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Didsbury

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Malleus Fatuorum (talk | contribs) at 15:53, 6 October 2007 (moved ethnicity stuff together, doesn't warrant a separate section). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the town in Canada, see Didsbury, Alberta.
Didsbury
PopulationExpression error: "14,292 (Census 2001)" must be numeric
OS grid referenceSJ8491
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMANCHESTER
Postcode districtM20
Dialling code0161
PoliceGreater Manchester
FireGreater Manchester
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Greater Manchester

Didsbury (pronounced /dĭdsˈbûrē/ or dids-burgh-ry) is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in North West England. It is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of Manchester City Centre, and has a population of 14,292. The area is intersected by Wilmslow Road, said by some analysts to be the busiest bus corridor in Europe.

Didsbury is predominantly populated by young professionals, families and students, and is considered to be a desirable residential area.[1] Didsbury has the lowest rate of unemployment (2.55%) and highest rate of full time employment in the Manchester metropolitan district (48%).

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was formed in Didsbury, in 1889.[2] The Towers, now known as the Shirley Institute, was once the home of engineer Daniel Adamson—the driving force behind the Manchester Ship Canal project—and the venue where the decision to build the canal was taken.[3] The house was designed by Salford architect Thomas Worthington, for the editor and proprietor of the Manchester Guardian, John Edward Taylor.

History

File:Didsbury Parish Church.jpg
St James' Parish Church, to the south of the village centre, in 1900.
St James Parish Church, in 2007.

Didsbury derives its name from the Anglo-Saxon Dyddi's burg, probably referring to a man known as Dyddi whose stronghold or township it was.[4] In the 13th century, Didsbury was variously known as Dydesbyre, Dydesbiri, Didsbury, or Dodesbury.[5]

The earliest reference to Didsbury is in a document dating from 1235, recording a grant of land for the building of a chapel.[6] The church was originally called St. Oswald, but was renamed as St. James in 1855. It underwent major refurbishment in 1620 and 1801, although most of the stonework visible today dates from the 17th century.[7] The two public houses flanking the nearby village green, The Didsbury Inn and The Olde Cock Inn, were described in the late 1780s by local Alderman Fletcher Moss as the "gates of Hell", because of the temptation they offered to drop in for drink rather than go to the church.[8] A charter granted in about 1260 shows that a corn-grinding mill was operating in Didsbury, along the River Mersey.[5]

During the English Civil War, Prince Rupert stationed himself at Didsbury Ees to the south of Barlow Moor. In the Jacobite march south from Manchester to Derby in 1745, it is likely that it crossed the old ford of the River Mersey at Didsbury. As a consequence, of the marches and retreats across the river by Prince Rupert and Bonnie Prince Stuart, the hamlet was made a focal point for the journeys from the North of England to London and so became more economically active than before. Some analysts believe this to be the "early signs of industrialistion" in Manchester.[9]

A commemorative plaque to the Spanish and Portuguese Jews from Didsbury and Withington.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries many Jewish immigrants from Spain and Portugal settled in the area;[10][11] it became home for one of the two large Jewish communities in and around Manchester, the other being Prestwich.[12] The large number of Jewish immigrants led to Didsbury being nicknamed Yidsbury and Palatine Road, a main road through West Didsbury, Palestine Road. Their children and grandchildren moved out to areas such as Bowdon, Hale and Hale Barns as they grew wealthier.

During the Victorian expansion of Manchester, Didsbury developed as a prosperous settlement; a few of the old mansions still exist on Wilmslow Road between Didsbury Village and Parrs Wood, now converted to either nursing homes or offices. The opening of the Midland Railway line in 1880 contributed greatly to the rapid growth in the population of Didsbury, with stations at Didsbury and Withington and West Didsbury offering easy rail connections to Manchester Central Station. The line closed in 1967, although Didsbury station building remained standing until its demolition in the 1980s. The station clock and water fountain have survived, dedicated to local doctor and campaigner for the poor, Dr. J. Milson Rhodes (1847–1909).[13]

On 28 April 1910, French pilot Louis Paulhan landed his aeroplane in Barcicroft Fields, Pytha Fold Farm, on the borders of Withington, Burnage and Didsbury, at the end of the first powered flight from London to Manchester. Paulhan beat the British contender, Claude Grahame-White, winning a GB£10,000 prize offered by the Daily Mail.[14] Two special trains were chartered to Burnage Station to take spectators and mechanics to the landing. The site, in Paulhan Road, is marked by a blue plaque.

