| Middleton | |
|---|---|
 St Leonard's Parish Church, Middleton | |
  Middleton Location withinGreater Manchester | |
| Area | 8.94 sq mi (23.2 km2) |
| Population | 42,972 (2011 Census) |
| • Density | 4,807/sq mi (1,856/km2) |
| OS grid reference | SD875065 |
| • London | 190 miles |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode district | M24 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
Middleton is a town in theMetropolitan Borough of Rochdale,Greater Manchester, England,[1] on theRiver Irk. It is 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest ofRochdale and 5 miles (8.0 km) northeast ofManchester. Middleton had a population of 42,972 at the 2011 Census.[2] It lies on the northern edge ofManchester, withBlackley to the south andMoston to the south east.
Historically part ofLancashire, Middleton's name comes from it being the centre of several circumjacent settlements. It was anecclesiastical parish of thehundred of Salford, ruled by aristocratic families. TheChurch of St Leonard is aGrade I listed building. The Flodden Window in the church's sanctuary is thought to be the oldest war memorial in the United Kingdom, memorialising the archers of Middleton who fought at theBattle of Flodden in 1513. In 1770, Middleton was a village of twenty houses, but in the 18th and 19th centuries it grew into a thriving and populous seat oftextile manufacture and it was grantedborough status in 1886.
Langley in the north of the town was one ofManchester City Council'soverspillcouncil estates, whilstAlkrington in the south is a suburban area.[3]
In 616,Æthelfrith of Bernicia, anAnglo-Saxon King, crossed thePennines with an army and passed throughManchester to defeat theBrythons in theBattle of Chester.[4] A wave ofAnglian colonists followed this military conquest and their settlements are identified by the "ton" Old English suffix to local place names.[4]Royton,Crompton,Moston,Clayton,Ashton,Chadderton and Middleton are a number of settlements northeast of Manchester suggested to have been founded as part of this colonisation.[4] It is therefore thought that Middleton as a settlement dates from the 7th century.[4]
Although unmentioned in theDomesday Book of 1086, Middleton is said to be "of great antiquity"; a community at Middleton is thought to have evolved outwards from a church that existed considerably earlier than theNorman conquest of England.[5]
The name Middleton first appears in 1194, and derives from theOld Englishmiddel-tūn, meaning middle farm or settlement,[5][6] probably a reference to its central position betweenRochdale andManchester.[7]
During theMiddle Ages, Middleton was a centre of domestic flannel and woollen cloth production.[citation needed]
The development of Middleton as a centre of commerce occurred during the 17th and 18th centuries as a result of the effect of the Industrial Revolution. Additional to this,Lord Suffield obtained aRoyal Charter fromKing George III in 1791 to hold a weekly market and three annual summer fairs in Middleton.[5] Suffield built a market house, warehouses andshambles in the town at his own expense.
Industrial scaletextile manufacture was introduced to Middleton as a result of theIndustrial Revolution. Middleton became a centre forsilk production in the 18th century, which developed into acotton spinning industry by the mid-19th century and which continued through to the mid-20th century.[5] This transition gave rise to Middleton as amill town.
The town's local newspaper, theMiddleton Guardian has a history going back toVictorian times.[citation needed] copies can be found in the local library of every publication since 1908.
JW Lees houses its brewery at Middleton Junction. The brewery owns several pubs in theGreater Manchester area.
The town was linked to the national rail network until 1964 whenMiddleton andMiddleton Junction railway stations closed to passengers.Mills Hill andMoston are now the nearest stations.
Lying within thehistoric county boundaries ofLancashire from the early 12th century, Middleton was once an ecclesiastical parish of thehundred of Salford, and in Oldhampoor law union.
In 1861 commissioners were established for the improvement of Middleton andTonge townships or civil parishes. In 1878, the township ofAlkrington and parts of the townships ofHopwood andThornham were added to the area of the commissioners. It was in 1886 this territory wasincorporated as a borough, giving itBorough status in the United Kingdom. Following theLocal Government Act 1894 parts ofGreat Heaton and Little Heaton townships were added to the newly createdMunicipal Borough of Middleton, a local government district in theadministrative county of Lancashire. In 1933 there were exchanges of territory between the borough of Middleton, theCity of Manchester andChadderton Urban District. In the same year, parts ofUnsworth were amalgamated with Middleton, whilst part of it was moved toRoyton Urban District. It was proposed in theRedcliffe-Maud Report that Middleton become part of a newMetropolitan Borough of Oldham,[8] however, following theLocal Government Act 1972, the Municipal Borough of Middleton was abolished and its territory became part of theMetropolitan Borough of Rochdale within themetropolitan county ofGreater Manchester.[1] The council was based atParkfield House.[9]
TheMiddleton parliamentary constituency was created by theRedistribution of Seats Act 1885. It was abolished in 1918 when Middleton became part of theMiddleton and Prestwich constituency.
