74-521: Woodsmoor is a suburb of Stockport in Greater Manchester , England The area is served by Woodsmoor railway station , opened by British Rail in 1990. The area is populated by many large and old trees, existing since the time that it was the estate of the house which eventually became Stockport Grammar School . A former golf course links Woodsmoor with Stepping Hill and Hazel Grove . This Greater Manchester location article
148-594: A London & North Western Railway station located next to the railway overbridge near the centre of the village. Both stations were on lines leading from Altrincham to Stockport . There are now advanced plans to build a new station in Cheadle, on the Mid-Cheshire line between Altrincham and Stockport. The station facilities would be built on the car park of the Alexandra Hospital , near to where
222-574: A 1784 demonstration against taxation, avoided William Pitt the Younger 's saddle tax on horses by riding to market at Stockport on an ox. The incident is also celebrated in 'The Glass Umbrella' in St Petersgate Gardens, one of the works on Stockport's Arts Trail. "At this place poverty is not much felt except by those who are idle, for all persons capable of tying knots may find work in the silk mills ... children of six years earn
296-404: A Stockport township covering the central part of the parish including the town itself. The townships were all made separate civil parishes in 1866. The Stockport township was an ancient borough , having been made a borough during the reign of Henry III (reigned 1216–1272). A Stockport parliamentary borough (constituency) was created in 1832, covering the old borough of Stockport, part of
370-689: A ballroom described by John Betjeman as "magnificent" which contains the Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ formerly installed in the Paramount and later Odeon Theatre in Manchester. The war memorial and art gallery are on Greek Street, opposite the town hall. Underbank Hall is a Grade II* listed late 16th-century timber-framed building which was the townhouse of the Arderne family from Bredbury who occupied it until 1823. Since 1824, it has been used as
444-474: A bank and its main banking hall lies behind the 16th-century structure and dates from 1915. Stockport Viaduct is 111 feet (34 m) high, and carries four railway tracks over the River Mersey on the line to Manchester Piccadilly . The viaduct built of 11,000,000 bricks, a major feat of Victorian engineering, was completed in 21 months at a cost of £70,000. The structure is Grade II* listed. Beside
518-464: A baron whose daughter Margery married Richard. Richard died at the age of 21, but Margery lived until she was around 90 years old. She was succeeded by her grandson and great-grandson, both named William. Shortly after the Battle of Bosworth , the latter William was succeeded by his brother Richard. During the reign of Henry VIII , the current St Mary's Church on High Street was built. There has been
592-427: A church on the site since the 12th century, the original being constructed of wood, but it was rebuilt in stone between 1520 and 1550. The church contains an effigy of John Stanley who, along with many other men from the area, fought in the Battle of Flodden . Later he claimed the manor for himself, but was imprisoned by Thomas Wolsey who ensured the land went to its rightful owner. The Bulkeleys continued to hold
666-402: A former mill building in the town centre, St Thomas Place. The company plan to transform the mill into 51 residential apartments as part of the regeneration of Stockport. There is one main tier of local government covering Stockport, at metropolitan borough level: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council , which meets at Stockport Town Hall on Wellington Road South and has its main offices in
740-410: A good water power site (described by Rodgers as "by far the finest of any site within the lowland" [of the Manchester region] ) and a workforce used to textile factory work meant Stockport was well placed to take advantage of the phenomenal expansion in cotton processing in the late 18th century. Warren's mill in the market place was the first. Power came from an undershot water wheel in a deep pit, fed by
814-465: A known site. There is a gap in the age of finds between about 1200 BC and the start of the Roman period in about 70 AD, which may indicate depopulation, possibly due to a poorer climate. Despite a strong local tradition, there is little evidence of a Roman military station at Stockport. It is assumed that roads from Cheadle to Ardotalia (Melandra) and Manchester to Buxton crossed close to
SECTION 10