Governance

Formerly the "Ring O' Bells", The Didsbury Inn, was at the heart of judicial and leisure activities in 18th century Didsbury.[15]

Civic history

In the early 13th century, Didsbury lay within the manor of Withington, a feudal estate which also included the townships of Withington, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Moss Side, Rusholme, Burnage, Denton and Haughton, ruled by the Hathersage, Longford and Tatton families,[16] and within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.[17] Didsbury remained within the manor of Withington for several centuries.

By 1764, Didsbury was described as a township in its own right.[13] It became a civil parish in 1866, and in 1876 was incorporated into the Withington Urban Sanitary District, superseded in 1894 by the creation of Withington Urban District.[18] In 1904, Withington Urban District became a part of the City of Manchester, and Didsbury was absorbed into the city, although it remained a civil parish until 1910.

Political representation

Didsbury is in the parliamentary constituency of Manchester Withington, and is represented by John Leech MP, a member of the Liberal Democrats. Manchester Withington became the first constituency in Manchester since 1929 to elect a Liberal Democrat on Leech's election in 2005. The previous encumbent of the seat, Keith Bradley, had held the seat for Labour for 18 years; Lucy Powell was chosen as the Labour candidate in March 2007 to try to regain the seat at the next general election.[19]

Until 2004, the area formed the Didsbury ward of Manchester City Council. Boundary changes in 2004 resulted in Didsbury being split between the two new wards of Didsbury East and Didsbury West. Didsbury East is represented by Liberal Democrat councillors Helen Fisher, Tony Parkinson and David Sandiford.[20] Didsbury West is represented by Liberal Democrat councillors Graham Shaw, Neil Trafford and Mark Clayton,[21] giving Didsbury six of the 96 seats on Manchester City Council.[22] Both wards elect in thirds on a four yearly cycle.

Geography

Further information: [[:Geography of Greater Manchester]]
Ordnance survey map of Didsbury from 1905

Didsbury, at 53°24′59″N 2°13′51″W / 53.41639°N 2.23083°W / 53.41639; -2.23083Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (53.4166, -2.2311), is located below the midpoint of the Greater Manchester Urban Area, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) south of Manchester City Centre. To the north, Didsbury is bordered by Withington, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Northenden to the west and south-west, Burnage to the east and north-east and Cheadle & Gatley to the south. The River Mersey forms Didsbury's southern and southwestern boundaries, and also marks the boundary with the city of Manchester. The area (East Didsbury, West Didsbury & Didsbury) is generally considered to be roughly enclosed by Princess Parkway to the west, Kingsway to the east and the Ball Brook, just north of Lapwing Lane/Fog Lane to the north. This northern boundary is marked by a boundary stone in the front garden wall of a house on the west side of Wilmslow Road. There is a "country trail" passing from West Didsbury to East, named the Trans Pennine Trail (National Cycle Route 62). It was sited along a disused railway track, as part of a nationwide initiative to promote cycling.[23]

The areas of Didsbury surrounding the Mersey lie within the river's flood plain, and so have historically been prone to flooding after heavy rainfall.[24] The last major flooding was in the late 1960s, thanks to the extensive flood mitigation work that was carried out along the Mersey Valley through Manchester in the 1970s, which helped to speed up the passage of floodwater. Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden also acts as an emergency flood basin, storing floodwater until it can be safely released back into the river.[25]

Demography

Didsbury Compared[26]
UK Census 2001 Didsbury Manchester Greater Manchester
Total population 14,292 441,200 2,547,700
Foreign born (outside Europe) 13% 15% 7%
White 88% 81% 91%
Asian 8% 9% 6%
Black 1% 5% 1%
Over 75 years old 10% 6% 7%
Unemployed 35% 5% 4%

The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded Didsbury as having a population of 14,292, of whom 87% were born in or or originate from the United Kingdom.[27] The under-16s accounted for 17% of the population, and the over-65s for 15%. A large majority of residents, 88%, identified themselves as white, 8% as Asian, 2% as mixed ethnicity, 1% black, and 1% Chinese or other ethnic group.[26] Females accounted for 51% of Didsbury's population, males for 49%. The population density in 2001 was found to be 5,276/square mile (2,037/km²).[28]

Inhabitants of Didsbury are known as Didsburians, or Dids for short.

