Chorlton-cum-Hardy

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Chorlton-cum-Hardy


Chorlton-cum-Hardy shown within Greater Manchester
OS grid reference	SJ8193
Metropolitan borough	City of Manchester
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
European Parliament	North West England
List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester

Coordinates: 53°26′33″N 2°16′38″W / 53.4425, -2.2772

Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, North West England, known locally as just Chorlton. It is situated about three miles south west of Manchester city centre, on the crossroads of two main roads - A6010 Wilbraham Road & B5218 Barlow Moor Road. Originally Chorlton was a separate village from Manchester but was incorporated into the City of Manchester in 1904.^[1] Chorlton-cum-Hardy should not be confused with Chorlton-on-Medlock, which is a different area close to the centre of Manchester.

1 Geography
2 Politics
3 History
4 Present day
5 Notable residents
6 Miscellaneous facts
7 See also
8 References
- 8.1 Bibliography
9 External links

Geography

Chorlton borders Stretford, Didsbury, Old Trafford, Withington, and Whalley Range. The River Mersey runs through Chorlton along its southern boundary.

Politics

Chorlton ward is represented by two Labour councillors - Sheila Newman and Val Stevens - and one Liberal Democrat councillor - Paul Ankers. Chorlton Park ward (which incorporates the Mersey Bank and Nell Lane estates of east Chorlton) is represented by three Liberal Democrat councillors - John Leech, Norman Lewis, and Tony Bethell.

History

Chorlton likely derives from 'tún' (meaning farm, settlement or homestead) and 'ceorl' (meaning a freeman of the lowest class), giving us a full title similar to 'settlement of the peasants'. Hardy was an adjoining farm area probably meaning 'hard island' in Old English. These two parishes were brought together in 1555 with the Latin word 'cum' (meaning with) used to seal the union. The district was a township of the ancient parish of Manchester in the Salford Hundred of Lancashire. On the creation of the municipal borough of Manchester in 1838 the township was absorbed into the borough.

Present day

Chorlton is the location for the Cosgrove Hall animation studios where the children's series Chorlton and the Wheelies (named after the area) and Dangermouse were both created, amongst many other titles. The area is also regularly used by film crews for TV dramas and comedies, as it retains much of its original Victorian architecture. Chorlton Green is a conservation area with a cosmopolitan feel, due to its distance from the main roads, and a numbers of bars, restaurants, and small independent shops. Every year on a Sunday at the end of June, Chorlton is home to a summer event called the Beech Road Festival. Resembling garden fetes of old, stalls are set up along the length of Beech Road, selling arts, crafts and foods of all kinds, and on Chorlton Green itself a traditional tug-of-war game is played between teams from most of the older pubs around the area. In Beech Road Park, at the opposite end of the road to the Green, there are more stalls, a small fairground, and a stage with live music. In recent years these festival days have proved highly popular with large crowds turning out, especially on hotter days. In 2006, the event, which usually continues into the evening was spectacularly, but amusingly, cut short when a huge thunderstorm broke over the area, drenching the park visitors. Another event, called the Unity Festival takes place soon after the Beech Road Festival in Chorlton Park, but has a more political purpose; to encourage racial and cultural unity in the area. The event includes performances by young dancers, musicians and singers and has a small collection of stalls also.

Notable residents

The area is well-populated with creative people such as artists, writers and actors, as the area is seen by some as being more 'bohemian' than others. Prior to their departure for Australia in 1958, the Bee Gees spent nearly eight years of their childhood living in 51, Keppel Road, Chorlton. The street also lent its name to a Bee Gees documentary in 1997. Other local residents include Dunstable-born artist and musician Damon Gough, known as Badly Drawn Boy, who can regularly be seen around the Beech Road area. In a recent interview with the Manchester Evening News, he as quoted as saying "Chorlton's where home is. It's the place I would want to be if the world ended". Another recent musician to base himself in Chorlton is Jim Noir, who recorded his album 'Tower of Love' in his own house. The members of the indie-rock band Polytechnic are also residents of the area. The Stone Roses were another Chorlton band, with guitarist John Squire living and working for Cosgrove Hall in the suburb. Mike Pickering of M People lived on Ryebank Road. Other notable residents have included locally-born actor Warren Clarke who lived at 8, Grindley Avenue, former Manchester City footballer Nicky Reid, who was also brought up locally, and Freddie Garrity (of Freddie and the Dreamers) who died in May 2006. The area also attracts many soap actors who often stay temporarily in the area due to its reputation, such as Naomi Radcliffe, Craig Charles and Julie Hesmondhalgh. World renowned photographer Harry Goodwin who worked on Top of the Pops for many years and photographed many world famous stars such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cher, Jackson Five and also sports stars such as Muhammad Ali, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Alex Ferguson. A few of his photos are on display at Chorlton High School, the opening was attended by Sir Alex Ferguson and many stars. Coronation Street actress Doris Speed lived in Sibson Rd and for over twenty years she played Annie Walker - landlady of the Rovers Return in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. It was in Chorlton-cum-Hardy that George Best lodged when he first came to Manchester also on Sibson Road. Next door but one to Doris Speed. Quentin Crisp died shortly before his ninety-first birthday in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Greater Manchester, on the eve of a nationwide revival of his one-man show. His body was cremated with a minimum of ceremony, and his ashes flown back to New York and scattered over Manhattan.

Miscellaneous facts

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Bull-baiting was introduced into Britain around the year 1209, and it remained active in Chorlton Green until it was made illegal in 1835.