#1732780480007888-461: A population of 137,130. Most of the town is within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire , with the area north of the Mersey in the historic county of Lancashire . Stockport in the 16th century was a small town entirely on the south bank of the Mersey, known for the cultivation of hemp and manufacture of rope . In the 18th century, it had one of the first mechanised silk factories in
962-669: A population of 14,698. The name of the village is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, in the form Cedde ; from the twelfth century onwards it appears in forms such as Chedle , Chedlee , Chedlegh , and Chelle . The second part of the name is agreed to come from the Old English word lēah ("clearing in woodland". The first part is usually agreed to come from the Common Brittonic word that survives in modern Welsh as coed ("wood"). However, it
1036-605: A shilling a week and more as they grow capable of deserving it." Anon, 1769. Hatmaking was established in north Cheshire and south-east Lancashire by the 16th century. From the 17th century Stockport became a centre for the hatting industry and later the silk industry. Stockport expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution , helped particularly by the growth of the cotton manufacturing industries. However, economic growth took its toll, and 19th century philosopher Friedrich Engels wrote in 1844 that Stockport
1110-531: A stockaded place or castle, with port , a wood, hence a castle in a wood. The castle probably refers to Stockport Castle , a 12th-century motte-and-bailey first mentioned in 1173. Other derivations are based on early variants such as Stopford and Stockford. There is evidence that a ford across the Mersey existed at the foot of Bridge Street Brow. Stopford retains a use in the adjectival form, Stopfordian, for Stockport-related items, and pupils of Stockport Grammar School style themselves Stopfordians. Stopfordian
1184-633: A tunnel from the River Goyt. The positioning on high ground, unusual for a water-powered mill, contributed to an early demise, but the concept of moving water around in tunnels proved successful, and several tunnels were driven under the town from the Goyt to power mills. In 1796, James Harrisson drove a wide cut from the Tame which fed several mills in the Park, Portwood . Other water-powered mills were built on
1258-411: Is Stockport Viaduct . Built in 1840, its 27 brick arches carry the mainline railway passing through the town over the River Mersey. Stockport was recorded as "Stokeport" in 1170. The currently accepted etymology is Old English port , a market place, with stoc , a hamlet (but more accurately a minor settlement within an estate); hence, a market place at a hamlet. Older derivations include stock ,
1332-507: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester , England, 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Manchester , 9 miles (14 km) south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and 12 miles (19 km) north of Macclesfield . The Rivers Goyt and Tame merge to create the River Mersey here. It is the main settlement of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Stockport . In 2011 it had
1406-667: Is close to Manchester Airport . Cheadle lies on the Cheshire Plain in the final meander of the Ladybrook Valley before it joins the River Mersey to the north. Cheadle is on the A560 from Stockport to Chester and borders onto the A34 . Its geology is boulder clay and gravels: the parkland of Abney Hall to the north is on the flood plain of the Mersey. Lying within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire , Cheadle
1480-438: Is currently confined to bus routes provided by several operators, predominantly Stagecoach Manchester . Key routes include: The locality was served between 1866 until 1964 by a Cheshire Lines Committee railway station (initially called Cheadle and, from 1950, Cheadle North ) situated 600 yards (550 m) north of the village on the west side of Manchester Road. It was also served, from 1866 until 1917, by Cheadle LNWR ,
1554-649: Is home to the HQ of sportswear giants Umbro . It formerly had the head office of Nord Anglia Education . At a later time the Nord Anglia Cheadle housed the International Schools and Learning Services divisions. Currently Cheadle is home to the UK head office of the largest global provider of high school exchange - Educatius " [1] The village's football club is Cheadle Town F.C. that play in
SECTION 20
#17327804800071628-449: Is on elevated ground, 6.1 miles (9.8 km) south-east of Manchester city centre , at the confluence of the rivers Goyt and Tame , creating the River Mersey. It shares a common boundary with the City of Manchester . Stockport stands on Permian sandstones and red Triassic sandstones and mudstones, mantled by thick deposits of till and pockets of sand and gravel deposited by glaciers at