Religion Percentage of
population[26]
Christian 62.1%
No religion 19.9%
Not stated 7.07%
Muslim 6.22%
Jewish 2.15%
Hindu 1.6%
Buddhist 0.36%
Sikh 0.31%
Other 0.3%

Religion

Even though Didsbury has a varied demography, it is not as religiously diverse as the rest of the city. Didsbury has the second largest Jewish population in the borough and a medium Muslim population in comparison to areas such as Rusholme, Longsight and Levenshulme.

Economy

See also: Economy of Manchester
File:Didsbury industry sectors.PNG
Industry sectors displayed as a pie chart.

As of the UK's 2001 census, Didsbury an estimated workforce of 10,755 or 75.2% of population. Economic status in Didsbury was; 48% in full-time employment, 8.2% in part-time employment, 10% were self-employed, 2.5% unemployed, 3.8% full-time student (without job), 11% retired, 3.8% housewife/husband or carer, 4% permanently sick or disabled and 2.25% economically inactive for unstated or unknown reasons.[26] Didsbury has a high rate of full-time employment (48%) in comparison to Manchester District (33%) and the North West (38%)[26]. The area also has a low rate of unemployment (2.55%) compared with Manchester (5%) and the North West (3.7%).[26]

In accordance with the 2001 UK census, the main industry of employment in Didsbury was 10.5% business and property, 8% education, 7.9% health and social work, 6% retail and wholesale, 4.5% manufacturing, 3% transport and communications, 2.5% financial, 2.2% hotels and restaurants, 1.8% construction, 1.8% public administration and defence, and 3.1% other.[26] These figures were similar to those from surrounding areas, but Didsbury did have a relatively larger education sector than other nearby wards, perhaps explained by the high density of schools in the area.

Culture

Village centre

Didsbury Village

The central shopping area, along Wilmslow Road, has developed a European-like cafe culture over recent years, with the opening of many new bars, cafes and delicatessens.[29] The traditional independent retailers are gradually being replaced by multi-national firms, raising fears that Didsbury is losing its individual identity and becoming a "clone town".[30] The 200-year-old Peacock's Funeral Parlour, one of the few pre-Victorian buildings in the village and regarded by some as the centrepiece of the village,[31] was demolished in the summer of 2005. The owner, United Co-op, blamed changing demographics for the closure of the funeral parlour; with more and more homes being occupied by young professional people, the death rate was falling.[32]

A locally famous pub crawl, taking in twelve bars in one night, is known as The Didsbury Dozen.

Green areas

Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden, just south of Didsbury centre

The Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden is a 21-acre (8.5 ha) recreational park south of the village centre. It is named after local Alderman Fletcher Moss, who donated the park to the city of Manchester in 1914.[33] In 2007, it won the Green Flag Award, the national standard for parks and green spaces in England,[34] an award it has held since 2000.[35]

Didsbury Park was also a winner of the Green Flag Award in 2007.[36] It is a community park in Didsbury village centre that comprises a bowls area, creche, football pitch and play area. Once a year, at the Didsbury Festival, pupils from local schools dress up to a theme and meet in the playground of St. Catherine's Primary School, in nearby East Didsbury, from where they parade to Didsbury Park.

Marie Louise Gardens is a relatively small park to the west of the centre of Didsbury. The park was originally owned by the Silkenstadt family as part of the grounds of their house. The land was bequeathed to the people of Manchester by Mrs Silkenstadt in 1904 in memory of her daughter, Marie Louise.[33] The park was at the centre of controversy in 2007 after Manchester City Council proposed to sell a portion of it to a private property developer.[37]

Sports

Didsbury Sports Centre is on Millgate Lane, part of the Manchester Metropolitan University campus. It provides facilities for football, gaelic football and rugby. Old Bedians Rugby Club, one of two rugby union clubs in Didsbury, is based at the centre. Old Bedians was founded in 1954, and regularly fields three senior teams as well as a junior section. Desmond Pastore, believed to be the oldest rugby player in the world, was a founder member of the club, and later became its president.[38] Formerly a player for Sale and Cheshire, Desmond played his last game for Manchester club Egor on his 91st birthday.[39] Didsbury TocH R.F.C, founded in 1924, is Didsbury's other rugby union club.[40] Its first team plays in the North Lancashire and Cumbria league. The club runs four senior teams and a youth section, and has run a 10-a-side competition every May since 1951, as a charity fund raiser for local hospices. Didsbury Cricket Club fields three Saturday teams and two Sunday teams. The first eleven play in the Cheshire County League Division 1. As well as the five senior teams, the club also has a junior section comprising four age sections between 11 and 18. It is also home to Manchester Waconians Lacrosse Club and Didsbury Grey's Women's Hockey Team, which don't actually play at the site but at grounds in Belle Vue, that were designed for the XVII Commonwealth Games.[41] Northern Tennis Club, located in West Didsbury, is one of Manchester's few racquet clubs; it annually plays host to an Association of Tennis Professionals tournament in July.

