| Wythenshawe | |
|---|---|
| Suburb | |
.jpg) Civic Centre | |
  Wythenshawe Location withinGreater Manchester | |
| Population | 110,000 |
| OS grid reference | SJ824884 |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode district | M22 and M23 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | |
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Wythenshawe (/ˈwɪðənʃɔː/) is an area ofManchester, England.Historically part ofCheshire,[1] in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a large housing estate there in the 1920s. With an area of approximately 11 square miles (28 km2), Wythenshawe became the largestcouncil estate in Europe.[2][3][4]
Wythenshawe includes the areas ofBaguley,Benchill,Peel Hall,Newall Green,Woodhouse Park,Moss Nook,Northern Moor,Northenden andSharston.[5]
The name Wythenshawe seems to come from theOld Englishwiðign = "withy tree" andsceaga = "wood" (compare dialectal wordshaw). The three ancient townships ofNorthenden,Baguley, andNorthen Etchells formally became the present-day Wythenshawe when they were merged with Manchester in 1931. Until then, the name was only used to refer toWythenshawe Hall and its grounds.[3]: 1–2
Due to spending cuts, the hall was temporarily closed to the public in 2010.[6] One proposition was thatManchester City Council could sell the building to theNational Trust.[7]A Friends Group was formed to support monthly open days and events at the hall.[8] In March 2016, the hall's roof, one of its upper floors and its clock tower were severely damaged by a fire in an arson attack.[9][10]
Immediately south of Wythenshawe isManchester Airport, formerly calledRingway Airport.[11] Before Ringway Airport was laid out, three farm fields between Rackhouse Road and Wythenshawe Road in Northern Moor, in what is now the north edge of Wythenshawe, were used asManchester (Wythenshawe) Aerodrome. This was the UK's first municipal airfield, operating between April 1929 and early 1930. A barn was converted to act as the hangar and a farmhouse as the administration building. Temporary fuel pumps were installed.[12] The last recorded flight from Wythenshawe Airport was on 19 June 1930.
Wythenshawe was in the Church of EnglandDiocese of Chester until 1933, when it was transferred to the neighbouring Diocese of Manchester.[13]
Wythenshawe Bus Garage was built ofreinforced concrete during 1939–42, designed by the ManchesterCity Architect,G. Noel Hill.[14] It was taken over by theMinistry of Aircraft Production and A. V. Roe & Co. Ltd. used it for buildingLancaster aircraft during theSecond World War. The building wasGrade II* listed in 2001.[15]
Wythenshawe is Manchester's largest district. The massive housing estate that was built there in the 1920s was intended as a "garden city", where people could be rehoused away from industrial Manchester. In 1920, town plannerPatrick Abercrombie identified the area as the most suitable undeveloped land for a housing estate close to the city, and 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) of land was purchased.[16]
Part of Benchill (not the area southwest of Gladeside Road) and some areas in the north were built beforeWorld War II and called the Wythenshawe Ward of the City of Manchester. The rest was built after the Second World War, starting in the late 1940s as wartime building restrictions were relaxed. Parts of Baguley were still semi-rural in the 1960s, but there is now very little open country left.
The estate was initially built without many shops, amenities or services, and there was very little employment available in the area. Although Northenden already had a shopping area on Palatine Road, the earliest new shops were built in the 1930s and included parades on Hollyhedge Road, and on Altrincham Road in Sharston (the latter was demolished in 1973 to make way for theM56 Sharston bypass). There were smaller local shops, such as a grocers—selling general household provisions, at Minsterly Parade (Woodhouse Park) and Haveley Circle (Benchill). However, it took decades for some areas of Wythenshawe to get their own neighbourhood shops, which meant residents had to travel or visit a mobile shop van when it visited their area. Various residents' associations were set up to address those problems, but progress was very slow.
After the Second World War, Wythenshawe eventually expanded, with several further shops being built (such as Haveley Circle, built in the early 1950s but demolished in the 1990s) and businesses were attracted to the area with the expansion of theSharstonIndustrial Estate and, later, theMoss Nook and Roundthorn industrial complexes. Wythenshawe gradually acquired all the amenities and facilities that the original planners had neglected to include with the building of several new schools, shops, pubs, and churches. The area also got its own hospital, andWythenshawe Hospital grew out of the earlier Baguley Hospital in 1948. The largest shopping area was built in the 1960s in the town centre, known as the Wythenshawe Civic Centre, which has been expanded further since it was first built. In 1971, the Wythenshawe Forum was opened there, which included a library, a swimming pool, a restaurant, a bar, and a theatre.
