Withington
Withington | ||
---|---|---|
Metropolitan county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | MANCHESTER | |
Postcode district | M20 | |
Dialling code | 0161 | |
Police | Greater Manchester | |
Fire | Greater Manchester | |
Ambulance | North West | |
UK Parliament | ||
Withington is a
In the early 13th century, Withington occupied a feudal estate that included the townships of Withington, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Moss Side, Rusholme, Burnage, Denton and Haughton, held by the Hathersage, Longford and Tatton families,[2] and within the Manor of Manchester and Hundred of Salford in historic county boundaries of Lancashire.[3]
Withington was largely rural until the mid-19th century when it experienced rapid
Today, the residents of Withington comprise a mixture of families, university students and affluent "young professionals"—often themselves former students.[5] This is in a large part due to its education links—particularly the proximity to the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. As a consequence, Withington is predominantly an area of mixed affluence. It is also a centre for clinical excellence with one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe—Christie Hospital—and Withington Community Hospital.
History
Middle Ages
In
Withington was one of the
Tudor, Stuart and Georgian periods
At the end of the 16th century, Nicholas Longford sold Withington to the
Withington as a village developed around
Victorian and later periods
The trade in Withington, and consequent traffic on Wilmslow Road, increased steadily as the city of Manchester flourished in the early 19th century.
Withington's
As the population increased, the need for schools grew. A day school was held in a schoolroom underneath the Wesleyan chapel on Old Hall Lane, until the Church of England established a new church school with public donations next to its new parish church in 1844, St Paul's Primary School, on land donated by benefactor Wilbraham Egerton, 1st Earl Egerton.[15]
Withington had a
In 1861, a public library and village hall were opened.[10] The library was rebuilt in 1927 with a neo-classical facade.[22]
Aviation
On 28 April 1910, French pilot
A large aerodrome was built in 1917–18 on the westerly edge of Withington, to the southwest of the junction of Mauldeth Road and Princess Road, on what is now the site of Houghend Playing Fields. The official name was Alexandra Park Aerodrome, but it was also variously referred to as "Withington" and "Didsbury". Closure came in autumn 1924 when Lord Egerton of Tatton would not agree to the site's continued use for flying. The large hangars were then demolished and Princess Road extended southwards through the eastern edge of the site.[24]
Governance
Withington was anciently a
The old Town Hall building has been converted into private apartments with new-build apartments to the south (back) and east (side).Historically, Withington was a much larger area than today. Since the district was absorbed into the City of Manchester in 1904, the three city
In the 2011, 2012 and 2014 local government elections however the Liberal-Democrats lost every Council seat in Withington Constituency and in the City of Manchester as a whole that they contested, leaving Labour with 95 out of 96 Council seats.[30]
Withington and Old Moat wards are currently represented on Manchester City Council by three councillors each: Becky Chambers (Labour Party), Chris Wills (Labour and Co-operative Party), and Rebecca Moore (Labour) in Withington;[31] Gavin White (Labour), Suzannah Reeves (Labour) and Garry Bridges (Labour) in Old Moat.[32] Council elections took place on the 2 May 2019 with each ward returning one councillor, Becky Chambers and Garry Bridges respectively in Withington and Old Moat wards.
Demography
Withington compared[33][34] | |||
---|---|---|---|
UK Census 2001 |
Withington | Manchester | England |
Total population | 14,134 | 392,819 | 49,138,831 |
Foreign born | 11% | 10% | 6% |
Over 75 years old | 5% | 6% | 8% |
Unemployed | 44%* | 9% | 5% |
*Disproportionate figures explained by full-time student population |
According to the
- White British – 74.13%
- White Irish – 5.05%
- White other – 3.60%
- Mixed race – 3.25%
- Black – 2.34%
- Asian – 9.76%
- Chinese or other – 1.86%
Economy
Geography
At 53°25′59″N 2°13′44″W / 53.433°N 2.229°W, Withington is located immediately below the midpoint of the
Landmarks
Withington today retains some grade II listed buildings, including
- Hough End Hall (1596), Nell Lane, Chorlton-cum-Hardy – Withington Manor House.