Education

See also: List of schools in the North West of England
Fielden Campus, City College Manchester

Didsbury has a non-selective education system, assessed by the SATs exam, taken by children in Year 6. There are two state comprehensive secondary schools and seven primary schools. Parrs Wood High School, a specialist school in the visual arts and technology and The Barlow RC High School is a secondary comprehensive school and specialist science college.[42] It recently changed its name to The Barlow from Barlow - to avoid confusion with another Barlow secondary school nearby. It has recently got permission from Manchester City Council to boost the new building initative, whereby the current premises will be demolished.[43] The original and current buildings date back to 1951. Both schools recently gained an award for inclusion by Manchester City Council, now known as the Manchester Inclusion Award.[44] Both institutes have in excess of 1000 pupils, as they accept children from adjacent districts such as Chorlton-cum-Hardy and Withington.

Didsbury has two higher education centres. City College, Manchester's Fielden Campus is in West Didsbury and mostly offers courses in communication and technology. Manchester Metropolitan University also has a campus in Didsbury, home to the faculties of health, social care, and education, along with the Broomhurst Hall of Residence.[45]

Media

ABC Weekend Television's northern studios in Didsbury.

Between 1956 and 1969, the old Capitol Cinema at the junction of Parrs Wood Road and School Lane served as the northern studios of ITV station ABC Weekend Television. Early episodes of The Avengers and Armchair Theatre were made in the studios, as well as programmes such as Opportunity Knocks. ABC closed the site in 1969, on its merger with fellow ITV company Rediffusion. The site was then used briefly by Yorkshire Television until its own facilities in Leeds were ready. In 1970, the studios were bought by Manchester Polytechnic, who used it for cinema and television studies. The building was demolished in the late 1990s, to make way for a residential development.[46]

Didsbury is also the base for one of the Manchester Evening News subsidiaries, the South Manchester Reporter.[47]

Transport

See also: Transport in Manchester
File:42 bus number.jpg
MagicBus - No.142 bus route which ends in East Didsbury terminus

Wilmslow Road provides Didsbury Village with an extremely regular bus service due to the strong demand for travel by students along the corridor. The service is cheap and passengers rarely having to wait more than a couple of minutes. According to some analysts, Wilmslow Road is the busiest bus corridor in Europe.[48], however, the course splits into two further routes on the way into the City Centre. The roads in the centre of Didsbury are often overcrowded but it is relatively easy to get to Manchester's motorway ring road - the M60 motorway. The M60 also links Didsbury to Manchester Airport with the journey taking around 20 minutes.

The nearest railway stations are in East Didsbury and Burnage, on the line between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport. The stations in Didsbury Village and West Didsbury were closed in the 1960s. Plans to extend the Manchester Metrolink through Didsbury and beyond[49] were rejected by the government in 2004, due to escalating costs.[50] New plans were drawn up in 2007, with at least some of the money required for the construction of the line expected to come from the proposed Manchester Congestion Charge.[51]

Notable people

Daniel Adamson, promoter of the Manchester Ship Canal, lived at The Towers (blue plaque – now the Shirley Institute) on Wilmslow Road from 1874 until his death in 1890. His Grade II listed home, designed by Thomas Worthington for John Edward Taylor, the editor and proprietor of the Manchester Guardian, was the venue for the 1882 meeting at which it was decided to construct the Ship Canal project.[52] Kirsty Howard was the final runner to carry the Queen's Baton at the opening of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, when she was chaperoned by England football captain David Beckham. Born with a very rare condition in which her heart is back-to-front, she has been a resident in Didsbury's Francis House Hospice, for which she has raised over £5 million.[53] Lord Marcus Joseph Sieff, the chairman of Marks & Spencer from 1972 to 1982, was born in Didsbury in 1913. Vini Reilly, the lead singer in the Durutti Column, was born here in 1953.

