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Withington

Coordinates:53°25′59″N2°13′44″W/ 53.433°N 2.229°W/53.433; -2.229
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the district of Manchester. For the related Parliamentary Constituency, seeManchester Withington (UK Parliament constituency).For the electoral ward, seeWithington (ward).
For other places with the same name, seeWithington (disambiguation).

Withington
Withington village centre viewed fromWilmslow Road
Withington is located in Greater Manchester
Withington
Withington
Location withinGreater Manchester
Area2.7 sq mi (7.0 km2)
Population13,422 (2011 Census)
•Density5,218/sq mi (2,015/km2)
OS grid referenceSJ848929
•London160 miles (257 km)SE
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
53°25′59″N2°13′44″W/ 53.433°N 2.229°W/53.433; -2.229

Withingtonis asuburbofManchester,Greater Manchester,England.Historicallypart ofLancashire,it lies 4 miles (6.4 km) fromManchester city centre,about 0.4 miles (0.6 km) south ofFallowfield,0.5 miles (0.8 km) north-east ofDidsburyand also 1 mile (1.6 km) east ofChorlton-cum-Hardy.Withington has a population of just over 14,000 people, reducing at the2011 censusto 13,422.[1]

In the early 13th century, Withington occupied afeudal estatethat included the townships of Withington,Chorlton-cum-Hardy,Moss Side,Rusholme,Burnage,DentonandHaughton,held by the Hathersage, Longford and Tatton families,[2]and within the Manor of Manchester and Hundred of Salford inhistoric county boundariesofLancashire.[3]

Withington was largely rural until the mid-19th century when it experienced rapidsocioeconomicdevelopment andurbanisationdue to theIndustrial Revolution,and Manchester'sgrowing levelofindustrialisation.Withington becamepart of Manchesterin 1904.[3][4]

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 theUniversity of ManchesterandManchester Metropolitan University.As a consequence, Withington is predominantly an area of mixed affluence. It is also a centre forclinical excellencewith one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe—Christie Hospital—andWithington Community Hospital.

History

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See also:History of Manchester

Middle Ages

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InAnglo-Saxon timesthe area was sparsely settled byMerciansandDanesand Didsbury may have been established in King Edward the Elder's reign as a fortification against the Danes. Following theNorman Conquestthe lands of south Lancashire were granted toRoger of Poitouand by the early 13th century the Manor of Withington appears to be a sub-manor of the Manor of Manchester.[6] The first recorded description of Withington referred to the area as a willow-copse farmstead, and giving rise to theAnglo-SaxonnameWīðign-tūn,withwithymeaning "willow branch used for bundling".[7]In the early 13th century, theManorof Withington covered a wide area including Withington,Didsbury,Chorlton-cum-Hardy,Moss Side,Rusholme,Burnage,DentonandHaughton.The first Lord of the Manor of Withington is thought to have been William, son of Wulfrith de Withington.[2]

long two-storey white building
The 17th century Red Lion pub, meeting place of theCourt Leet[8]

Withington was one of thetownshipsof theancient parish of Manchesterin theSalford HundredofLancashire,and a sub-manor of the Manor of Manchester. In the 13th century, Robert Grelle (sometimes Grelley),[9]Lord of the Manchester Manor, grantedfree warrenin Withington to Matthew de Hathersage (or Haversage), son of William, in exchange for oneknight's fee.[2]Little is known of the Hathersage family, except that they descended to the Longford family, and are connected with the manors ofHathersageandLongford,both in Derbyshire.[10]The lordship of Withington remained in the Hathersage/Longford family for over 300 years.[10]