1702-517: Is possible that it originated instead in the Old English word cēod ("a bag, a bag-like hollow"). There has been human occupation in the area that is now Cheadle since prehistoric times. The earliest evidence of civilisation is of burial mounds dating from the Iron Age , belonging to Celts who occupied Britain. Later, the area was occupied by Brigantes , whose activity was discovered in
1776-406: Is to bring more than 3,000 residents into the centre of the town, and revitalise its residential property and retail markets in a similar fashion to the nearby city of Manchester. Many ex-industrial areas around the town's core will be brought back into productive use as mixed-use residential and commercial developments. Property development company FreshStart Living has been involved in redeveloping
1850-405: Is used as the general term, or demonym used for people from Stockport, much as someone from London would be a Londoner. Stockport has never been a sea or river port as the Mersey is not navigable here; in the centre of Stockport the river has been culverted and the main shopping street, Merseyway, built above it. The earliest evidence of human occupation in the wider area are microliths from
1924-525: The British Isles . Stockport's predominant industries of the 19th century were the cotton and allied industries. It was also at the centre of the country's hatting industry, which by 1884 was exporting more than six million hats a year; the last hat works in Stockport closed in 1997. The town's football club, Stockport County , is nicknamed The Hatters. Dominating the western approaches to the town
1998-604: The English Civil War the town was supportive of Parliament and was garrisoned by local militias of around 3,000 men commanded by Majors Mainwaring and Duckenfield. Prince Rupert advanced on the town on 25 May 1644, with 8–10,000 men and 50 guns, with a brief skirmish at the site of the bridge, in which Colonel Washington's Dragoons led the Royalist attack. Rupert continued his march via Manchester and Bolton to meet defeat at Marston Moor near York. Stockport bridge
2072-548: The Local Government Act 1894 the area of the local board became Cheadle and Gatley Urban District . There were exchanges of land with the neighbouring former urban districts of Wilmslow and Handforth in 1901, and the wards were restructured again, splitting Cheadle Hulme into north and south, and merging in Adswood. Due to the fast-paced growth of the district, the wards were again restructured in 1930, with
2146-578: The Luton area. In 1966, the largest of the region's remaining felt hat manufacturers, Battersby & Co, T & W Lees, J. Moores & Sons, and Joseph Wilson & Sons, merged with Christy & Co to form Associated British Hat Manufacturers , leaving Christy's and Wilson's (at Denton) as the last two factories in production. The Wilson's factory closed in 1980, followed by the Christy's factory in 1997, bringing to an end over 400 years of hatting in
2220-760: The Peak District . At the 2001 UK census , Stockport had a population of 136,082. The 2001 population density was 11,937 per mi (4,613 per km ), with a 100 to 94.0 female-to-male ratio. Of those over 16 years old, 32% were single (never married) and 50.2% married. Stockport's 58,687 households included 33.1% one-person, 33.7% married couples living together, 9.7% were co-habiting couples, and 10.4% single parents with their children, these figures were similar to those of Stockport Metropolitan Borough and England. Of those aged 16–74, 29.2% had no academic qualifications , significantly higher than that of 25.7% in all of Stockport Metropolitan Borough but similar to
2294-625: The hundred of Salford, which was poorly surveyed. The area south of the Mersey was part of the Hamestan hundred. Cheadle , Bramhall , Bredbury , and Romiley are mentioned, but these all lay just outside the town limits. The survey includes valuations of the Salford hundred as a whole and Cheadle for the times of Edward the Confessor , just before the Norman invasion of 1066 , and the time of
Woodsmoor - Misplaced Pages Continue
2368-402: The metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. In 1986, Greater Manchester County Council was abolished and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council assumed its functions, with some services being provided by joint committees. In 2011, Stockport bid for city status as part of the 2012 Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations but was unsuccessful. There are four parliamentary constituencies in
