. Of those households, 44% were married couples living together, 5% were co-habiting couples and 6% were lone parents. The town had a high percentage of households made up of married couples (44%) compared to the figure for the rest of Trafford (37%) and England (also 37%). The average household size was 2.45. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. The

ethnicity An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

of the Hale Barns is 91.9%

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.1%

mixed race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...

, 0.4%

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, 5.4% non-Chinese Asian, and 1.2% Chinese. The age distribution was 6% aged 0–4 years, 15% aged 5–15 years, 4% aged 16–19 years, 27% aged 20–44 years, 27% aged 45–64 years and 22% aged 65 years and over. The town had a high percentage of residents over 65, compared with the national average of 16%. The Trafford MBC Ward Profile for the Hale Barns ward describes it as being

"Diverse in nature and home to a large Jewish and Muslim community groups." :– Trafford MBC 2006

Religion

According to the 2001 census, the religious make up of Hale Barns is 70.4% Christian, 7.9%

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, 4.1%

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, 1.5%

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

and 0.1%

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

. 9.5% were recorded as having no religion, 0.1% had an alternative religion and 6.2% did not state their religion. Hale Barns is in the Roman Catholic

Diocese of Shrewsbury The Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury is a Roman Catholic diocese in the Province of Birmingham which encompasses the pre-1974 counties of Shropshire and Cheshire in the North West and West Midlands of England. The diocese includes rural are ...

. and the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

Diocese of Chester The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York covering the pre-1974 county of Cheshire and therefore including the Wirral and parts of Stockport, Trafford and Tameside. History Ancient diocese Before the si ...

. Places of worship include Holy Angels' Church a large Roman Catholic Church linked to St Ambrose College which is situated in Wicker Lane at the junction with Hale Road at the western end of the village centre; All Saints' Church belongs to the

and was built 1967 on the site. Hale and District Synagogue serves

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

Jews across

and Hale Barns and is situated on Shay Lane in Hale Barns. It was rebuilt on its previous site in 2003; the modern structure has a synagogue, nursery, function suite and dedicated study room Beit HaMidrash. It is also the site of the South Manchester

Mikveh Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purif ...

with a utensil mikveh that is adjuncted to the main mikveh building. There is also a newly built synagogue for the

Sephardic Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

community called Sha'are Rachamim. South Manchester has been home to Sephardic Jews and a Western Sephardic community since the early twentieth century. This new building is for a community established in Didsbury in 1904, before moving synagogue to

Withington Withington is a suburb of Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it lies from Manchester city centre, about south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy. Withington has a population of just ...

in 1927. At that time the area also saw the establishment of an Eastern Sephardic community, Shaare Zedek. The two communities merged under the name Shaare Hayim at the end of the century, and alternate between and combine the various Sephardic traditions and melodies, now housed together in the new purpose built facility.

Education

Because of its small size, Hale Barns has few schools. Amongst them are St Ambrose College which provides education for 11- to 18-year-olds and Elmridge Primary. ;Primary schools Elmridge Primary School is a co-educational day school. It had 240 pupils in the 2011/12 school year. ;Secondary schools

St. Ambrose College St Ambrose College is a Christian Brothers' Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Hale Barns, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It was founded in 1946 by Dr Joseph Robertson. In 2012 the school became an academy, and was completely re-b ...

is a Catholic Boy's Secondary School situated adjacent to Holy Angels Church and Hale Road, near the centre of Hale Barns village. The Christian Brothers came to England from Guernsey during the Second World War and remained to establish the college in 1946. The college celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006. The school is a specialist

Maths and Computing College Mathematics and Computing Colleges were introduced in England in 2002 and Northern Ireland in 2006 as part of the Government's Specialist Schools programme which was designed to raise standards in secondary education. Specialist schools focus on ...

. In 2005 around 800 pupils attended the school. The College was awarded funding in the summer of 2006 for rebuilding on the current site as part of the Building Schools for the Future Programme. In 2006, 98.3% of pupils achieved at least 5 A*-C grades at

GCSE 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 ...

compared to an average of 66.7% for all secondary schools in Trafford and a national UK average of 61.3%; 97.5% of its pupils gained at least 5 A*-C grades at GCSE including English and maths, ranking the school 4th out of Trafford's 19 secondary schools. In December 2012, the college was implicated in a child sex abuse case involving teaching staff carrying out alleged acts of abuse both on and off school grounds, although no current staff are said to be involved. More than fifty former pupils contacted police, either as victims of, or witnesses to, sexual abuse. The alleged sexual abuse, including molestation of children while corporal punishment was administered, stemmed from 1962 onwards and continued over four decades.