Tudor, Stuart and Georgian periods

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At the end of the 16th century, Nicholas Longford sold Withington to theMosleys(originally 'Moseley'), an influentialAnglo-Irishfamily of wool merchants who subsequently became wealthy landowners inStaffordshire:[10]Nicholas Mosley later became Lord of the Manor of Manchester.Hough End Hallwas built by Sir Nicholas Mosley in 1596 as the new Withington manor house—the original medieval manor house was situatedsouth-eastof the modern junction of Mauldeth Road West andPrincess Road,which was surrounded by amoat.In 1750 it was demolished to make way for a farm building, but some of the moat was left. AnOrdnance Surveymap of 1845 shows it as "Withington Old Hall", and it later came to be known as "Chorlton's Farm" or "Old Hall Farm". Today, the site is occupied byEddisbury Avenueand no trace remains of the old house.[11]There are still today some remnants of this moat underneath Old Moat Primary School, on Old Moat Lane. In the early 18th century, the Withington Manor was once again sold, this time to the Egertons of Tatton.[12]

Withington as a village developed aroundWilmslow Road,a main road, connecting Manchester to Wilmslow which was the only direct route betweenManchesterandWilmslowat the time. Farming still dominated the area, although there is evidence in maps of a substantial cotton house on Cotton Lane, which later appears to become Withington Hall. Some historians dispute the cotton house as there is little record of it, and claim"Cotton Lane"comes from land in the area which was jointly held by the townships of Withington,DidsburyandBurnage(a relic of themedieval open field system). This area was the old village centre however, although the only relic of its former importance is the small flower display on the corner ofWilmslow Roadand Cotton Lane.

Victorian and later periods

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St Paul's Church, Withington
The White Lion: Withington's growth in the Victorian era is evident in much of its architecture

The trade in Withington, and consequent traffic on Wilmslow Road, increased steadily as the city of Manchester flourished in the early 19th century.Turnpike roadssubsequently became increasingly unpopular, and were abolished completely in 1881. Cheaper transport in and out of Manchester became an important factor in the growth of the area. TheWithington and West Didsbury railway stationon theManchester South District Line,run by theMidland Railway,provided train services toManchester Central railway station.The railway station closed to passengers in 1961.[13]

Withington'sParish Church of St Paulwas built in 1841; the architects of St Paul's Church were Hayley & Brown and it was extended in 1864.[14]Many other chapels and churches proliferated, includingMethodist,PresbyterianandRoman Catholic.

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 theChurch of Englandestablished a new church school with public donations next to its new parish church in 1844, St Paul's Primary School, on land donated bybenefactorWilbraham Egerton, 1st Earl Egerton.[15]

Withington had aHuguenotpopulation with family and commercial ties to Germany. Among them was the Souchay family, who lived at Withington House on Wilmslow Road (the present site of the telephone exchange at Old Broadway). Charles (or Carl) Souchay and his wife Adelaide (or Adelheid) were benefactors of St Paul's church school, and the first wedding to take place at St Paul's was the marriage of the eldest Souchay daughter in 1850. The Souchays were related to Cécile Mendelssohn Bartholdy, wife of the German composerFelix Mendelssohn.In the 1840s, Mendelssohn made several visits to Britain, and stayed on occasion with friends in the Withington/Didsbury area. Mendelssohn wrote a number of letters to friends from Eltville House, the residence of another member of the Souchay family, John D. Souchay, which was situated on the south-east corner of Fog Lane and Wilmslow Road (later renamed Didsbury Priory).[16][17][18]An account exists of an occasion in April 1847 when Mendelssohn visited St Paul's Church to play the newly installedpipe organ.The composer was suffering from ill health, and this proved to be his last British tour; less than six months later, on 4 November, aged 38, Mendelssohn died inLeipzig.The Souchays are buried in St Paul's churchyard.[19][20][21]

In 1861, a public library and village hall were opened.[10]The library was rebuilt in 1927 with a neo-classical facade.[22]

Aviation

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Louis Paulhan landing his aircraft in Barcicroft Fields in 1910
Alexandra Park Aerodrome (1923), now Hough End playing fields

On 28 April 1910, French pilotLouis Paulhanlanded hisFarmanbiplane 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, with a six-hour overnight stop nearLichfield,Staffordshire.Paulhan beat the British contender,Claude Grahame-White,winning a £10,000 prize offered by theDaily Mail.[23]Two special trains were chartered toBurnage railway stationto take spectators to the landing. Paulhan's progress was followed throughout by a special train carrying his wife,Henri Farmanand his mechanics. A house in Paulhan Road is marked by ablue plaqueto commemorate his achievement.