Today Middleton forms part of theHeywood and Middleton parliamentary constituency, and theBlackley and Middleton South parliamentary constituency, represented in theHouse of Commons byElsie Blundell andGraham Stringer respectively, both of theLabour Party.
Neighbouring cities, towns and places. | |
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At53°33′17″N2°11′19″W / 53.55472°N 2.18861°W /53.55472; -2.18861 (53.5547, −2.1887), Middleton stands on undulated land immediately north ofManchester; the towns ofChadderton andRoyton are close to the east. The town ofRochdale lies to the north-northeast. The towns name is derived from Middle-town, from its situation midway between Manchester and Rochdale. It is situated on an ancient road between those places. Middleton town centre is around 220 feet (67 m) abovesea level.
Middleton experiences atemperatemaritime climate, like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters. There is regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year.[citation needed] Middleton is watered by two confluent streams which have their rise in the immediate district.
Much of Middleton'sbuilt environment is characterised by its 19th-century red-brickterraced houses, the infrastructure that was built to support these and the town's formercotton mills, although from the middle of the 20th century the town saw the growth of its outlying residential areas ofLangley, Hollin and Boarshaw which is predominately ex-local authority housing. The skyline is marked bySt. Leonard's Church. Theurban structure of Middleton is regular in comparison to mosttowns in England. Residential dwellings and streets are located around thetown centre.
There is a mixture of high-densityurban areas,suburbs, and semi-rural locations in Middleton, but overwhelmingly theland use in the town is urban. The territory of Middleton is contiguous with other urban areas on its southern and eastern sides, and for purposes of theOffice for National Statistics, forms part of theGreater Manchester Urban Area,[10][11] theUnited Kingdom's third largest conurbation. TheM60 motorway passes to the south of Middleton; theM62 passes to the north. Aheavy rail line enters Middleton fromMoston and Chadderton to the south, and passes to the east of Middleton's town centre before continuing on northwards to Rochdale.
Varyingly agreed divisions and suburbs of Middleton includeAlkrington, Birch,Bowlee, Boarshaw, Cheapside, Greengate, Hebers, Hollin, Hopwood, Jumbo,Langley, Moorclose,Rhodes,Stake Hill,Middleton Junction,Thornham andTonge.Mills Hill is an area shared between Middleton and Chadderton.
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Industrialpolymer,thermoplastics andnonwovens producer The Vita Group have a registered office in Middleton.[12]Kitbag operate a distribution centre fromGreengate in Middleton.
Bluebird Bus and Coach is a travel company based in Middleton.[13] Bus companyJP Travel has been based in Middleton since 1974.[14] Robert McBride, a household and personal care product manufacturers, is also based in the town.[15]
Several of Middleton's buildings were designed byEdgar Wood, a local-born influential architect of his day. Several in Middleton are landmarks and are notable.[16]
Middleton has recently benefited from redevelopments which have seen the construction of a new sports, leisure and civic centre, 'Middleton Arena'. A large Tesco supermarket was opened in the town centre in 2013.[17]
In the early 1970s, The Arndale Property Trust cleared land adjacent to Middleton Gardens to build an 'American-style' modern shopping precinct. The MiddletonArndale Centre commenced trading in 1971, although it was officially opened by the Duchess of Kent in March 1972.
TheParish Church of St Leonard was completed in 1524, incorporating two stone arches made of stonework from an earlierNorman church. A woodenSaxon church is believed to have occupied the site long before the Norman church was built, in about 1100.[18]
The present church was built bySir Richard Assheton, in celebration of the knighthood granted to him byHenry VIII for his part in theBattle of Flodden, the largest battle ever fought between England and Scotland. The Flodden Window, in the sanctuary, is thought to be the oldestwar memorial in the UK.[19] It memorialises on it the names of the Middletonarchers who fought atFlodden Field in 1513. The church also has one of the finest collections ofmonumental brasses in the area, including the only brass in the UK of anEnglish Civil War officer in full armour, Major-General Sir Ralph Assheton.[18]
The church was designated aGrade I listed building in 1957.[20] Middleton Archaeological Society (MAS) have been investigating Clarke Brow, a public field next to St Leonard's Square, and carried out its first dig there in August and September 2013. An account of the Society's research can be found on their website[21]
Tonge Hall is a Grade II* listed[22]Tudor structure badly damaged by an arson attack in 2007.[23] Rochdale Council are now (2012) in the process of buying the property from the owner for a nominal sum with a view to restoration. The North West Building Preservation Trust, a registered charity, is likely to take over its long term maintenance.[24]
MAS undertook research into Tonge and Tonge Hall. The first of these investigations took place in August 2012 and work is ongoing. The MAS website has more information including photographs of the dig at[25]
As of 2019, the building still stands derelict, surrounded by supporting scaffolding. No work has been undertaken on restoration since the arson attack.
Alkrington Hall was built in 1736 and was the seat of the Lever family. Its dominant position on a wooded hillside, looks out over theIrk Valley towards Middleton and is a Grade II* listed building.[26] Some of the original parkland around the hall has now been developed into high end housing, while the rest is alocal nature reserve, Alkrington Wood.
Situated below the parish church, on Long Street,Ye Olde Boar's Head was originally acoaching inn on the road betweenChester andYork. It is said to date from at least 1632 and parts of it date back to the 1500s. It is a Grade II* listed building.[27]
This building is situated on Oldham Road, opposite the Middleton office of the Greater Manchester Police. Warwick Mill was a cotton mill built in 1907, with five machine floors within. It is a Grade II listed building[28] and currently sits derelict, although plans have been made to convert the building several times, none of which have been carried out.
Lodge Mill is reputedly Middleton's oldest surviving mill. Situated opposite to the old substation, the building dates back to 1839, and was a silk and cotton mill. A fire on 30 December 2021 damaged the back mill. Damage was also caused to the front mill when, during demolition of the back mill, the back of the engine house for the front mill was accidentally demolished. The front mill is currently occupied by a local ice cream parlour.
Middleton is host to many local sports clubs, includingMiddleton Cricket Club who are currently playing in theLancashire League (cricket). Four golf clubs are within easy reach of the town centre: North Manchester Golf Glub, The Manchester Golf Club (at Slattocks), Heaton Park Golf Club and Blackley Golf Club.
In January 2009, Middleton saw the opening of a new £13 million sports and leisure venue in the town centre. TheMiddleton Arena is a joint venture byRochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and supermarket chainTesco. The facility has replaced the old Middleton Civic Centre and Middleton Leisure Centre, allowing the site formerly occupied by these buildings to be cleared for further development into a supermarket. Said development resulted in the opening of a large Tesco Extra supermarket on July 6th, 2013.[17]
Middleton is also home to Rochdale Triathlon Club. Weekly coached swimming sessions are currently held at Middleton Arena, Tuesday 7-8pm and Thursday 9-10pm. The Hopwood Hall College offers a gym to both its students and members of the general public.
In 2005, the newMiddleton bus station was opened to replace the old one, next to the MiddletonArndale shopping centre. The station, with 13 stands, cost £4.5 million and replaced the previous station which dated to the 1970s.[29][30] The majority of services in Middleton are operated byStagecoach Manchester and serve destinations includingBury, Oldham, Rochdale andTameside. As it is in Greater Manchester, Middleton is serviced by the new (as of 2024) Bee Network initiative, provided and funded by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). Bus services include the 17 between Rochdale and Manchester, the 18 between Langley and Manchester, the 59 between Oldham and Manchester, the 125 between Middleton and Heywood, and the 163 between Bury and Manchester. Middleton is located close to junction 19 of theM62 motorway and, at Rhodes, junction 21 of theM60 motorway.
Mills Hill railway station is on the eastern boundary of town, one mile east of the town centre, with direct services to Rochdale, Manchester Victoria, Bolton, Wigan and Leeds. It opened in 1838 and closed in 1842, it was later re-opened in 1985 and remains in use.Middleton railway station, near the town centre, was the terminus of a short branch line, which closed to passengers in 1964.
