| Whitefield | |
  Whitefield shown within Greater Manchester |
|
| Population | 23,284 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | Bury |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode district | M45 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | Bury South |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester | |
Whitefield is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England.
Contents |
History
There are at least three theories for the origin of the placename. One is that the name comes from the Flemish weavers who used to lay out their fabrics to bleach in the sun; another relies on the fact that historically Whitefield has been a farming community of open fields and that the name is a corruption of "Wheatfields". Another explanation can be seen to originate from the area's founder, Lord Whitefie, who was regarded by many to be one of the 'elders' of the borough of Bury. The name started as Whitefie t' Elder, but this was shortened over time, from Whitefielder, to just Whitefield. Whitefield was anciently part of the Earl of Wilton's estate which cut a swathe across north Manchester from his home at Heaton Hall. The original village was dominated by the Stand Church, (All Saints CofE Church), which was a so-called 'Waterloo Church', having been built to celebrate Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The town of Whitefield was created in 1866, having previously been a part of the Manor of Pilkington.[1] In 1974 Whitefield was incorporated into Greater Manchester having previously been Whitefield Urban District Council.
Geography
Whitefield is still very green in parts, although in recent years it has seen an increase in built up housing estates. Most of the rolling acres are private golf courses (Whitefield and Stand Golf Clubs). From Park Lane there is access to Philips Park (not to be confused with the other Philips Park in East Manchester) which includes a play park, playing fields, and the remains of an ornamental garden, including orangery. The original house occupied by the Philips family was demolished in the mid 20th century but Philips Park Hall which is used for private functions and public events still stands. It also includes a large local nature reserve. There is another small play area on Park Lane, known locally as "The Dobby" for reasons which are unclear. In the late 1960's a large swathe of land on the southern perimeter which was open fields (the area between the former Prestwich Hospital and Whitefield Golf Course) plus a good number of homes further to the east were acquired for the creation of the M62. Whitefield has been in the main a residential town and is one of the few places in Manchester where you will find £2m mansions and council houses within half a mile of each other. It is an area of great socio-economic contrasts. The area is home to three fair-sized council estates; Hillock Estate, Elms Estate and Victoria (known locally as "Vicky") Estate. The Hillock estate was created in the late 1960's as a council estate "overspill" area for mainly people rehoused from the areas of Bradford and Beswick in Manchester as old housing was demolished (and large areas of which were not really redeveloped until "Eastlands", the Commonwealth Games and the City of Manchester Stadium). The area also encompasses the affluent community of Ringley Road. In recent years there has been a fair amount of new building on in-fill sites. There used to be sweet factory on Moss Lane and there still is a fairly large flooring company in the Radclife New Road area, otherwise now just small businesses. There is a strong local community, but nearby Prestwich is where most shop. The local Philips High School rates slightly higher than the UK average with 56 per cent of pupils getting 5 or more A-C grade GCSEs. Although, along with other schools in the district, it has recently been under threat of closure. Whitefield is home to part of the Jewish community who have a large settlement in the district. Localities in Whitefield include Lily Hill, Park Lane, Hillock and Besses o' th' Barn. The old district of Stand is also located in Whitefield, and used to be evidenced not only by All Saints, but by Stand Grammar School for Boys (which was briefly part of Bury College; the buildings have now been demolished), Stand Grammar School for Girls (now Philips High School), Stand Cricket Club and Stand Lane.
Economy
Whitefield's proximity to the M60 orbital motorway and city of Manchester has ensured that there are many flourishing industries as well as retail parks located locally. Whitefield has experienced several new commercial developments in 2005 with the old shopping precinct demolished, making way for a new gym and several new outlets. A new Morrisons supermarket is being built on land currently taken up by the disused Brand Centre (formerly Safeway), which has now been demolished. The new supermarket is due to open on September 15 2008.
Culture, media and sport
One local newspaper that covers the area of Whitefield (as well as neighbouring Prestwich and Radcliffe) is The Advertiser, (one of the GWN Greater Manchester Weekly News newspapers) a weekly freesheet based in Salford. The other local paper (not distributed freely, door to door) is the Prestwich and Whitefield Guide. Sedgley Park R.U.F.C. play their home matches at their Park Lane ground, and are in National Division One.
Places of interest
- The Nature Trail
- Red Rose Forest - the second largest community forest in England.
- Irwell Valley Way - the old railway track from Radcliffe to Clifton. Includes the 13-Arches Viaduct (no access)
- Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal.
Notable people
David Lee, former professional footballer, was born in Whitefield in 1967.
