Hyde, Greater Manchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hyde | |
|
  Hyde shown within Greater Manchester |
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| Population | 31,253 (2001 census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | Tameside |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HYDE |
| Postcode district | SK14 |
| Dial code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | Stalybridge and Hyde |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester | |
Hyde is a town in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, Hyde has a population of 31,253 (2001 census)
Contents |
[edit] Geography and administration
One of the most beautiful areas of Tameside is the Werneth Low Country Park in Hyde, which is also home to the Hyde War Memorial Trust.
[edit] Civic history
Hyde was incorporated as a municipal borough of Cheshire in 1881, which covered the parishes of Hyde, Compstall, Godley and Newton.[1] In 1936 the borough was extended by the annexation of the civil parish of Hattersley and part of the civil parish of Matley from Tintwistle Rural District. The town became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside , Greater Manchester in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972.
[edit] History
[edit] Etymology
Hyde's name derives from hide - a measure of land equivalent to 120 acres (0.5 km²).[citation needed] The name Hyde came into common usage by 1830, but if one looks at Newton Hall in Dukinfield Road, there were buildings present in the thirteenth century.
[edit] Industrial Revolution
Hyde was built on the success of the cotton mills during the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Peak Forest Canal runs through Hyde; A branch of the canal leading to Ashton, the other way leads to Woodley, Romiley and Marple. At the end of Woodend Lane one can see Captain Clark's Bridge, commemorating Cpt Clark. Originally there were 40 working mills. By 1872 only 27 remained - of these half closed from 1921-1939. There is one working mill in the town today.
Hyde Town Hall dominates the market place area. The large bell in the clocktower is known as "Owd Josh" (Old Josh), named after Joshua Bradley, a former mayor of Hyde who had risen up from being a poor child worker in the mills. It has the ring of Big Ben.
There were many mill-owning families, including the Sidebotham, Hibbert and Horsefield families. However, the major employer in the mills was the Ashton family, who did both spinning and weaving, a successful practice when most mills concentrated on one process only. This is the one working mill still surviving today. The Ashton family also built Hyde Chapel in Higham Lane, Gee Cross.
[edit] Harold Shipman/The Moors Murders
Britain's most prolific serial killer, Dr Harold Shipman, had his doctor's surgery in the town where he murdered hundreds of its residents. Hyde is no stranger to such abhorrent crimes. In the 1960s Myra Hindley and Ian Brady were arrested in their home on the Hattersley estate in Hyde. They were both sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of 5 children who the couple had buried on Saddleworth Moors, near Oldham. The murders, which became infamous as The Moors Murders outraged Britain, nowhere more than Hyde and the nearby city of Manchester.
[edit] Present day
[edit] Transport
Hyde is served by six railway stations, Hyde Central and Hyde North stations are on the Manchester Piccadilly - Romiley - Rose Hill 'Hyde Loop' line. Flowery Field, Newton (for Hyde) , Godley and Hattersley stations are on the electrified Piccadilly - Glossop - Hadfield line.
[edit] Sport
One of the town's most noted achievements came with the success of the Hyde Seal water polo team, who from 1904 to 1914 were the finest in the world, winning the world championship in 1904, 1905 and 1906.
But their sporting heritage extends to Dr Ron Hill, a former European gold-medallist marathon runner.
The town is home to Hyde United Football Club (recently promoted to the Conference North after winning the UniBond League First Division and Premier Divisions in successive seasons). The largest defeat in English professional football history, a 26-0 loss against Lancashire team Preston North End in a 1887 FA Cup match, is often attributed to Hyde United, but as they were not formed until 1919, that distinction must go down to Hyde FC, who were founded in 1885. Hyde United play their home games at Ewen Fields, a ground they share with the Manchester United reserve team.
Hyde also contains the area of Flowery Field, which hosts Flowery Field Cricket Club of the Lancashire County League who are on the other side of the town to Werneth Low's Hyde Cricket Club, who play in the Cheshire League.
Hyde also has a claim in the history of boxing, as world champion Ricky Hatton, born in nearby Stockport, lives in Hyde.
[edit] Notable residents
- Alan Wright, Premiership footballer.[Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers]
- Timmy Mallett, television presenter and entertainer( born in Marple)
- Becky Want, BBC local radio presenter) born in Hyde 1961
- Len Hopwood, Lancashire & England cricketer.
- Lee A. Martin, Manchester United footballer
- Tony Husband, multi award winning cartoonist for Private Eye, The Times and many more.
- Ricky Hatton, world champion boxer.
- L.S. Lowry, world famous artist.
- Wayne Fontana, 1960s pop singer and musician.
- John Ogden, world famous pianist.
- Ron Hill, famous marathon runner.
- Stuart Hall, BBC TV & Radio presenter.
[edit] References
- ^ Vision of Britain - Hyde MB (historic map)