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 wasAlexandra Park Aerodrome,but it was also variously referred to as "Withington" and "Didsbury". Closure came in autumn 1924 whenLord Egerton of Tattonwould 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

[edit]
TheGrade II listedformerWithington Town Hallin the Albert Park conservation area

Withington was anciently atownshipwithin theparish of ManchesterandHundred of Salford.Following thePublic Health Act 1875,Withington Town Hallwas built in 1881 on Lapwing Lane, originally to house WithingtonLocal Board of Health,then later occupied by the WithingtonUrban District Council,under theLocal Government Act 1894.In 1904, Withington formally became part of theCity of Manchester.[3][4]The old Town Hall building has been converted into private apartments with new-build apartments to the south (back) and east (side).

Manchester Withingtonis a Parliamentary Constituency which encompasses Withington village,Chorlton-cum-Hardy,BurnageandDidsbury(EastandWest). Manchester Withington became the first constituency in theCity of Manchestersince 1929 to elect aLiberal (Democrat)MPuponJohn Leech's gain in the2005 General Election,when the constituency also experienced the largestswingof that election, taking the previously 11,524 majorityLaboursafe seatby 667 votes – a swing of 17%.[25]This was possibly attributable to the constituency's large student population.[26]The previous incumbent of the seat,Keith Bradley,had held the seat forLabourfor 18 years;Lucy Powellwas chosen as the successor candidate to Keith Bradley in March 2007,[27]to try to regain the seat at the next general election.[28]However, Leech retained the seat for the Liberal Democrats at the2010 General Election,with 44.6% of the vote (an increase of 2.4% over 2005); Powell came second with 40.5% of the vote (a decrease of 0.4%).[29]

Historically, Withington was a much larger area than today. Since the district was absorbed into the City of Manchester in 1904, the three citywardsof Didsbury, Fallowfield, and Withington took on their own identities and are now seen as distinct areas. The Conservative Party could once regard this area as a heartland for them, with its largely middle class population and relatively suburban image. The 'flight of the middle classes' to rural Cheshire, however, led to many of Withington's larger homes being sold off for student flats. This resulted in a changing socio-economic structure that would ultimately favour Labour and more recently, for a time, the Liberal-Democrats.

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 onManchester City Councilby 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

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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 the2001 census

  • 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

[edit]
See also:Economy of Manchester

Manchester

Geography

[edit]
Further information:Geography of Greater Manchester

At53°25′59″N2°13′44″W/ 53.433°N 2.229°W/53.433; -2.229,Withington is located immediately below the midpoint of theGreater Manchester Urban Area,4 miles (6.4 km) south of Manchester city centre.

Landmarks

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Withington milestone
TheChristie Hospitalis one of largest cancer research and treatment centres in Europe.

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 aSainsbury's Local.
  • Marcus Rashford muralpainted by Akse P19

Other places of historical interest in Withington include:

  • Christie Hospital– founded in 1892, the hospital moved to Withington in 1932. It is one of the largest cancer research and treatment centres in Europe. Christie's pioneered the therapeutic use ofX-Raysin 1901, and in 1944 the world's firstclinical 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 toWilmslow/ 4 miles to Manchester to centre ofSt. 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 KingsIII:17).
  • Withington Library (1927), Wilmslow Road, designed byHenry Price.
  • Withington Methodist Church, Wilmslow Road (1865).

Transport

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See also:Transport in Manchester
Wilmslow Road bus corridor
Withington tram stopopened in 2013.