Economy

According to Trafford MBC, Hale Barns is in the top 10% wealthiest areas in England. At the 2001 UK census, the Hale Barns ward had a possible workforce of approximately 6,449 people. The economic activity of residents in the Hale Barns electoral ward was 36% in full-time employment, 12% in part-time employment, 28% self-employed, 1.5% unemployed, 1.7% students with jobs, 4.7% students without jobs, 18.7% retired, 7.3% looking after home or family, 2.6% permanently sick or disabled and 2.2% economically inactive for other reasons. Hale Barns has a very high rate of self-employment (28%) compared with rest of Trafford (16%) and England (17%). Hale Barns also has low rates of unemployment (1.5%) compared with Trafford (2.7%) and England (3.3%). 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 th ...

estimated that during the period of April 2001 to March 2002 the average gross weekly income of households in Hale Barns was £660 (£34,320 per year). According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents in Hale Barns was 22.9% property and business services, 15.7% retail and wholesale, 12.1% health and social work, 11.0% manufacturing, 9.4% education, 6.8% transport and communications, 4.7% finance, 4.5% construction, 3.9% hotels and restaurants, 3.2% public administration and defence, 0.6% energy and water supply, 0.5% agriculture, and 4.6% other. This was roughly in line with national figures, except for the town's relatively high percentage of workers in property and business services. A shopping centre was built in Hale Barns in the 1960s called "The Square Shopping Centre". The site was being considered for redevelopment and proposals were subjected to consultation in 2005. In 2007 the Council and Developer participated in a Planning Inquiry after the council refused planning permission for the proposed redevelopment. However, in 2013, the council agreed, and the new shopping Centre, containing a

Booths Booths is a chain of high-end supermarkets in Northern England. Most of its branches are in Lancashire, but there are also branches in Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. It has been described as the "Wait ...

and a

Costa Coffee Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain with headquarters in Dunstable, England. Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by Sergio Costa as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. ...

, is now open.

Leisure and recreation

There are a number of private sports clubs within the Hale Barns providing facilities for tennis, bowling and football. This includes the home of Hale Barns Cricket Club. ;Halecroft Park Halecroft Park is near the centre of Hale Barns and was crowned North West region winner in the prestigious 'Britain's Best Park' competition. Designed by

Edgar Wood Edgar Wood (17 May 1860 – 1935) was a British architect, artist and draftsman who practised from Manchester at the turn of the 20th century and gained a considerable reputation in the United Kingdom. He was regarded as a proponent of the A ...

, the ornamental gardens of Halecroft Park were created in 1891 as part of Halecroft House. The park was winner of the

Green Flag Award The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...

3 years running (2003–2006) for setting a standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales. ;The Tennis Club Hale Barns Private members tennis club with 5 astroturf courts, one floodlit, established in 1924 at The Pavilion, Chapel Lane. ;Ringway Golf Club Covering 18 holes and 6,482 yards, Ringway Golf Club was designed by

Harry Colt Henry Shapland "Harry" Colt (4 August 1869 – 21 November 1951) was a golf course architect born in Highgate, England. He worked predominantly with Charles Alison, John Morrison, and Alister MacKenzie, in 1928 forming Colt, Alison & Morrison ...

in 1909 and further developed by James Braid. ;Ringway & Hale Barns WI Founded in 1957, Ringway & Hale Barns WI has around 25 members. Meetings are normally held on the fourth Thursday of the month at the All Saints Church Hall, Hale Road, WA15 8SP, starting at 7.30 pm. ;Cotteril Clough

Cotteril Clough Cotterill Clough is a nature reserve near Manchester Airport. It is managed by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust and lies within a larger Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Cotterill Brook, which flows through the reserve, is a tributar ...

is a

situated close to the River Bollin. It has been designated due to its ancient woodland which is among the most diverse in Greater Manchester. It is managed by the

Cheshire Wildlife Trust The Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT) is a wildlife trust covering the county of Cheshire and parts of the counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, England. The trust's chairman is Bill Stothart. It manages 43 nature reserves totalling over 470 ...

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * *