Hyde

Coordinates: 53°26′51″N 2°04′55″W / 53.4474°N 2.0820°W / 53.4474; -2.0820

Hyde
Hyde from Werneth Low
Hyde  Hyde shown within Greater Manchester
Population	31,253 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SJ945945
Metropolitan borough	Tameside
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	HYDE
Postcode district	SK14
Dialling code	0161
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
EU Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Stalybridge and Hyde
List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester

Hyde is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England.^[1] As of the 2001 census, the town had a population of 31,253.^[2] Historically part of Cheshire, it is 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Stockport, 6.3 miles (10.1 km) west of Glossop and 7.0 miles (11.3 km) east of Manchester.

History

Medieval

Newton Hall was present in the 13th century. The area formed a township of the parish of Stockport, St Mary.^[3] Its name is derived from the hide, a measure of land for taxation purposes, taken to be that area of land necessary to support a peasant family.^[4] In later times it was taken to be equivalent to 120 acres (0.5 km²).^[4]

Industrial Revolution

Church Street in Hyde

The population of Hyde increased due to the success of the cotton mills during the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At one stage there were forty working mills. By 1872 only twenty-seven remained. Half of the remaining mills closed between 1921 and 1939. There is one working mill in the town today. There were many mill owning families, including the Sidebotham, Hibbert and Horsfield families. The main employers in the mills were the Ashton family who successfully ran a combined spinning and weaving company. Most mills concentrated on one process only. The Ashton family built Hyde Chapel on Stockport Road, Gee Cross. The Ashton Brothers' Mill has recently been demolished to make way for a housing estate.

St George's Church was built in 1832 as a chapel to St Mary's, Stockport. It was built at the instigation of John Hyde Clarke of Hyde Hall and was the first Church of England place of worship in the town. St George's became the Parish church of part of Hyde township in 1842. Later additions include the lychgate, boathouse by the canal, hearse house, parish rooms and numerous vicarages. The church has a 110-foot (34 m) tower housing eight bells and a clock.

The Peak Forest Canal was constructed through Hyde from Ashton-under-Lyne to Woodley, Romiley and Marple. Captain Clarke's Bridge, originally named Wood End Canal Bridge is situated at the end of Woodend Lane. The bridge was erected before Captain Clarke rose to prominence and therefore probably became known as Captain Clarke's bridge after he retired and resided there.

There was also a coal mine in the town and in January 1889 an explosion there killed 23 miners.^[5] The following month Ardwick AFC, modern day Manchester City, played Newton Heath, modern day Manchester United, under floodlights at Belle Vue to raise money for the victims' families. The game was watched by 10,000 people and this was the first floodlit match played by either side.^[6]

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 poor child worker in the mills who later became mayor if Hyde. The clock chimes the Westminster Quarters.

Twentieth Century

During the 1960s, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady were arrested in their home on the Hattersley Estate in Hyde after police found the body of 17-year-old Edward Evans in the house. At their trial they were found guilty of murdering Evans as well as two other children whose bodies were found buried on Saddleworth Moor several miles away. One of these victims had been killed at Brady and Hindley's house on Wardle Brook Avenue. They later confessed to killing two more children.

Britain's most prolific serial killer, Dr Harold Shipman, had his doctor's surgery in the town where he murdered most of his hundreds of victims.^[7] Shipman was originally from Nottingham and had lived in West Yorkshire before moving to Hyde, while Hindley was originally from the Gorton area of Manchester.

In fiction, Hyde is referenced in the BBC drama Life on Mars. In the programme, the character Sam Tyler was said to have transferred from Hyde to Manchester and Salford Police CID. The choice of Hyde is given as a clue that his 1973 self is an alter ego, as in Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.^[8]

Governance

Hyde Town Hall

Civic history

Hyde was incorporated as a municipal borough of Cheshire in 1881, which covered the parishes of Hyde, Godley and Newton, along with part of Compstall.^[9] 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 whole of the municipal borough became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972.

Parliamentary representation

Stalybridge and Hyde as shown within Greater Manchester

As a county palatine Cheshire was unrepresented in Parliament until the Chester and Cheshire (Constituencies) Act 1542. From 1545 Cheshire was represented by two Knights of the Shire. On the passage of the Great Reform Act of 1832, the area of Hyde was included in the North Cheshire constituency. Between the passing of the Second Reform Act of 1867 and the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, the town was part of the East Cheshire constituency. Betwenn 1885 and 1918 the town was part of the Hyde county constituency. Since the 1918 general election, the town has been represented in Parliament by the member for the Stalybridge and Hyde county constituency. The current Member of Parliament is Rt Hon. James Purnell. At the 2005 General Election, he gained a majority of 8,348 and 49.7% of the vote. The Conservatives won 26.0% of the vote, Liberal Democrats 15.7%, the British National Party 4.0%, the Green Party 3.1%, and the United Kingdom Independence Party 1.6%.^[10]

Geography

Hyde Cenotaph on Werneth Low

Werneth Low Country Park is the location of the Hyde War Memorial. The memorial is owned by a trust which raised funds from Hyde residents after the Great War to create a permanent memorial to those Hyde residents who died in that conflict. The memorial contains 710 names.

Hyde is separated from Denton by the River Tame, a tributary of the River Mersey.

Areas and suburbs of Hyde include Gee Cross, Newton, Hattersley, Godley, Flowery Fields and Kingston.

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.

Hyde is served by the M67 motorway, a feeder to the M60, the orbital motorway for Manchester, which is connected to many other motorways that serve across the country.

Hyde also has a bus station (rebuilt in the mid 2000s), with services into Manchester and other surrounding areas, including Stockport, Ashton-under-Lyne, Oldham and Glossop. The station was opened on 23 August 2007 and cost £3.7M to build. The initiative was intended to encourage people to use public transport.^[11]

Sport

The Hyde Seals water polo team had considerable success. From 1904 to 1914 they were regarded as the finest in the world, winning the world championship in 1904, 1905 and 1906. Dr Ron Hill, a former European gold-medallist marathon runner is from Hyde.^[12]

The town's football team is Hyde United F.C.. Hyde United were formed in 1919 and play their home games at Ewen Fields. The ground has been used by Manchester City and later Manchester United for their reserve team fixtures. They were 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 Preston North End in an 1887 FA Cup match, is often attributed to Hyde United, but this match was actually played by Hyde United's predecessors Hyde F.C..^[13] Hyde F.C. were founded in 1885 at a meeting attended by about forty men in the White Lion public house. Footballers Warren Bradley ^[14] and Lee Andrew Martin ^[15] were born in the town.

Hyde Cricket Club play in the Cheshire League and have their ground near Werneth Low. Flowery Field Cricket Club are part of the Lancashire County League. Len Hopwood was born in Newton.^[16]

World champion boxer Ricky Hatton was brought up on the Hattersley Estate and now lives in Gee Cross. His association with the town is set to be solidified by the creation of a boxing gym and health club which will form the headquarters of Hatton Promotions.^[17]

Leisure

Hyde has a recently refurbished Leisure Centre which contains a large swimming pool with wave machine, and an upstairs gym. The pool also has a changing village and a food bar where punters can buy drinks and food. The Octagon shaped structure which has been open for some time, is situated next to the neighbouring Hyde F.C Ground.

Notable people

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The following individuals were born in Hyde or lived in the town for a period.

• Trevor Grimshaw (artist)^[18]
• Ricky Hatton (Boxer)
• Matthew Hatton (Boxer)
• Tony Husband (Cartoonist)
• Gary James (author)^[19]
• L.S. Lowry (artist)^{[citation needed]}
• Harold Shipman (doctor)
• Alan West (born 1951 in Hyde) is an English footballer who played as a central midfielder for Burnley and Luton Town.

Musicians

• Brian and Michael (singers of Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs)^{[citation needed]}
• Brian Day (Musician), Founder member of the Syd Lawrence Orchestra. Also worked with Neil Sedaka, 10cc and Barclay James Harvest
• Wayne Fontana (singer and musician)^{[citation needed]}

Broadcasters

• Stuart Hall (BBC radio/television presenter)^[20]
• Timmy Mallett (television presenter and entertainer, born in Marple)^{[citation needed]}
• Justin Moorhouse (Radio Presenter/ Actor)^{[citation needed]}

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hyde

• Hyde history at Tameside Council website
• Hyde Daily Photo
• Old Hyde