Hyde, Greater Manchester facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Hyde
Quick facts for kidsHyde
	; Hyde from Werneth Low
Population	34,003 (2011 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 ManchesterCoordinates: 53°26′51″N 2°04′55″W / 53.4474°N 2.0820°W

Hyde is a town in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, it had a population of 34,003.

Historically in Cheshire, it is 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Stockport, 6 miles (10 km) west of Glossop and 7 miles (11 km) east of Manchester.

History

Early history

Newton Hall was present in the 13th century. The area formed a township of the parish of St Mary, Stockport. 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. In later times it was taken to be equivalent to 120 acres (49 ha). In the late 18th century the area that was to become the town centre was no more than a cluster houses known as Red Pump Street. Gee Cross was much larger and 'Hyde' was still only used to refer to the estates of Hyde Hall on the banks of the River Tame. Altogether there were only 3,500 inhabitants in the district in 1801. The town is largely a creation of the 19th century and the Industrial Revolution.

Industrial Revolution

Lancashire boiler built by Tinker, Shenton & Co, Hyde installed at Queen Street Mill Textile Museum, Burnley

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 40 working mills. By 1872 only 27 remained, half of the remaining mills closed between 1921 and 1939 and there is only 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 of ease 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, known as Hyde Colliery, in the town and in January 1889 an explosion there killed 23 miners. There was an enquiry held the following month at the town hall. See http://www.cotswan.com/edward_jackson.htm for an account of part of the enquiry. 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.

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. There are several areas and suburbs in Hyde, these include, Gee Cross, Newton, Hattersley, Godley, Flowery Field, Kingston, Mottram in Longdendale, Hollingworth and Broadbottom.

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 Hyde bus station, with services into Manchester and other surrounding areas, including Stockport, Ashton-under-Lyne and Oldham. The station was originally built with an open 'bus shelter design' like many bus stations, but was rebuilt as a much larger central terminus style building, enclosed from the outside. It opened on 23 August 2007 and cost £3.7M to build. The initiative was intended to encourage people to use public transport.

Leisure

Hyde has a recently refurbished leisure centre which contains a large swimming pool with a wave machine, the new 'Red Ripster' aqua slide and an upstairs fitness suite. The pool also has a new changing village and a new cafe and air conditioned eating area. The octagon shaped structure which has been open since the '90s, is situated next to the neighbouring Hyde United F.C. ground. Hyde also has its own Air Cadet Organisation (ACO), Part of a UK-wide cadet force with more than 40,000 members aged 13–20 and are sponsored by the Royal Air Force. The works of No 468 (Hyde & Hattersley) Squadron can be viewed at 468 Air Cadets Squadron. Also Hyde Library has a gallery called the 'Rutherford Gallery', which is exhibiting the work of Harry Rutherford, an artist who was from the Tameside area.