| Heaton Chapel | |
|---|---|
  Heaton Chapel Location withinGreater Manchester | |
| Population | (2001 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SJ880925 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STOCKPORT |
| Postcode district | SK4 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Heaton Chapel is an area in the northern part ofStockport,Greater Manchester,England. Within the boundaries of thehistoric county ofLancashire, it borders theManchester districts ofLevenshulme to the north, the Stockport districts ofHeaton Moor to the west,Reddish andHeaton Norris to the east, andHeaton Mersey to the west and south. Heaton Chapel and its neighbouring areas are known collectively as theFour Heatons.
Before 1758, Heaton Chapel did not exist but was simply part of the Lancashire parish of Heaton Norris.[1] The need for a chapel was identified in the Parliamentary Commission'sLancashire and Cheshire church surveys 1649–1655, but it was a further hundred years before Mr A. Colier raised money by public subscription and Mr Sidebotham petitioned the bishop ofChester for a licence to worship in 1758; it was dedicated 28 October 1758. It is speculated that the need for the chapel was stimulated by the preaching ofCharles Wesley who visitedStockport in 1745. The Church was built on a field known as Yarn Croft of 1,712 square yards. The building was plain brick, with three rounded windows on the North side and three on the South side. There was a small projecting chancel which served as a place for the communion table, lit by means of a long round-headed window, with two long rectangular windows on each side.[2] The church is 'miswent'; that is not built on a true east–west axis. In 2015, theDiocese of Manchester changed the official address of the church from Heaton Norris to Heaton Chapel - 250 years after its establishment.
The principal road fromManchester to Stockport and the south ran through Heaton Chapel along the line of the present Manchester Road. It was turnpiked in 1724.[citation needed] There was a toll gate opposite the church. It entered Stockport down Lancashire Hill. In 1826 a new turnpike was built.[3]
In 1837, Parliamentary approval was given for the railway to be built by theManchester and Birmingham Railway, and the first section from Heaton Norris to Manchester Travis Street opened in 1841, but a viaduct needed to be built at Stockport. TheLondon and North Western Railway completed theCrewe to Manchester Line; the rector, Mr Jackson, used personal influence to have a station built in 1851 close to the rectory in Heaton Moor Road. The station was built in a cutting. There was already a Heaton Norris station, on Georges Road, so the new station was namedHeaton Chapel. The subsequent growth of the Heaton Moor area led to a temporary change of the railway station name:Heaton Chapel for Heaton Moor, thenHeaton Chapel and Heaton Moor; it has since returned toHeaton Chapel.[1] This line was electrified in 1959.
In the inter-war years, there was a tram service along Wellington Road operated jointly by Manchester and Stockport corporations. Stockport used 460v DC and Manchester 400 volts, so the Manchester trams would need more resistance in the circuit. The Stockport trams would probably have been able to manage without swapping, they would just be on a slightly lower voltage. The trams stopped at the Levenshulme/Heaton Chapel border, so the resistances could be changed and the collectors changed manually from one set of wires to the others.[citation needed]
A number of mansions were built close to the border withHeaton Moor during the early 20th century. This part of Heaton Chapel today has a degree of palatial and expensive housing by the standards ofGreater Manchester. In 2018, Heaton Chapel was ranked higher thanDidsbury inThe Times Best Places to Live report.[4] The Heatons appeared as one ofThe Times best places to live in the region in 2023.[5] Heaton Chapel was specifically named as forming one of the top 10 places to live in the UK by 2024.[6]
A large biscuit works was opened in 1918 byMcVitie and Price, later McVitie's, part ofUnited Biscuits. In this location, chocolate-covered foods such asPenguin biscuits andJaffa Cakes are manufactured.[1]
Crossley Bros. Ltd commenced motor car production in 1906 after several years experience of building engines and, by the end of 1916, had already supplied large numbers of tenders to theRoyal Flying Corps. In addition, production of Beardmore and Bentley Aero engines was undertaken. Wartime expansion of production had led to the acquisition of premises at High Lane, Heaton Chapel. This subsequently was renamed Crossley Road and marked the spot where Stockport became Manchester.
In 1917, the factory was adapted to produceDe HavillandDH.9 single-engined andDH.10 twin-engined bombers. It was known as theNational Aircraft Factory No. 2, employed 2,500 people and was managed by Crossley Motors Limited. About 450 DH9s and seven DH10s were completed before production ceased, after theArmistice.[7]
In 1934, the factory was acquired by Mr (later Sir)Richard Fairey, who wanted additional factory space to produce aircraft ordered under the UK's re-armament programme; thusFairey Aviation was based on Crossley Road, next to the railway line.
The factory manufactured 14Fairey Hendon,[7] 1,154Battle, 600Fulmar and 675Barracuda aircraft and also reconditionedSwordfishes. Fairey's also built, under sub-contract, over 660Handley Page Halifaxes and nearly 500Bristol Beaufighters. Heaton Chapel had design staff and manufacturing capacity. Assembly was atBarton Aerodrome for a short period, then atRAF Ringway from June 1937 onwards.[8]
In 1951, theFairey Delta 1 was built here. On 10 March 1956, theFairey Delta 2, with components manufactured at Heaton Chapel, broke the World Air Speed Record at 1820 km/h (1132 mph).[8]
From 1954, theGannet was also built here although production of the 338 aircraft was shared with the company's other factory atHayes, Middlesex.
In 1946, the company diversified into the nuclear industry, forming Fairey Stainless.
In 1986, Fairey Engineering was taken over by Williams Holdings and became Williams Fairey Engineering Ltd;[8] it is now known as WFEL. The Air Portable Ferry Bridge (APFB) is a lightweight 40 metre bridge that can be transported to site in a C130 aircraft and erected by 8 engineers in 90 minutes. It is in use in Iraq and Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Fairey Aviation sponsored theFairey Brass Band, who hold rehearsals in Heaton Chapel.
Heaton Chapel railway station is a stop on theCrewe-Manchester Line, theStafford-Manchester line and theBuxton line.Northern Trains operates stopping services toManchester Piccadilly,Stockport,Alderley Edge,Crewe,Stoke-on-Trent andBuxton.[9]
Bus services are operated byStagecoach Manchester; key routes include:[10]
Sir John Alcock, along withArthur Whitten Brown, made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in 1919; he attended St. Thomas' primary school in Heaton Chapel alongside the church.[11]
Heaton Chapel was the home of thePoco-a-Poco club; many big names performed here, includingDavid Bowie on 27 April 1970. Sited at the junction of Denby Lane and Manchester Road, and formerly theEmpress Cinema, this has now been demolished and has been home to theHind's Head pub for a number of years.[12]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) History of Fairey Engineering