Blackley
Blackley | ||
---|---|---|
Metropolitan county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | MANCHESTER | |
Postcode district | M9 | |
Dialling code | 0161 | |
Police | Greater Manchester | |
Fire | Greater Manchester | |
Ambulance | North West | |
UK Parliament | ||
Blackley /ˈbleɪkli/ ⓘ is an area of Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Manchester city centre, on the River Irk.
History
The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the Domesday Book. 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.[1] By the Middle Ages, 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.[1][2] 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.[1] 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
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.[3] There were several other dye and chemical works. Connolly's Ltd made telecommunication cabling, later becoming part of BICC.[4]
Governance
Blackley, since 2010, has been part of the parliamentary constituency of
The suburb is split between the local government wards of Higher Blackley 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. [citation needed]
The suburb is popular for commuters into
The church of Saint Peter
The
The churchyard contains the war graves of ten service personnel of World War I, and seven of World War II.
Green spaces
Blackley has several green spaces:
Boggart Hole Clough
Boggart Hole Clough is a large woodland and urban country park. The park has a bowling green, 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.[citation needed]
Blackley Forest
A
The forest is a mix of
Heaton Park
Although the park is officially part of the
Transport
Blackley is well served by buses primarily along the main arterial routes of
Other journeys are provided by
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 award-winning Blackley Golf Club has occupied its present site close to the
The course's green is separated by fields from the motorway. A public footpath runs along the perimeter.
Blackley Cricket Club
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, Baron Monks of Blackley: Member of the House of Lords. Former General Secretary, TUC
- Hasney Aljofree, Swindon Town footballer
- John Bradford, Protestant martyr
- Northside 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, Labour politician: former Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne
- Bernard Hill, actor of film, stage and television
- Jon Macken, former Manchester United and Manchester City footballer
- Bernard Manning, comedian
- Wilf McGuinness, former Manchester United player and manager
- Joe McIntyre, former professional footballer
- Malcolm Roberts, musician, entertainer and Eurovision contestant.
- Roger Byrne, captain of Manchester United, and one of eight players who died in the Munich air disaster, of February 1958.
- Peter Townley, Church of England Archdeacon – current Archdeacon of Pontefract
- Vini Reilly, musician: The Durutti Column
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Townships: Blackley" (HTTP). A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4 (1911), pp. 255–59. British History Online. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
- ^ "Currency converter" (HTTP). The National Archives. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
- ^ "Nostalgia: Take a journey from Blackley's rural beginnings through its industrial heyday". 30 March 2016.
- ^ "Connollys (Blackley) - Graces Guide".
- ^ "History of Blackley Forest". Friends of Blackley Forest. Archived from the original (HTTP) on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ^ "Heaton Hall & Orangery". Manchester City Council. Archived from the original (HTTP) on 2 May 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ^ "History & Architecture". Manchester City Council. Archived from the original (HTTP) on 13 September 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.