- Manchester and County Bank (1890), Wilmslow Road – now an Almost Famous restaurant location.
- St Paul's Parish Church, Wilmslow Road (1841).
- Red Lion Inn (17th century).
- Victoria public house.
- White Lion public house, Wilmslow Road (1841), now a Sainsbury's Local.
- Marcus Rashford mural painted by Akse P19
Other places of historical interest in Withington include:
- X-Rays in 1901, and in 1944 the world's first clinical drug trialwas carried out here.
- Scala Cinema (1912–2008), Wilmslow Road – this was the oldest cinema in Manchester. Currently (April 2018) the site is being developed into Scala, an apartment and retail block.
- Milestone, Wilmslow Road – outside the fire station, inscribed "8¼ miles to Wilmslow / 4 miles to Manchester to centre of St. Ann's"
- The Old Forge, Wilmslow Road (1881) – now private flats.
- St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic Church, Palatine Road (1881).
- The Water Trough (1876), now on Copson Street – a stone drinking trough for horses, inscribed with an Old Testament passage: "that ye may drink, both ye and your cattle, and your beasts." (II Kings III:17).
- Withington Library (1927), Wilmslow Road, designed by Henry Price.
- Withington Methodist Church, Wilmslow Road (1865).
Transport
Buses
Withington has bus links into the Manchester city centre, partly because of its position on the Wilmslow Road bus corridor which is served by very frequent buses and has been said by some analysts to be the busiest in Europe.[35] The majority of services are operated by Stagecoach Manchester and First Greater Manchester. Other bus routes run along Burton Road and Old Moat Lane to the city centre; there are also bus routes crossing Withington East-West.
Railway
Until the 1960s, Withington had a
Metrolink Trams
In 2013, the old Midland Railway line was reopened as a light rail line as part of the Manchester Metrolink network. Today, Metrolink trams provide a direct tram link to Manchester city centre on the South Manchester Line, serving West Didsbury, Burton Road and Withington tram stops.[36] The name of Withington tram stop has been called into question as it is located on Princess Road, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from the centre of Withington.[37]
The Metrolink line through Withington was first proposed in the early 1980s
Education
Withington Girls' School was established in 1890 and provides private education for girls aged 7 to 18. Notable alumni include Judith Chalmers.
In the 1930s, the
Withington is served by the following local primary schools:
- Ladybarn Primary School
- St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic Primary School
- St Paul's Church of England Primary School
- Mauldeth Road County Primary School
- St Kentigern's Roman Catholic Primary School, Fallowfield
- Old Moat School, Withington
There are nearest secondary schools, including The Barlow RC High School, Didsbury High School and Parrs Wood High School.
Police service
Withington is covered by the South Manchester Division of Greater Manchester Police.
Sport
Notable people
- 1879 and made two appearances for Englandin the 1870s, was born in Withington on 9 July 1857.
- Oliver Cookson, the entrepreneur who is best known for founding Myprotein, was born in Withington hospital in 1979.
- Academy Award-winning actor Robert Donat was born in Withington in 1905, making his most acclaimed starring role in the 1939 film Goodbye, Mr. Chips.
- Alan Erasmus, co-founder of Factory Records and the Haçienda with Tony Wilson, has lived on Palatine Road for over 30 years.
- The film critic C.A. Lejeunewas born here in 1897.
- Martin Lewis, the financial broadcaster who is known for his MoneySavingExpert.com website, was born in Withington.
- Richard Madeley and his wife, Judy Finnigan, lived on Old Broadway during the 1990s.[42]
- Actor John Mahoney, who became known for his role in Frasier, lived here until 1959.
- Lee Marland, cricketer, was born in Withington.
- Dame post-graduate of the University of Oxford, was born here in 1912.[42]
- Kate Richardson-Walsh, the gold medal-winning Team GB hockey player, was born in Withington.
- Ernest Rutherford, Nobel Laureate, who pioneered the orbital theory of the atom, and was Head of Physics at Manchester University, lived in the village between 1898 and 1910.[42] He is commemorated with a blue plaque on the house in which he lived on Wilmslow Road, now called "Rutherford Lodge".