References

  1. ^ "Affluence of Didsbury". manchester2002-uk. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  2. ^ "Milestones" (HTTP). Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  3. ^ "The Towers History". Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  4. ^ ""Dedesbiry"". Manchester2002-uk.com. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  5. ^ a b "History of the Village". British History. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  6. ^ "St James Church Area". Manchester City Council. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  7. ^ Sussex, Gay (1988). Looking back at Withington & Didsbury. Willow Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 0946361258. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Village Introduction". Didsbury Civic Society. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  9. ^ "Early Didsbury". Didsbury Civic Society. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  10. ^ ""Spanish and Portuguese Jews"". JCR-UK. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  11. ^ ""Jewish Research"". JCSM. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  12. ^ ""Jewish Community of South Manchester, suburb of Didsbury"". JCSM. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  13. ^ a b France & Woodall (1976). A New History of Didsbury. E.J. Morten. p. 203. ISBN 0-85972-035-7.
  14. ^ "London to Manchester". www.thosemagnificentmen.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-12-26.
  15. ^ "The Didsbury "Our History"". The Didsbury.
  16. ^ Sussex & Helm (1988). Looking Back at Withington and Didsbury. Willow. p. 45. ISBN 0-946361-25-8.
  17. ^ Anon (2003-07-31). "A select gazetteer of local government areas, Greater Manchester County" (HTTP). Greater Manchester County Records Office. Retrieved 2007-10-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Didsbury Civil Parish". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  19. ^ "Lucy Powell Wins Mcr Withington Selection". Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  20. ^ "Councillors by Ward: Didsbury East" (HTTP). Manchester City Council. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  21. ^ "Councillors by Ward: Didsbury West" (HTTP). Manchester City Council. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  22. ^ "Local Councillors" (HTTP). Manchester City Council. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  23. ^ "National Cycling Routes". Manchester City Council. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  24. ^ "Flooding". SaleCommunityWeb. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  25. ^ "Exploring Greater Manchester" (PDF). Manchester Geographical Society. 1998. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g United Kingdom Census 2001 (2001). "Area: Didsbury (Ward)". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 2007-07-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Cite error: The named reference "Neighbourhood Statistics 2001 Census" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  27. ^ "2001 UK Census (Ethnicity)". Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  28. ^ "Didsbury Ward" (PDF). Manchester City Council. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
  29. ^ "Didsbury guidebook". FindaProperty.com. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
  30. ^ "Fears over 'clone town' Didsbury". South Manchester Reporter. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
  31. ^ ""Dying to Save Peacocks". BBC. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  32. ^ "Death of a funeral parlour". South Manchester Reporter. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  33. ^ a b "Manchester Parks and Gardens". John Moss, Papillon Graphics. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  34. ^ "Fletcher Moss Gardens". Green Flag Award. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  35. ^ "About Fletcher Moss Gardens" (HTTP). Manchester City Council. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  36. ^ "Didsbury Park". Green Flag Award. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  37. ^ Susannah, Wright (2007-06-07). "Hands off our park, say 5,000 residents". South Manchester Report. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  38. ^ "History" (HTTP). Old Bedians. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  39. ^ "Rugby star, 91, honoured by Queen" (HTTP). BBC News. Retrieved 2007-09-17. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  40. ^ "Team Profile". DidsburyRFC. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
  41. ^ "Didsbury Sports (PAGE 2 - BOTTOM LEFT)" (PDF). DidsburyCCsports. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
  42. ^ "Barlow Specialist Science College". DFES. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  43. ^ ""New boost for education in Manchester as council gets funding to rebuild more secondary Schools"". Manchester City Council. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  44. ^ "Manchester Inclusion Standard". Manchester City Council. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
  45. ^ "ManMet Campus". MMU. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
  46. ^ Graham, Russ J. "From the North" (HTTP). Transdiffusion Broadcasting System. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
  47. ^ "SMR Profile". South Manchester Reporter. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  48. ^ "Didsbury as the "busiest bus corridor"". EyeOnManchester. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  49. ^ Williams, Tony. "Manchester to Chorlton and East Didsbury" (HTTP). Light Transit Association. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  50. ^ "Fight for Metrolink will go on" (HTTP). South Manchester Reporter. 22 July 2004. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  51. ^ "Bigger bang plan" (HTTP). South Manchester Reporter. 3 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  52. ^ "The Towers". manchester2002-uk. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
  53. ^ "Kirsty Howard hits £5m target" (HTTP). 30 October 2006. Retrieved 2007-10-03. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |publication= ignored (help)

External links

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