Cheadle Hulme
Cheadle Hulme is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the historic county of Cheshire, south-west of Stockport and south-east of Manchester. In 2011, it had a population of 26,479.
Evidence of Bronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon activity, including coins, jewellery and axes, have been discovered locally. The area was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was a large estate which included neighbouring Cheadle. In the early 14th century, it was split into southern and northern parts at about the future locations of Cheadle Hulme and Cheadle respectively. The area was acquired by the Moseley family in the 17th century and became known as Cheadle Moseley. Unlike many English villages, it did not grow around a church; instead it formed from several hamlets, many of which retain their names as neighbourhoods within Cheadle Hulme. In the late 19th century, Cheadle Hulme was united with Cheadle, Gatley and other neighbouring places to form the urban district of Cheadle and Gatley. This district was abolished in 1974 and Cheadle Hulme became a part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport.
Cheadle Hulme has good transport links, with its own railway station and is in close proximity to Manchester Airport, the M60 motorway and the A34 road.
History
Early history
The Domesday Book provides the earliest mention of the area, where it is recorded as "Cedde", Celtic for "wood". Local archaeological finds include Bronze Age axes discovered in Cheadle. Evidence of Roman occupation includes coins and jewellery, which were found in 1972, and the modern-day Cheadle Road, originally known as Street Lane, may be of Roman origin. A stone cross dedicated to the Anglo-Saxon St Chad, uncovered in 1873, indicates Anglo-Saxon activity. The cross was found in an area called "Chad Hill", on the banks of Micker Brook near its confluence with the River Mersey; this area became "Chedle". Suggestions for the origin of the name include the words cedde, and leigh or leah, in Old English meaning "clearing", forming the modern day "Cheadle". "Hulme" may have been derived from the Old Norse word for "water meadow" or "island in the fen".According to the Domesday Book in 1086, the modern-day Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme were a single large estate. Valued at £20, it was described as "large and important" and "a wood three leagues long and half as broad". One of the earliest owners of the property was the Earl of Chester. It was held by a Gamel, a free Saxon, under Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester, and later became the property of the de Chedle family, who took their name from the land they owned. By June 1294 Geoffrey de Chedle was Lord of the Manor. Geoffrey's descendant Robert 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. Clemence inherited the southern half, and Agnes inherited the northern half. The two areas became known as "Chedle Holme" and "Chedle Bulkeley" respectively. Shortly afterwards the Chedle Holme estate was divided and the part where Hulme Hall is now situated became known as "Holme", and held by the Vernons. The estates were reunified on the death of the last of the Vernons in 1476.
The only daughter of Clemence and William de Bagulegh, Isabel de Bagulegh, succeeded her parents as owner of the manor, and married Sir Thomas Danyers. Danyers was rewarded for his efforts in the crusades through an annual payment from the King of 40 marks, as well as the gift of Lyme Hall. His daughter Margaret continued to receive payments after his death.
The first John Savage succeeded Margaret, and nine more followed him. The tenth died young, so the estate passed to his brother, Thomas Savage. In 1626 Charles I created the title of Viscount Savage for him. On his death the estate passed to his daughter Joan, who later married John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester. Joan died during childbirth at the age of 23, and the estate passed to the Marquess. The Marquess practised Catholicism, and in 1643 the estate was confiscated due to persecution of Catholics in the English Civil War.
Following this, the estate was acquired by the Moseley family of Manchester and became known as Cheadle Moseley. Anne Moseley was the last of this family to hold the manor, as her husband could not afford to keep it following her death. It was purchased by John Davenport, who bequeathed it to the Bamford family when he died childless in 1760. After the last Bamford died without male issue in 1806, the estate passed to Robert Hesketh who took the name Bamford-Hesketh; it is from this family that the Hesketh Tavern public house in Cheadle Hulme got its name. The last person to hold the manor was Winifred, Countess of Dundonald, one of Bamford-Hesketh's descendants.