2442-580: The model village are parts of a mill community designed in the main by Alfred Waterhouse for workers of Houldsworth Mill . Cheadle, Greater Manchester Cheadle ( / ˈ tʃ iː d əl / ) is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport , in the county of Greater Manchester , England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, it borders Cheadle Hulme , Gatley , Heald Green and Cheadle Heath in Stockport, and East Didsbury in Manchester. In 2011 , it had
2516-553: The urban districts of Reddish in 1901 and Heaton Norris in 1913. It continued to straddle the geographical counties of Cheshire and Lancashire until 1974, although it was placed entirely in Lancashire for judicial purposes in 1956. In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 , the old County Borough of Stockport was amalgamated with neighbouring districts to form the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in
2590-701: The 1800s still stand today, in a conservation area in the centre of the village. There is also a Manchester overspill council estate that was constructed shortly after the Second World War to rehouse families from the Victorian slums of inner-city Manchester. In April 2008, these homes were transferred to a housing association, Mossbank Homes. The following educational establishments are in Cheadle: Primary schools: Secondary schools: Special education: Independent schools: Cheadle
2664-488: The 18th century. A cache of coins dating from 375 to 378 AD may have come from the banks of the Mersey at Daw Bank; these were possibly buried for safekeeping at the side of a road. Six coins from the reigns of the Anglo-Saxon English Kings Edmund (reigned 939–946) and Eadred (reigned 946–955) were found during ploughing at Reddish Green in 1789. There are contrasting views about
2738-529: The M60 motorway is the Stockport Pyramid , a distinctive structure designed by Christopher Denny from Michael Hyde and Associates. It has a steel frame covered with mostly blue glass and clear glass paneling at the apex and was intended to be the signature building for a much larger development planned in 1987. Construction began in the early 1990s and it was completed in 1992 but an economic downturn caused
2812-530: The Mersey. The town was connected to the national canal network by the 5 miles (8.0 km) of the Stockport branch of the Ashton Canal opened in 1797 which continued in use until the 1930s. Much of it is now filled in, but there is an active campaign to re-open it for leisure uses. In the early 19th century, the number of hatters in the area began to increase, and a reputation for high quality work
2886-774: The Stockport Metropolitan Borough: Stockport , Reddish and denton , Cheadle and Hazel Grove . Stockport has been represented by the Labour MP Navendu Mishra since 2019 . Tom Morrison has been the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle since 2024 and Lisa Smart has been the Lib Dem MP for Hazel Grove since 2024 . At 53°24′30″N 2°8′58″W / 53.40833°N 2.14944°W / 53.40833; -2.14944 (53.408°, −2.149°) Stockport
2960-411: The addition of Heald Green . On 31 March 1930 the parish was abolished and mergd with Stockport Etchells to form Cheadle and Gatley . In 1921 the parish had a population of 8845. In 1940 the current wards of Adswood, Cheadle East, Cheadle West, Cheadle Hulme North, Cheadle Hulme South, Gatley and Heald Green were established. Under the Local Government Act 1972 the Cheadle and Gatley Urban District
3034-660: The adjoining Stopford House and Fred Perry House. The council is a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority , led by the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester . Stockport was an ancient parish in the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire . The parish was large, being sub-divided into fourteen townships : Bramhall , Bredbury , Brinnington , Disley , Dukinfield , Hyde , Marple , Norbury , Offerton , Romiley , Stockport Etchells , Torkington , Werneth , and
Woodsmoor - Misplaced Pages Continue
3108-457: The approximate areas of both modern day Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme . By June 1294, Geoffrey de Chedle was lord of the manor, and it was valued at about £20 per annum. Geoffrey's descendant Robert (or Roger) died in the early 1320s, leaving the estate to his wife Matilda who held it until her death in 1326. As there were no male heirs the manor, which was now worth £30 per annum, was divided between her daughters, Clemence and Agnes. Agnes inherited
3182-448: The area were dispossessed and the land divided amongst the new Norman rulers. The first borough charter was granted in about 1220 and was the only basis for local government for six hundred years. A castle held by Geoffrey de Costentin is recorded as a rebel stronghold against Henry II in 1173–1174 when his sons revolted . There is an incorrect local tradition that Geoffrey was the king's son, Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany , who
3256-409: The area. The industry is commemorated by the UK's only dedicated hatting museum, Hat Works . Since the start of the 20th century Stockport has moved away from being a town dependent on cotton and its allied industries to one with a varied base. It makes the most of its varied heritage attractions, including a national museum of hatting, a unique system of World War II air raid tunnel shelters in
3330-477: The country. As part of that reform, the borough boundaries were enlarged to match the recently created constituency. The borough of Stockport therefore straddled Cheshire and Lancashire from 1836 onwards. Under the terms of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 , Stockport Poor Law Union was established on 3 February 1837 and was responsible for an area covering 16 parishes or townships (mostly from
3404-462: The design of the machinery. On his return he obtained a patent on the design, and went into production in Derby . When Lombe tried to renew his patent in 1732, silk spinners from towns including Manchester , Macclesfield , Leek , and Stockport successfully petitioned parliament to not renew the patent. Lombe was paid off, and in 1732 Stockport's first silk mill (the first water-powered textile mill in
3478-673: The end of the Last Glacial Period , some 15,000 years ago. To the extreme east is the Red Rock fault , and the older rocks from the Upper Carboniferous period surface. An outcrop of coal measures extends southwards through Tameside and into Hazel Grove . The Pennines lie to the east of the town, consisting of the upland moors and Millstone Grit outcrops of sandstones and shales in the Dark Peak area of
3552-536: The form of axe fragments. In the first millennium, Romans occupied the area, and their coins have been discovered. During the seventh century, St. Chad preached in the area. A stone cross dedicated to him was found close to the confluence of the River Mersey and Micker Brook in 1873. It was held by Gamel, a free Saxon under Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester ; it was about three miles long and half as wide, containing both wooded and open land, with areas enclosed for hunting purposes. This early manor occupied
3626-599: The former LNWR station was sited. It is expected to open in 2025. Nearby stations are located at Gatley , approximately one mile west of Cheadle, and the neighbouring areas of East Didsbury (within the City of Manchester's boundaries), Cheadle Hulme and Heald Green . Cheadle is accessed by junctions 2 and 3 of the M60 Manchester orbital motorway. Cheadle is located approximately 4 miles from Manchester Airport . A number of houses in Cheadle that were built in
3700-649: The hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic period (the Middle Stone Age, about 8000–3500 BC) and weapons and stone tools from the Neolithic period (the New Stone Age, 3500–2000 BC). Early Bronze Age (2000–1200 BC) remains include stone hammers, flint knives, palstaves (bronze axe heads), and funerary urns ; all finds were chance discoveries, not the results of systematic searches of
3774-443: The lands as lords of the manor until the 18th century, when the manor was purchased by Thomas Egerton. Moseley Old Hall , an early Stuart mansion dating from 1666 is still standing and is owned privately. Abney Hall is a late Victorian hall from 1847 and was used as the Cheadle town hall from 1959 until 1974: it is now used for offices. It is surrounded by parkland which is open to the public all year round and features some of
SECTION 50
#17327804800073848-534: The new civil parish of Cheadle. In 1886, Cheadle was in the Cheadle and Gatley local board of health , a regulatory body responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation for the area of Stockport Etchells township and the part of Cheadle township outside the Municipal Borough of Stockport. The board of health was also part of Stockport poor law union . In 1888 the board was divided into four wards: Adswood, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme and Gatley. Under
3922-403: The north-west of England) was opened on a bend in the Mersey. Further mills were opened on local brooks. Silk weaving expanded until in 1769 two thousand people were employed in the industry. By 1772 the boom had turned to bust, possibly due to cheaper foreign imports; by the late 1770s trade had recovered. The cycle of boom and bust would continue throughout the textile era. The combination of
3996-529: The northern half (which would later become the modern-day Cheadle), and Clemence inherited the southern half (latterly Cheadle Hulme). The two areas became known as "Chedle Bulkeley" and "Chedle Holme" respectively. William de Bulkeley succeeded his mother, and was a participant in several wars in France for Edward, the Black Prince . His son, Richard, was sent to live at the court Richard II , and later to
4070-450: The old parish of Stockport) with a total population of 68,906. Stockport Union built a workhouse at Shaw Heath in 1841. When elected county councils were established in 1889, Stockport was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it was made a county borough , independent from both Cheshire County Council and Lancashire County Council . The borough boundaries were enlarged several times, notably absorbing
4144-413: The only wetlands left in Stockport . Cheadle grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution when it was used as a stopping point for travellers and merchants on their way to central Manchester . Cheadle is a suburban village in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport , Greater Manchester, 3 miles (4.8 km) from Stockport town centre and 8 miles (13 km) from Manchester city centre . It
4218-495: The parish of Stockport, baptised in the parish church and attended Stockport Free School . A lawyer, he was appointed lord president of the high court of justice for the trial of King Charles I in 1649. Although he was dead by the time of the Restoration in 1660, his body was brought up from Westminster Abbey and hanged in its coffin at Tyburn . Stockport bridge has been documented as existing since at least 1282. During
4292-550: The project to be abandoned as the developers went into administration. The building lay empty until 1995 when The Co-operative Bank repossessed it and opened it as a call centre . Vernon Park, to the east towards Bredbury , was opened on 20 September 1858 on the anniversary of the Battle of the Alma in the Crimean War . It was named after Lord Vernon who presented the land to the town. St Elisabeth's Church, Reddish , and
4366-408: The significance of this; Arrowsmith takes this as evidence for the existence of a settlement at that time, but Morris states the find could be "an isolated incident". The small cache is the only Anglo-Saxon find in the area. However, the etymology Stoc-port suggests inhabitation during this period. No part of Stockport appears in the Domesday Book of 1086. The area north of the Mersey was part of
4440-524: The so-called Four Heatons . Stockport's principal commercial district is the town centre, with branches of most high-street stores to be found in the Merseyway Shopping Centre or The Peel Centre . Redrock Stockport has a twelve-screen cinema, bars and several restaurants. Stockport is six miles (9.7 km) from Manchester, making it convenient for commuters and shoppers. In 2008, the council's £500 million plans to redevelop
4514-643: The survey. The reduction in value is taken as evidence of destruction by William the Conqueror 's men in the campaigns generally known as the Harrying of the North . The omission of Stockport was once taken as evidence that destruction was so complete that a survey was not needed. Arrowsmith argues from the etymology that Stockport may have still been a market place associated with a larger estate, and so would not be surveyed separately. The Anglo-Saxon landholders in
SECTION 60
#17327804800074588-440: The town centre were cancelled after construction company Lendlease pulled out of the project, blaming the credit crunch. More recently work has begun with talks of a Metrolink route to Manchester, redevelopment of the old bus station amongst many old buildings becoming luxury apartments. Also many roadworks to deal with the intended growth from the development. Stockport Town Hall , designed by Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas , has
4662-612: The town centre, and a late medieval merchants' house on the 700-year-old Market Place. In 1967, the Stockport air disaster occurred, when a British Midland Airways C-4 Argonaut aeroplane crashed in the Hopes Carr area of the town, resulting in 72 deaths among the passengers and crew. On 23 November 1981, an F1/T2 tornado formed over Cheadle Hulme . It subsequently passed over Stockport town centre. In 2011, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council embarked on an ambitious regeneration scheme, known as Future Stockport. The plan