From the 1990s to the 2000s, the houses that were built and owned by the council were transferred to the control of localhousing associations, such as Willow Park in east Wythenshawe and Parkway Green in west Wythenshawe. Both associations merged in 2013 to form the Wythenshawe Community Housing Group which is now responsible for around 14,000 homes in Wythenshawe.
In 2007,The New York Times described the housing estates in Wythenshawe as representing an "extreme pocket of social deprivation and alienation".[17]
Most of the farm buildings in the Wythenshawe area were demolished when the estate was built. Some of them, like Hollyhedge Farm and Floats Hall, were left among the houses but suffered from vandalism and had to be demolished later. Some of the present housing estates were named after former farms.
Peel Hall Farm (which had amoat) survived for over 20 years[clarification needed] as its occupant lived on the proceeds of selling his land, but soon after he left, the property was vandalised and had to be demolished.
Newall Green Farm survived on the edge of the Newall Green housing estate area and was still occupied and run as a farm until the early 21st century when its last occupant died, when it was abandoned and fenced off. The buildings arelisted. In 2006, a firm bought Newall Green Farm's buildings from Manchester Corporation. On 21 June 2014, vandals set fire to Newall Green Farm, and its roof was destroyed, but there are plans to turn the buildings into acare home for adults withlearning disabilities, a working farm and a horse-riding centre.[18]
Wythenshawe has twelve parks and 18 woodland areas includingWythenshawe Park, which was designated aLocal Nature Reserve in 2011.[19][20] It covers over 270 acres (110 ha) of green space and is home to Manchester's only community farm,Wythenshawe community farm. At the centre of the park is the historic Wythenshawe Hall with itsCivil War and Tatton heritage. The park also has riding stables, a horticulture centre, children's play area, athletics track, football pitches, tennis courts, bowls, and golfing facilities.
In 2023,Lewis Capaldi was scheduled to perform at Wythenshawe Park as part of the park’s first-ever major concert series.[21]Noel Gallagher also announced a homecoming concert with his bandNoel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. The show also featured support fromPrimal Scream.[22] In 2024, it was announced that Wythenshawe Park would host another major concert over the August bank holiday weekend. The event featured Manchester bandNew Order, joined by special guestJohnny Marr, performing on the first day. The following day, indie pop bandBlossoms headlined, continuing the park’s growing reputation as a prominent outdoor live music venue.[23] In 2025, two shows were once again announced, with performances byFontaines D.C.,Kneecap andSam Fender[24]
Other parks include Hollyhedge Park, Peel Hall Park, Painswick Park, and Baguley Park. Northenden's Riverside Park is the first new park to be established in the city in the 21st century.
The district is under the authority ofManchester City Council.
Manchester Wythenshawe parliamentary constituency was created in 1950 and represented byAlf Morris of theLabour Party between 1964 and 1997. Before the 1997 election, the boundaries were redrawn and part of the neighbouring area of Sale was included in a new constituency,Wythenshawe and Sale East. Alf Morris was replaced byPaul Goggins. It is still considered a safe Labour seat, with Labour securing over 50% of the vote (and more than twice as many votes as its nearest rival) inthe 1997, 2001 and 2005 elections. Labour kept the seat in the 2010 elections, though their share of the vote decreased to 44.1%. In early 2014, following the death of Paul Goggins, aby-election was held. Labour candidateMike Kane (a Northenden councillor until 2008) won the seat with 55.3% of the vote, although voter turnout was low (28%). The2017 general election saw the largest vote share for Labour in the history of both the current and former Wythenshawe seat with 62.2% of the vote and a 15,000 majority, although the2019 election saw this fall back to previous levels with a majority of 10,396 and a 53.3% share of the vote.
At the2001 UK Census, Wythenshawe was divided into six local governmentwards:Baguley,Benchill,Northenden,Sharston,Woodhouse Park andBrooklands (the latter being an area divided with the neighbouring borough ofTrafford). Each ward was represented by three local councillors, giving Wythenshawe 21 of the 99 seats on Manchester City Council. Following a review by theBoundary Committee for England published in 2003, the ward of Benchill was abolished, and its former territory was divided between the wards of Northenden, Sharston, and Woodhouse Park.[25]
Wythenshawe typically returns all Labour councillors in local elections, although in the2008 elections theLiberal Democrats gained a seat inNorthenden and a second seat (in the same area) in the2010 elections. Labour regained these seats in the2012 and2014 elections. TheGreen Party have gained councillors in the Woodhouse Park ward in the2021,2022, and2023elections.
Wythenshawe is 8 miles (13 km) south ofManchester city centre and is the southernmost district of the city.Altrincham andHale lie to the south-west,Sale to the north-west,Gatley andHeald Green to the east, andManchester Airport to the south.