A car chase scene of the 2001 British-madeSamuel L. Jackson filmThe 51st State was filmed on a stretch of the M60 motorway, which runs alongside Rhodes and through Alkrington, just outside the centre of the town.[31]
In May 2021 theMayor of Greater Manchester asked thatTransport for Greater Manchester bring forward abusiness case for extending theMetrolink tram system to Middleton, as part of a wider regeneration scheme.[32][33]
Almost every part of Middleton is served by a school of some kind, some with religious affiliations. According to theOffice for Standards in Education, schools within the town perform at mixed levels.[citation needed]
Primary schools include St. Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Alkrington Primary School, St. Michael’s CofE Primary School, St. Thomas-More’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Bowlee Park Community Primary School and Middleton Parish School. Cardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School, formerly Cardinal Langley Grammar School, is one of the local secondary schools in the area, others being Middleton Technology School, the Edgar Wood Academy and St. Anne's Academy. Further education is provided by the Sixth Form at Cardinal Langley, as well as the Middleton campus of Hopwood Hall College. What is presently said campus was, from 1946 to 1989, aDe La Salle Catholic College ofHigher Education affiliated to theVictoria University of Manchester. Founded as a teacher training college, the chapel, designed bySir Frederick Gibberd, was the architectural prototype for theLiverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. The chapel still exists on the campus, known as the Milnrow building, but its spire is no longer topped with a cross. Hopwood Hall College benefits from its extensive grounds and leisure facilities which were developed over many years by the De La Salle College.[citation needed]
"Moonraker" is anickname sometimes given to people from the town[34] (and other places; seeMoonrakers). Middleton has been the birthplace and home to notable people, of national and international acclaim. Amongst the most notable persons of historic significance from the town includeThomas Langley (ca.1363–1437)[35] who served asBishop of Durham,Cardinal of the Catholic Church,Lord Chancellor of England, and as England's firstde factoForeign Secretary.William Holt (1545–1599) fromAshworth was an English Jesuit and conspirator, who organised several unsuccessful plots to assassinate Elizabeth I.[36]Samuel Bamford (1788–1872), was aradical writer and politician; he led the Middleton contingent to the meeting at St Peter's Fields in August 1819, pressing for parliamentary reform, which ended in thePeterloo Massacre.[37]
Joel Halliwell (1881–1958) was an English recipient of theVictoria Cross inWorld War I.Lee Rigby, (1987–2013), British soldier and victim of the2013 Woolwich attack, was from Middleton.[38] Pacifist,Fred Haslam (1897-1979), was born in Middleton and emigrated to Canada in 1921.[39]
Steve Coogan (born 1965),[40]John Richmond (born 1960),Clint Boon (born 1959) of rock bandInspiral Carpets,Maartin Allcock (1957–2018), of rock bandsFairport Convention andJethro Tull;Brendan (born 1970) andMartin Coogan (born 1960), all attended the local Cardinal Langley Grammar School, later known asCardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School.Bernard Manning (1930–2007), Manchester-born (Ancoats) comedian, lived inAlkrington.[41]Hip-hop/electro music producerLouis Gibzen (born 1991) attendedMiddleton Technology School;Radio 1Xtra'sDJ Semtex is also from the town. All four members of the indie-rock groupThe Courteeners are also from the area, including frontmanLiam Fray (born 1985).[42]The Chameleons, apost-punk band, was formed locally in 1981, and was described by theMiddleton Guardian as "Middleton's most famous export".[43]
Sally Dynevor (born 1963), an actress in the Manchester-based soap operaCoronation Street is from Middleton as is fashion designerJohn Richmond (born 1960), now based in Italy. ActressSaira Choudhry (born 1982) is local, she portrayedAnita Roy inHollyoaks.
Notable sportsmen connected with Middleton includeManchester City football playerTommy Booth, (born 1949); andPaul Scholes (born 1974) who played forManchester United andEngland.Mark Allott (born 1977) was anOldham Athletic midfielder, he was educated atCardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School.Frank (Typhoon) Tyson (1930–2015), test cricketer from the late 1950s, attendedQueen Elizabeth's Grammar school. Norma Ball, wife ofSir Bobby Charlton, also attendedQueen Elizabeth's Grammar school; she married Bobby at St Gabriel's church in Middleton in 1961. The South African-born2008 Summer Olympics silver medalist swimmerKeri-Anne Payne (born 1987), attendedCardinal Langley Roman Catholic High School.
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