Middleton, Greater Manchester

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Middleton
A row of terraced houses in Middleton. The Church of St Leonard appears above the rooftops
PopulationExpression error: "45,580 (2001 Census)" must be numeric
OS grid referenceSD8706
• London166 mi (276 km) SSE
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMANCHESTER
Postcode districtM24
Dialling code0161
PoliceGreater Manchester
FireGreater Manchester
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Greater Manchester

Middleton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England.[1] It stands on the River Irk, 5.1 miles (8.2 km) north-northeast of the city of Manchester, and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) south-southeast of Rochdale, with a total resident population of 45,580.

Historically a part of Lancashire, Middleton took its name from being situated in the centre of several circumjacent settlements. Its early history is marked by its status as an ecclesiastical parish of the hundred of Salford. The Church of St Leonard – a Grade I listed building – has lain at the centre of the community for centuries. In 1770, Middleton was a village of 20 houses; during the 18th and 19th centuries it grew into a thiving and populous seat of textile manufacture, so much so that Middleton was granted borough status in 1886.

Middleton, which encompasses a number of Manchester City Council's overspill estates, is a predominantly residential town.

History

The name Middleton first appears in 1194, and derives from the Old English middel-tūn, meaning middle farm or settlement,[2] probably a reference to its central position between Rochdale and Manchester.[3] It owes much of its history to the Industrial Revolution, when it was a significant mill town, with links to the silk industry stretching back to the 19th century.

Lord Suffield obtained a Royal Charter from King George III in 1791 to hold a weekly market and three annual fairs in Middleton. Suffield built a market house, warehouses and shambles in the town at his own expense.

The town's local newspaper, the Middleton Guardian has a history going back to Victorian times.

JW Lees houses its brewery at Middleton Junction. The brewery owns several pubs in the Greater Manchester area.

Warwick Mill is a monument to be seen from all around Middleton and was a venue for a workers Luddite revolt.

In recent times, Middleton has gained the most expensive Bus station in the world.[citation needed]

Governance

Lying within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire since a very early time, Middleton was once an ecclesiastical parish of the hundred of Salford, and in Oldham poor law Union. In 1861 commissioners were established for the improvement of Middleton and Tonge townships or civil parishes. In 1878, the township of Alkrington and parts of the townships of Hopwood and Thornham were added to the area of the commissioners. It was in 1886 this territory was incorporated as a borough, giving it Borough status in the United Kingdom. In 1894 parts of Great Heaton and Little Heaton townships were added to the Municipal borough of Middleton, which was within the administrative county of Lancashire. In 1933 there were exchanges of territory between the borough of Middleton, the City of Manchester and Chadderton Urban District. Also in 1933 parts of Unsworth were amalgamated with Middleton, whilst part of it was moved to Royton Urban District. In 1974, though it was initially proposed that it become part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham,[4] Middleton became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale within the Metropolitan county of Greater Manchester.[1]

Middleton forms part of the Heywood and Middleton parliamentary constituency.

Geography

Further information: [[:Geography of Greater Manchester]]

At 53°33′17″N 2°11′19″W / 53.55472°N 2.18861°W / 53.55472; -2.18861Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (53.5547, -2.1887) Middleton lies immediately north of Manchester; Chadderton and Royton are close to the east. The town of Rochdale lies to the north-northeast.

The M60 motorway passes to the south of Middleton. For purposes of the Office for National Statistics, Middleton forms part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area.[5]

Neighbouring towns, villages and places.

Landmarks

A row of buildings in Middleton's town centre, including one (second from the left) by local born architect Edgar Wood. Several buildings in the town are by Wood.

Several of Middleton's buildings were designed by Edgar Wood, a local-born influential architect of his day. Several in Middleton are landmarks and are notable.

Middleton has a busy leisure centre and also a civic centre. There are plans to re-develop both places to improve the area in which they are situated and the services they currently offer.

St Leonard's

The Church of St Leonard is a Norman, Grade I listed building.