Shadow Moss is an area south of Ringway Road in the southeast corner of Wythenshawe. Onthis old map of Wythenshawe it is roughly the rectangular area between three country lanes withHeyhead at its northwest corner.[26] On modern maps, its north edge is the southern branch of Ringway Road. It was partly in Northen Etchells township and partly inStyal parish. For many centuries it was apeat bog which was dug forpeat fuel, locally called "turf"; localmanorial law said that after digging peat the top living plant layer had to be lodged back to let more peat form afterwards. Each man's allocated part of the Moss was called his "moss room".
In the 19th century,manorial control was lost over what people used their moss rooms for, and an 1839tithe map of Northen Etchells shows Northen Etchells's part of Shadow Moss as about 2/3arable, about 1/3meadow, one field aspasture, and one field as "uncultivated moors".[27]
Later, the fertilelowland peat soil led to the area being much used formarket gardening, with large areas undergreenhouses. Of the people who worked there, many lived in Heyhead.
Around 1970, Heyhead was a small settlement at the south end of Woodhouse Lane and the nearby part of Ringway Road. It comprised severalterrace houses, a small shop, two or more old cottages, achapel, and the Ringway Haulage Company.Manchester Airport's ground-level car parking has been displaced from other areas and car parks have been formed to the north and south of the runways and under the approach path. The Heyhead area has been progressively replaced by level car parks, and by 2011 all of Heyhead's buildings had vanished (seeHistory of Manchester Airport#Expansion).
Some greenhouses remain at the far east of the Shadow Moss area, but are used by private car parking operators. The last market gardener there, who grew tomatoes, closed in 2011 due to competition from highly mechanized greenhouse establishments elsewhere.
Neighbouring districts and places. | |
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Wythenshawe is policed by the city of Manchester Division ofGreater Manchester Police. Wythenshawe's fire and rescue services are the responsibility of theGreater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, and are based at a fire station on Brownley Road.
TheM56 motorway, constructed in the 1970s as a continuation of theA5103 road (Princess Parkway), bisects east and west Wythenshawe. A bypass connecting it to the nearbyM60 motorway was built through Sharston and opened in 1974.
The nearest railway station to Wythenshawe was located adjacent to Longley Lane at the edge of Sharston on theCheshire Lines Railway fromStockport toLiverpool. NamedNorthenden for Wythenshawe,Northenden railway station was closed on 30 November 1964.[28] Wythenshawe did not then have a public railway service for several decades, with the nearest stations being located in the neighbouring areas ofGatley,Heald Green andAltrincham. Astation at Manchester Airport was opened in 1993.
TheAirport Line branch of theManchester Metrolink tram service includes twelve stops throughout Wythenshawe. The line opened on 3 November 2014, a year ahead of schedule.[29] In addition to the building of the new Metrolink lines and stations, a new public transport hub was built in Wythenshawe Town Centre which opened in June 2015 and includes a new bus station and tram stop.
Approximately 43,000 people work in Wythenshawe. There are four areas of industrial activity (estates)—Moss Nook, Ringway (Airport Cargo Centre), Roundthorn and Sharston. It is home to Manchester Airport and Wythenshawe Hospital (part ofManchester University NHS Foundation Trust), which are two of the largest employers in the area. Many national and international companies have premises or main offices in Wythenshawe, includingTimpson Ltd,HellermannTyton,Virgin Media,Vodafone andF. Duerr & Sons.
In 1934, George Hamer Scholes built the Wylex Works to produce electrical accessories.[30] The company was later acquired by Electrium, which is now under Siemens' ownership.
Severalgreenfield andgreyfield sites have been opened up to developers and there are several new housing developments within the area.