- Frank Whitcombe Jr, Rugby Union player for Bradford and Yorkshire, was born in Withington.
- In 1911, the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein was known to have lodgings at 104 (now 154) Palatine Road while he was a student at the Victoria University of Manchester.[43]
- William John Young, biochemist, was brn in Withingon in 1878.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Manchester-M20
- Manchester (ancient parish)
References
- ^ "City of Manchester population 2011". Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ^ a b c Sussex & Helm 1988, p. 45.
- ^ a b c "Greater Manchester Gazetteer". Greater Manchester County Record Office. Place Names T to W. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
- ^ a b "Withington history". Unknown. 2001. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
- ^ "Withington, Manchester, UK". BBC Editorial. 6 June 2005. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ^ France and Woodall (1976) pp. 3 ff.
- ISBN 1-903425-74-3.
- ^ Sussex & Helm 1988, p. 3.
- ^ "Townships – Heaton Norris". British History. 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Township – Withington". British History. 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ISBN 0-85972-035-7.
- ^ Lloyd, John M. (1972) The Township of Chorlton-cum-Hardy. Didsbury, Manchester: E. J. Morten; pp. 109–110
- ^ "Disused Stations: Withington & West Didsbury Station". www.disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ISBN 9780300105834.
- ^ Sussex & Helm 1988, p. 25.
- ISBN 9783761823125. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ^ "Gertrude Clarke Whittall Foundation Collection - Mendelssohn Collection" (PDF). Music Division of the Library of Congress. p. 33. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ^ Sussex & Helm 1988, p. 29.
- ^ Purver, Ian; Boyle, Roy (5 October 2011). "Church History". St Pauls Withington. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ "Bid to put historic organ on the Mend". Manchester Evening News. 26 March 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-521-63972-9.
- ^ "Withington Library". Manchester City Council. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "London to Manchester". Skypark. 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ISSN 0950-4699.
- ^ "Class of 2005". The Guardian. London. 10 October 2005. Retrieved 23 March 2008.
- ^ Cowling, David (7 May 2005). "Who deserted Labour?". BBC News. Retrieved 23 March 2008.
- ^ Colburn, Mark (1 April 2007). "Lucy Powell Wins Mcr Withington Selection". labourhome.org. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2008.
- ^ "Building our majority" (doc). Labour Party (Hazel Blears). June 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
- ^ Manchester Withington UK Polling
- ^ "Local election 2012: Dramatic gains for Labour across Greater Manchester". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ "Withington Councillors". manchester.gov.uk. Manchester City Council. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ^ "Old Moat Councillors". manchester.gov.uk. Manchester City Council. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ^ "Data collected for Withington by HM Government in the 2001 census". Neighbourhood Statistics. 2001. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ^ United Kingdom Census 2001 (2001). "Greater Manchester (Health Authority)". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ O'Rourke, Aidan (26 October 2006). "Busiest bus corridor". EyeOnManchester. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ^ Williams, Tony (30 May 2007). "Manchester to Chorlton and East Didsbury". Light Transit Association. Retrieved 12 March 2008.
- ^ Kirby, Dean (3 June 2013). "Calling tram stop Withington is misleading, claim residents". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
- ^ Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (1984), Light Rapid Transit in Greater Manchester, GMPTE – publicity brochure
- ^ Cronshaw, Andy (22 July 2004). "Fight for Metrolink will go on". South Manchester Reporter. M.E.N. Media. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ^ Towle, Nick (3 May 2007). "Bigger bang plan". South Manchester Reporter. M.E.N. Media. Retrieved 4 October 2007.
- ^ "Metrolink: back on track?". BBC Manchester. 23 May 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
- ^ a b c "Did-you-know's for Withington". Unknown. 2007. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-19-927994-4.
- Sussex, Gay; Helm, Peter (1988). Looking Back at Withington and Didsbury. Willow. p. 45. ISBN 0-946361-25-8.
External links
- "Withington Civic Society". Retrieved 10 November 2019.
- Withington Ward Councillors