Cheadle, Greater Manchester

The name of the village is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, in the form Cedde; from the twelfth century onwards it appears in forms such as Chedle, Chedlee, Chedlegh and Chelle.^[2][3] The second part of the name is agreed to come from the Old English word lēah ("clearing in woodland". The first part is usually agreed to come from the Common Brittonic word that survives in modern Welsh as coed ("wood").^{[4][5]: 280} However, it is possible that it originated instead in the Old English word cēod ("a bag, a bag-like hollow").^[3]

There has been human occupation in the area that is now Cheadle since prehistoric times.^{[citation needed]} The earliest evidence of civilisation is of burial mounds dating from the Iron Age, belonging to Celts who occupied Britain. Later, the area was occupied by Brigantes, whose activity was discovered in the form of axe fragments.

In the first millennium, Romans occupied the area and some of their coins have been discovered since. During the seventh century, St. Chad preached in the area.^[6] A stone cross dedicated to him was found close to the confluence of the river Mersey and Micker Brook in 1873.^[7]

It was held by Gamel, a free Saxon under Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester; it was about three miles long and half as wide, containing both wooded and open land, with areas enclosed for hunting purposes.^[2] This early manor occupied the approximate areas of both modern day Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme.

By June 1294, Geoffrey de Chedle was lord of the manor which was valued at about £20 per annum. Geoffrey's descendant Robert (or Roger) died in the early 1320s, leaving the estate to his wife Matilda who held it until her death in 1326.^[7] As there were no male heirs the manor, which was now worth £30 per annum,^[8] was divided between her daughters, Clemence and Agnes. Agnes inherited the northern half,which would later become the modern-day Cheadle, and Clemence inherited the southern half, latterly Cheadle Hulme. The two areas became known as "Chedle Bulkeley" and "Chedle Holme" respectively.

William de Bulkeley succeeded his mother and was a participant in several wars in France for Edward, the Black Prince. His son, Richard, was sent to live at the court Richard II and later to a baron whose daughter Margery married Richard. Richard died at the age of 21, then Margery married secondly without royal permission to Sir Randle Mainwaring. Margery lived until she was around 90 years old, then was succeeded by her grandson and great-grandson, both named William. Shortly after the Battle of Bosworth, the latter William was succeeded by his brother Richard.^[9]

During the reign of Henry VIII, the current St Mary's Church on High Street was built.^[10] There has been a church on the site since the 12th century, the original being constructed of wood,^[2] but it was rebuilt in stone between 1520 and 1550.^[11] The church contains an effigy of John Stanley who, along with many other men from the area, fought in the Battle of Flodden.^[10] Later, he claimed the manor for himself, but was imprisoned by Thomas Wolsey who ensured the land went to its rightful owner.^[12]

The Bulkeleys continued to hold the lands as lords of the manor until the 18th century, when the manor was purchased by Thomas Egerton.

Moseley Old Hall, an early Stuart mansion dating from 1666 is still standing and is owned privately.

Abney Hall is a late Victorian hall from 1847 and was used as the Cheadle town hall from 1959 until 1974: it is now used for offices. It is surrounded by parkland which is open to the public all year round and features some of the only wetlands left in Stockport.

Cheadle grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution, when it was used as a stopping point for travellers and merchants on their way to central Manchester.

Cheadle is a suburban village in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester; it lies 3 miles (4.8 km) from Stockport town centre and 8 miles (13 km) from Manchester city centre. Cheadle lies on the Cheshire Plain, in the final meander of the Ladybrook Valley before it joins the river Mersey to the north. Its geology is boulder clay and gravels; the parkland of Abney Hall to the north is on the flood plain of the Mersey.

There is one main tier of local government covering Cheadle at metropolitan borough level, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. The council is a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which is led by the directly-elected Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Since 1950, the suburb has been part of the Cheadle parliamentary constituency.^[13]

Cheadle's public transport is currently confined to bus services provided by several operators, predominantly Stagecoach Manchester. Routes connect the suburb with Stockport, Altrincham, Bramhall and Didsbury.^[34]

The locality was served between 1866 until 1964 by a Cheshire Lines Committee railway station, initially called Cheadle and then Cheadle North from 1950, which was situated 600 yards (550 m) north of the village on the west side of Manchester Road.^[35] It was also served, from 1866 until 1917, by Cheadle LNWR, a London & North Western Railway station located next to the railway overbridge, near the centre of the village.^[36] Both stations were on lines between Altrincham to Stockport.

There are now advanced plans to build a new station in Cheadle, on the Mid-Cheshire line between Altrincham and Stockport. The station facilities will be built on the car park of the Alexandra Hospital, near to where the former LNWR station was sited. Although it has been approved formally, the expected completion date is currently uncertain.^[37]

Nearby stations, with services operated by Northern Trains, are located at:^[38]

• Gatley (approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Cheadle), Heald Green and East Didsbury on the Styal Line between Wilmslow, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly
• Cheadle Hulme, on a spur of the West Coast Main Line, with services from Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent to Manchester Piccadilly.

Cheadle lies on the A560 between Stockport and Chester; it and borders on the A34. It is accessed by junctions 2 and 3 of the M60 Manchester Orbital motorway.

The suburb is located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) from Manchester Airport.

A number of houses in Cheadle that were built in the 1800s still stand today, in a conservation area in the centre of the village.

There is also a Manchester overspill council estate that was constructed shortly after the Second World War to rehouse families from the Victorian slums of inner-city Manchester. In April 2008, these homes were transferred to a housing association, Mossbank Homes.

The following educational establishments are in Cheadle:

Primary schools:

• Cheadle
• Ladybridge
• Meadowbank.

Secondary school:

• The Kingsway School.

Special education:

• Together Trust, made up of Child and Youth Care Education Service (CYCES) and Inscape House.

Independent school:

• Lady Barn House School.

Cheadle is home to the headquarters of sportswear giants Umbro.

The head office of Nord Anglia Education was sited here.^[39]

Currently Cheadle is home to the UK head office of the largest global provider of high school exchange, Educatius.^[40]

The village's football club is Cheadle Town F.C. that plays in the North West Counties Football League.

• Sir Norman Kendal (1880–1966) barrister and Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
• Gabrielle Ray (1883–1973), a stage actress, dancer and singer, played in Edwardian musical comedies.
• Air Commodore Henry Probert (1926–2007), RAF officer,^[41] historian and RAF director of education 1976–1978.
• Christopher Priest (born 1943) novelist^[42] and science fiction writer.
• Diana Darvey (1945–2000), actress,^[43] singer and dancer, appeared in The Benny Hill Show
• Nigel Williams (born 1948) novelist,^[44] screenwriter and playwright.
• Adam Thomas (born 1988) actor and local business owner, played Adam Barton in Emmerdale (2009–2018).
• Simon Gregson (born 1974) actor, played Steve McDonald in Coronation Street
• Lauren Drummond (born 1988), actress.

• Cheadle (UK Parliament constituency)
• Listed buildings in Cheadle and Gatley.