Buses

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Withington has bus links into the Manchester city centre, partly because of its position on theWilmslow Road bus corridorwhich 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 byStagecoach ManchesterandFirst 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

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Until the 1960s, Withington had arailway stationon Palatine Road,Withington and West Didsbury,on theMidland Railway'sManchester South District Railway.This station was closed in 1961 byBritish Rail;today the nearest railway station to Withington isMauldeth Road,located to the east inLadybarn.

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In 2013, the old Midland Railway line was reopened as alight railline as part of theManchester Metrolinknetwork. Today, Metrolink trams provide a direct tram link toManchester city centreon theSouth Manchester Line,servingWest Didsbury,Burton RoadandWithingtontram 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[38]but funding was not secured until the 21st century. The project was then put on hold due to escalating costs;[39]new funding was sought through theManchester Congestion Charge,[40] but this was rejected in a public referendum in 2008. The project was revived in May 2009 with a new funding package from local and national government. Clearance work began on the line in 2011 and it was completed in 2013.[41]

Education

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Further information:List of schools in Greater Manchester
Wall memorial outside the old St Paul's Primary School building commemoratingLord Egerton

Withington Girls' Schoolwas established in 1890 and provides private education for girls aged 7 to 18. Notable alumni includeJudith Chalmers.

In the 1930s, theManchester Grammar Schoolmoved to new premises inFallowfield,from its original position near the site of the presentManchester Cathedral.Although seen to be inFallowfield,its location is also within the boundaries of the Withington locality. The school has been attended by actors such asBen KingsleyandRobert Powell,cricketerMike Atherton,and writer and broadcasterMartin Sixsmith.

Withington is served by the following local primary schools:

There are nearest secondary schools, includingThe Barlow RC High School,Didsbury High School andParrs Wood High School.

Police service

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Withington is covered by the South Manchester Division ofGreater Manchester Police.

Sport

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See also:List of football clubs in England

Notable people

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Noted Withington residents
Ernest Rutherford
ScientistErnest Rutherford
Ludwig Wittgenstein
PhilosopherLudwig Wittgenstein
John Mahoney
ActorJohn Mahoney
Robert Donat
ActorRobert Donat(pictured with Greer Garson)