The Parish church of St Leonard was completed in 1524, incorporating two stone arches made of stonework from an earlier Norman church. A wooden Saxon church is believed to have occupied the site long before the Norman church was built, in about 1100.[6]

The present church was built by Sir Richard Assheton, in celebration of the knighthood granted to him by Henry VIII for his part in the Battle of Flodden Field, the largest battle ever fought between Scotland and England. The Flodden Window, in the sanctuary, is thought to be the oldest war memorial in the UK. It memorialises on it the names of the Middleton archers who fought at Flodden Field in 1513. The church also has one of the finest collections of brasses in the area, including the only brass in the UK of a Civil War Officer in full armour, Major-General Sir Ralph Assheton.[6]

The church was designated a Grade I listed building in 1957.[7]

Old Boar's Head Inn

Situated below the parish church, on Long Street, this was originally a coaching inn on the road between Chester and York. It is said to date from at least 1632.

Tonge Hall

Tonge Hall was a Tudor structure destroyed by an arson attack in 2007.[1]

Sports

Middleton is also host to many local clubs for various sports, one of which is Middleton Cricket Club who are currently playing in the Central Lancashire Cricket League. Three golf clubs are within easy reach of the town centre; North Manchester, Manchester and Heaton Park.

Transport

In 2005, a new Middleton Bus Station was opened to replace the old one, next to the Middleton Arndale shopping centre. The bus station is purported to have been (at time of construction) the most expensive in Europe.[citation needed]

Middleton is located close to junction 19 of the M62 motorway and junction 21 of the M60 Motorway .

The nearest train station is Mills Hill railway station, in nearby Chadderton.

Education

A list of schools and colleges that are situated in the Middleton area.

Primary

  • Alkrington (County) Primary School
  • Boarshaw Community Primary School
  • Elm Wood Primary School
  • Hollin Primary School
  • Bowlee Park Community School
  • Little Heaton Church of England Primary School
  • Middleton Parish Church of England Primary School
  • Parkfield Primary School
  • St. Gabriels Church of England Primary School
  • St. John Fisher Roman Catholic Primary School
  • St. Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School
  • St. Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School
  • St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School
  • St. Michael's Church of England Primary School

Secondary

  • Alderman Kay School
  • Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School ("Cardinal Langley School")
  • Middleton Technology School
  • St. Annes Academy

Further education

  • Hopwood Hall College - Middleton Campus, Rochdale Road. This was formerly De La Salle teacher training college from 1946 to 1989, the chapel of which was the architectural prototype for Liverpool's Roman Catholic cathedral. The chapel still exists but its spire is no longer topped with a cross.

The college benefits from its massive grounds and leisure facilities which were developed over many years by the De La Salle College. Hopwood Hall itself is in a very dilapidated condition and has been a cause for concern for many years.

Notable people

A list of notable people that are from, or have lived in, Middleton:

Trivia

People from Middleton are sometimes known as "Moonrakers". According to tales this was due to poachers stashing their ill-gotten wares in ponds and pretending to rake the moon's reflection off the ponds, claiming to the authorities that they were trying to recover the green cheese (ie. the moon).[citation needed]

Langley, a large Manchester overspill council housing estate in Middleton, was the setting and location for Ken Loach's 1993 film Raining Stones starring Bruce Jones. It was also the setting for the 1978 TV play, The Spongers. Both were written by Jim Allen who lived in Middleton and helped build the Langley estate as a young builder.

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b Anon (2003-07-31). "A select gazetteer of local government areas, Greater Manchester County". Greater Manchester County Records Office. Retrieved 2007-10-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ University of Nottingham's Institute for Name-Studies. "Middleton". nottingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  3. ^ Nicolaisen, Gelling & Richards, The Names of Towns and Cities in Britain, p. 135
  4. ^ Philosophy on councils has yet to emerge. The Times. July 8, 1972
  5. ^ Office for National Statistics (2001). "Census 2001:Key Statistics for urban areas in the North; Map 3" (PDF). statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  6. ^ a b "The Church Building". Middleton Parish Church. Retrieved 2007-05-16.
  7. ^ "Middleton, St Leonard". Images of England. Retrieved 2007-12-24.

Bibliography

  • Nicolaisen W. F. H., Gelling M., & Richards M. (1970). The Names of Towns and Cities in Britain. B. T. Batsford Ltd. ISBN 0713401133.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

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