4736-518: The town centre. The preferred site is at a ford over the Mersey, known to be paved in the 18th century, but it has never been proved that this or any roads in the area are Roman. Hegginbotham reported (in 1892) the discovery of Roman mosaics at Castle Hill (around Stockport market) in the late 18th century, during the construction of a mill, but noted it was "founded on tradition only"; substantial stonework has never been dated by modern methods. However, Roman coins and pottery were probably found there during
4810-572: The township of Brinnington, the hamlets of Brinksway and Edgeley from the parish of Cheadle , and part of the township of Heaton Norris , the latter being on the north side of the River Mersey and forming part of the ancient parish of Manchester in Lancashire . Stockport was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , which standardised how most boroughs operated across
4884-421: The whole of England average at 28.9%. Although suburbs such as Woodford , Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme are relatively wealthy and 45% of the borough is green space, districts such as Edgeley , Adswood , Shaw Heath and Brinnington are among the poorer areas. In the north-west of the borough are the areas of Heaton Moor and Heaton Mersey , which together with Heaton Chapel and Heaton Norris comprise
4958-432: Was "renowned as one of the duskiest, smokiest holes" in the whole of the industrial area. Stockport was one of the prototype textile towns . In the early 18th century, England was not capable of producing silk of sufficient quality to be used as the warp in woven fabrics. Suitable thread had to be imported from Italy , where it was spun on water-powered machinery. In about 1717 John Lombe travelled to Italy and copied
5032-528: Was abolished, and Cheadle has, since 1 April 1974, formed an unparished area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester . Since 1950, Cheadle has been part of the Cheadle parliamentary constituency . As of 2024, it is represented by Liberal Democrats. The area (listed as Cheadle and Gatley) has three councillors who serve on the borough council, who are all Liberal Democrats . Cheadle's public transport
5106-551: Was an ancient parish in the Hundred of Stockport. The parish included the townships of Cheadle Bulkeley and Cheadle Moseley (which included Cheadle Hulme). Following the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , part of Cheadle Bulkeley was amalgamated into the Municipal Borough of Stockport . Cheadle Bulkeley and Cheadle Moseley became separate civil parishes in 1866, but on 29 September 1879 they were united to form
5180-451: Was completed in 1862. World War I cut off overseas markets, which established local industries and eroded Stockport's eminence. Even so, in 1932 more than 3,000 people worked in the hatting industry, making it the third biggest employer after textiles and engineering. The depression of the 1930s and changes in fashion greatly reduced the demand for hats, and the demand that existed was met by cheaper wool products made elsewhere, for example
5254-439: Was created. The London firm of Miller Christy bought out a local firm in 1826, a move described by Arrowsmith as a "watershed". By the latter part of the century hatting had changed from a manual to a mechanised process, and was one of Stockport's primary employers; the area, with nearby Denton, was the leading national centre. Support industries, such as blockmaking, trimmings, and leatherware, became established. Stockport Armoury
5328-453: Was one of the rebels. Dent gives the size of the castle as about 31 by 60 m (102 by 197 ft), and suggests it was similar in pattern to those at Pontefract and Launceston . A branch of the Arden family (to which Shakespeare is related on his mother's side) were prominent in Stockport in 1500s at Underbank Hall , and Arden Hall (also known as Harden or Hawarden). The castle
5402-423: Was probably ruinous by the middle of the 16th century, and in 1642 it was agreed to demolish it. Castle Hill, possibly the motte, was levelled in 1775 to make space for Warren's mill, see below. Nearby walls, once thought to be either part of the castle or of the town walls, are now thought to be revetments to protect the cliff face from erosion. The regicide John Bradshaw (1602–1659) was born at Wibersley, in
5476-488: Was pulled down in 1745 and trenches were additionally dug in the fords to try to stop the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart as they marched through the town on the way to Derby. The vanguard was shot at by the town guard and a horse was killed. The army also passed through Stockport on their retreat back from Derby to Scotland . One of the legends of the town is that of Cheshire farmer, Jonathan Thatcher, who, in
#6993