The town centre, known as the Civic Centre, was originally built in the 1960s. It expanded over the years and was renovated between 1999 and 2002 to include new stores and other new features, when the city council relinquished ownership and transferred it toSt. Modwen Properties. The main shopping area now includes gates that are locked at night to prevent the vandalism that was seen in previous years. The Forum centre, which opened in 1971, houses a library, leisure centre, swimming pool, cafe and other amenities, has also been renovated in a more modern style. For thirty years it also housed the Forum Theatre, but this closed in 2002 and a health clinic and an adult education facility now occupy its space.[citation needed]
The Golden Garter was a prominent nightclub and cabaret venue located in Wythenshawe. It opened on 7 October 1968 withBruce Forsyth headlining the opening night performance.The venue had been converted from a bowling alley by the Belle Vue Company of Manchester and quickly gained a reputation as one of Britain's premier showbar theatre restaurants, offering a blend of dining, dancing, and live entertainment.[31] Throughout its 14-year history, the Golden Garter hosted an array of renowned performers. Notable acts included comedianTommy Cooper, singerEartha Kitt, pop iconDusty Springfield, rock bandThe Hollies, soul groupThe Temptations, and the legendaryBee Gees. These performances contributed to the club's status as a key venue in the UK's entertainment circuit. In 1973, the venue was rebranded as The New Golden Garter, reflecting its evolving identity. However, by the early 1980s, the club faced declining attendance, leading to reduced operating days. The Golden Garter ultimately closed its doors on 31 December 1982, withThe Fortunes being the final act to perform.[32]
Wythenshawe has seen the closure of several long-standing pubs, including The Benchill (Hollyhedge Road), Greenwood Tree (Greenwood Road), Happy Man, Mountain Ash (Portway), Woodpecker (Selstead Road), Talisman (Oatlands Road), Royal Oak, Royal Thorn, The Sharston (Altrincham Road), and Lantern Inn (Hall Lane).[33]Wythenshawe retains a number of traditional pubs that continue to serve as social hubs in the community. Among those still operating are the Black Boy (Bowland Road), Red Beret, The Cornishman (Cornishway), The Firbank (Firbank Road), Gardeners Arms (Wythenshawe Road), The Jolly Butcher (Petersfield Drive), Newall Green Pub, Red Rose (Greenbrow Road), and Silver Birch (Poundswick Lane).[34]
In 2007,Asda opened a new superstore on the site of the old Co-operative store (originally built byWoolco in the mid-1970s, which also features amulti-storey car park). A walkway going between the multi-storey car park and the large supermarket building now features a wall mosaic depicting various aspects of the town. After the demolition of two 1960s blocks of multi-storey flats in 2007, new buildings were constructed on the site including a newWilko shop, office premises and a local authority services hub that provides a new frontage for the town centre from its north-facing aspect.[citation needed]
In June 2022,Manchester City Council announced the purchase of Wythenshawe town centre fromSt. Modwen Properties as part of wider plans to transform the town centre.[citation needed]
Wythenshawe FM is a community radio station, that has been serving its community since it first began broadcasting on 25 May 2000. Starting as a short-term project from a Radio Regen training course, it quickly grew through extended broadcasts in 2001 and a year-long run in 2002. Since then, it has continued to operate for over two decades, evolving into a fully volunteer-run station operating from the Wythenshawe Forum.[35]
Wythenshawe World is a family-run, fortnightly newspaper serving the M22 and M23 postal districts. Established in 1980 by John Oatway, it distributed 29,000 copies per issue, providing community news, local events, and features relevant to residents. The newspaper ceased publication in 2015. In 2016, the publication was revived by M&Q Media, an independent publisher, aiming to continue its legacy of serving the local community .[36]
Wythenshawe was the outdoor filming location for the Channel 4 seriesShameless, which shows various shots of the local tower-blocks, housing estates and other architecture unique to this area. Wythenshawe also housed the outdoor sets for the show, which were built on private property. Production moved from West Gorton (in East Manchester) in early 2007, following disruption to filming caused by local youths.[37]
In 2009,Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York (former wife ofPrince Andrew) went to Wythenshawe to make a television documentary forITV1 entitledThe Duchess on the Estate.[38] In it, she visited theNorthern Moor area of Wythenshawe to meet locals and discuss their way of life, and to open a new local community centre. Both before and after its transmission, the documentary was criticised for being a self-serving publicity stunt by Ferguson and she was also criticised for her patronising attitude towards the local people.[39][40]
On 21 September 2023, the concert filmNoel Gallagher's High Flying BirdsLive at Wythenshawe Park, Manchester was released.[41]
Wythenshawe has two football clubs,Wythenshawe Town F.C. andWythenshawe F.C., who both were promoted from Level 9 of the football pyramid in 2023-24, and currently play in the Northern Premier League Division One West.
Jimmy Egan's Boxing Academy is a community-focused boxing club. It was established on 14 January 1980 by Jimmy Egan and has been a cornerstone of local youth development and amateur boxing. Following Jimmy Egan's passing in 2004, his sons Steve and Shaun Egan continued his legacy, leading the club to produce multiple national champions, including notable boxers such as Tyson Fury, Jimmy "Kilrain" Kelly, Kofi Yates, Hosea Burton, and Macaulay McGowan.[42]
South Manchester Gymnastics Centre is a gymnastics facility. Established in 1989 on the former site of Sharston High School, the centre has produced numerous British champions and Olympians, and is considered one of the region’s top training venues. Notable alumni include Kathy Williams, who represented Great Britain as first black Olympian gymnast.[43]
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