Modern history
Prior to 1868, Cheadle Moseley was a township within the ancient parish of Cheadle. Its population more than doubled during the first half of the 19th century, rising from 971 in 1801 to 2,319 in 1851. Cheadle Moseley became a civil parish in 1868. In 1879, it was merged with neighbouring Cheadle Bulkeley to form the civil parish of Cheadle. Cheadle parish went on to become part of the newly formed Cheadle and Gatley district in 1894. The name "Cheadle Moseley" continued to be used for the area, and appeared on tithes and deeds until the 20th century. In 1974, the Cheadle and Gatley district was abolished and Cheadle Hulme became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport.RAF Handforth was a large and important storage facility that contributed directly to the war effort. The site stretched from the centre of Handforth village, through Cheadle Hulme and onwards to Woodford. The industrial estate Adlington Park in Woodford/Poynton was a dispersed site of RAF Handforth. Cheadle Hulme itself escaped being badly damaged, but its villagers knew the extent of the war, mainly due to the large and visible presence of the RAF and could hear the sounds of air-raids on Manchester.
Cheadle Hulme did not grow around a church like many English villages, but instead grew from several hamlets that existed in the area. Many of the names of these hamlets still appear in the names of areas, including Smithy Green, Lane End, Gill Bent, and Grove Lane. Some of the many farms such as Orish Mere Farm and Hursthead Farm which covered the area also retain their names in schools that were built in their place.
The area was struck by an F1/T2 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.
Governance
Cheadle Hulme was historically part of the ancient parish of Cheadle within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire. It formed the township of Cheadle Moseley. Following the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, part of Cheadle Moseley was amalgamated into the Municipal Borough of Stockport. Cheadle Moseley became a separate civil parish in 1866, but in 1879 it was united with the neighbouring civil parish of Cheadle Bulkeley to form the civil parish of Cheadle.Established in 1886, Cheadle Hulme's first local authority was 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 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 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 the addition of Heald Green. 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 was abolished, and Cheadle Hulme 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 Hulme has been part of the Cheadle parliamentary constituency. It has been represented by Liberal Democrat Tom Morrison since 2024.
Geography
At, Cheadle Hulme is in the south of Greater Manchester. Stockport Metropolitan Borough straddles the Cheshire Plain and the Pennines, and Cheadle Hulme is in the west of the borough on the Cheshire Plain. The area lies in the Ladybrook Valley next to the Micker Brook, a tributary of the River Mersey which flows north–west from Poynton through Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme, joining the Mersey in Stockport.The majority of buildings in the area are houses from the 20th century, but there are a few buildings, landmarks, and objects that date from the 16th century, in addition to Bramall Hall which dates from the 14th century. In particular, there are many Victorian buildings in several places across the area. The local drift geology is mostly glacial boulder clay, as well as glacial sands and gravel. For many years the clay has been used for making bricks and tiles.
Cheadle Hulme's climate is generally temperate, like the rest of Greater Manchester. The mean highest and lowest temperatures of and are slightly above the average for England, while the annual rainfall of and average hours of sunshine are respectively above and below the national averages.
Demography
| 2011 UK census | Cheadle Hulme | Stockport | England |
| Total population | 24,362 | 283,275 | 53,012,456 |
| White | 91.6% | 92.1% | 85.4% |
| Asian | 5.5% | 4.9% | 7.8% |
| Mixed | 1.5% | 1.8% | 2.3% |
| Black | 0.6% | 0.7% | 3.5% |
| Other | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% |
According to the Office for National Statistics, Cheadle Hulme had a population of 24,362 at the 2011 census. The population density was, with a 100–95.3 female-to-male ratio. Of those aged over 16, 25.0% were single, 58.1% married and 0.1% in a registered same-sex civil partnership Cheadle Hulme's 9,962 households included 26.1% one-person, 42.9% Married or same-sex civil partnership couples living together, 6.2% were co-habiting couples, and 8.3% single parents with children. Of those aged 16–74, 13.1% had no academic qualifications.
About 66.6% of Cheadle Hulme's residents reported themselves as being Christian, 3.4% Muslim, 1.2% Hindu, 0.6% Jewish, 0.3% Buddhist and 0.1% Sikh. The census recorded 21.1% as having no religion, 0.4% had an alternative religion and 6.3% did not state their religion.