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^"City of Manchester population 2011".Retrieved5 January2016.
  2. ^abcSussex & Helm 1988,p. 45.
  3. ^abc"Greater Manchester Gazetteer".Greater Manchester County Record Office. Place Names T to W. Archived fromthe originalon 18 July 2011.Retrieved16 March2008.
  4. ^ab"Withington history".Unknown. 2001.Retrieved16 March2008.
  5. ^"Withington, Manchester, UK".BBC Editorial. 6 June 2005.Retrieved17 March2008.
  6. ^France and Woodall (1976) pp. 3 ff.
  7. ^Cooper, Glynis (2005).The Wharncliffe Companion to Manchester.Wharncliffe books. p. 168.ISBN1-903425-74-3.
  8. ^Sussex & Helm 1988,p. 3.
  9. ^"Townships – Heaton Norris".British History. 2007.Retrieved17 March2008.
  10. ^abcd"Township – Withington".British History. 2007.Retrieved17 March2008.
  11. ^France, Ernest & Woodall, Thomas F. (1976).A New History of Didsbury.E. J. Morten, Didsbury. p. 203.ISBN0-85972-035-7.
  12. ^Lloyd, John M. (1972)The Township of Chorlton-cum-Hardy.Didsbury, Manchester: E. J. Morten; pp. 109–110
  13. ^"Disused Stations: Withington & West Didsbury Station".www.disused-stations.org.uk.Retrieved10 July2020.
  14. ^Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2004).Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East.Yale University Press. p. 484.ISBN9780300105834.
  15. ^Sussex & Helm 1988,p. 25.
  16. ^Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix (2008).Sämtliche Briefe: Februar 1847 bis November 1847; Gesamtregister der Bände 1 bis 12(in German). Bärenreiter. p. 125.ISBN9783761823125.Retrieved10 November2019.
  17. ^"Gertrude Clarke Whittall Foundation Collection - Mendelssohn Collection"(PDF).Music Division of the Library of Congress. p. 33.Retrieved10 November2019.
  18. ^Sussex & Helm 1988,p. 29.
  19. ^Purver, Ian; Boyle, Roy (5 October 2011)."Church History".St Pauls Withington.Archived fromthe originalon 5 October 2011.Retrieved8 November2019.
  20. ^"Bid to put historic organ on the Mend".Manchester Evening News.26 March 2009.Retrieved10 November2019.
  21. ^Mercer-Taylor, Peter (28 September 2000).The Life of Mendelssohn.Cambridge University Press. pp.198-203.ISBN978-0-521-63972-9.
  22. ^"Withington Library".Manchester City Council.Retrieved25 November2022.
  23. ^"London to Manchester".Skypark. 2007.Retrieved17 March2008.
  24. ^Scholefield, R. A. (2004). "Manchester's Early Airfields – an extended chapter in: Moving Manchester".Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society.Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society: 216–219.ISSN0950-4699.
  25. ^"Class of 2005".The Guardian.London. 10 October 2005.Retrieved23 March2008.
  26. ^Cowling, David (7 May 2005)."Who deserted Labour?".BBC News.Retrieved23 March2008.
  27. ^Colburn, Mark (1 April 2007)."Lucy Powell Wins Mcr Withington Selection".labourhome.org. Archived fromthe originalon 17 May 2008.Retrieved25 March2008.
  28. ^"Building our majority"(doc).Labour Party (Hazel Blears). June 2007.Retrieved26 March2008.
  29. ^Manchester WithingtonUK Polling
  30. ^"Local election 2012: Dramatic gains for Labour across Greater Manchester".Manchester Evening News.M.E.N. Media. 3 May 2012.Retrieved11 May2012.
  31. ^"Withington Councillors".manchester.gov.uk.Manchester City Council.Retrieved28 April2017.
  32. ^"Old Moat Councillors".manchester.gov.uk.Manchester City Council.Retrieved28 April2017.
  33. ^"Data collected for Withington by HM Government in the 2001 census".Neighbourhood Statistics. 2001. Archived fromthe originalon 12 June 2011.Retrieved17 March2008.
  34. ^United Kingdom Census 2001 (2001)."Greater Manchester (Health Authority)".neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 17 May 2008.Retrieved17 March2008.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  35. ^O'Rourke, Aidan (26 October 2006)."Busiest bus corridor".EyeOnManchester. Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2007.Retrieved17 March2008.
  36. ^Williams, Tony (30 May 2007)."Manchester to Chorlton and East Didsbury".Light Transit Association.Retrieved12 March2008.
  37. ^Kirby, Dean (3 June 2013)."Calling tram stop Withington is misleading, claim residents".Manchester Evening News.Archivedfrom the original on 8 June 2017.Retrieved8 June2017.
  38. ^Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (1984),Light Rapid Transit in Greater Manchester,GMPTE– publicity brochure
  39. ^Cronshaw, Andy (22 July 2004)."Fight for Metrolink will go on".South Manchester Reporter.M.E.N. Media.Retrieved17 March2008.
  40. ^Towle, Nick (3 May 2007)."Bigger bang plan".South Manchester Reporter.M.E.N. Media.Retrieved4 October2007.
  41. ^"Metrolink: back on track?".BBC Manchester. 23 May 2009.Retrieved17 May2009.
  42. ^abc"Did-you-know's for Withington".Unknown. 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 15 February 2008.Retrieved17 March2008.
  43. ^McGuinness, Brian (2005).Young Ludwig: Wittgenstein's Life, 1889–1921.Oxford University Press.p. 71.ISBN978-0-19-927994-4.
  • Sussex, Gay; Helm, Peter (1988).Looking Back at Withington and Didsbury.Willow. p. 45.ISBN0-946361-25-8.
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