Hyde, Greater Manchester
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Arms of the former Hyde Urban District Council |
Hyde is a market town in
Tameside, part of
Greater Manchester, within the traditional county of
Cheshire.
Hyde's name derives from
hide - a measure of land equivalent to 120 acres (0.5 km²).
With a population around 35,000 it was built on the success of the
cotton mills during the
Industrial Revolution of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.The
Peak Forest Canal runs through Hyde; A branch of the canal leading to Ashton, the other way leads to
Woodley,
Romiley and
Marple. At the end of Woodend Lane one can see Captain Clarks Bridge, commemorating Cpt Clark.Originally there were 40 working mills. By 1872 only 27 remained - of these half closed from 1921-1939. There is one working mill in the town today.Hyde Town Hall dominates the market place area. The large bell in the clocktower is known as Oud Josh, named after Joshua Bradley, a former Mayor of Hyde who had risen up from a poor child worker in the mills. It has the ring of
Big Ben.
There were many mill-owning families including the Sidebotham, Hibbert and Horsefield families. However, the major employers in mills were the Ashton family, who did both spinning and weaving, a successful practice when most mills concentrated on one process. This is the one working mill still surviving today.
The Ashton family also built Hyde Chapel in Higham Lane,
Gee Cross.
The name Hyde came into common usage by 1830 but if one looks at Newton Hall in Dukinfield Road, there were buildings present in the thirteenth century.
One of the town's most noted achievements came with the success of the Hyde Seal
water polo team, who from 1904-1914 were the finest in the world - three times winning the world championships.
But their sporting heritage extends to Dr Ron Hill, a former European gold-medallist marathon runner.
The town is home to
Hyde United Football Club, (recently promoted to the
Conference North after winning the UniBond League First Division and
Premier Divisions in successive seasons) The largest defeat in English professional football history, a 26-0 loss against Lancashire team
Preston North End in a 1887 FA Cup match is often attributed to
Hyde United but as they were not formed until 1919 that distinction must go down to Hyde FC who were founded in 1885. Hyde United play their home games at Ewen Fields, a ground they share with the
Manchester United reserve team. Hyde also contains the area of Flowery Field which hosts Flowery Field Cricket Club of the
Lancashire County League who are on the other side of the town to Werneth Low's Hyde Cricket Club who play in the Cheshire League.
Hyde also has a claim in the history of boxing, as world champion
Ricky Hatton, born in nearby
Stockport, lives in Hyde.
One of the most beautiful areas of Tameside is the
Werneth Low Country Park in Hyde, which is also home to Hyde War Memorial Trust.
Britain's most prolific
serial killer, Dr
Harold Shipman, had his doctor's
surgery in the town. Two other serial killers,
Myra Hindley and
Ian Brady lived in Hyde at the time of the
Moors Murders.
It is served by four railway stations,
Hyde Central and
Hyde North are on the
Manchester Piccadilly -
Romiley - Rose Hill 'Hyde Loop' line. Flowery Field,
Newton (for Hyde) and Godley are on the electrified Piccadilly -
Glossop -
Hadfield line.
*
Len Hopwood Lancashire & England cricketer.
*
Lee A. Martin Manchester United footballer.
*
Timmy Mallett Television Presenter and Entertainer
*
Becky Want (
BBC local radio Presenter) born in Hyde 1961
*
Hyde history at Tameside Council website*
Ron Hill (Hyde's famous marathon runner) profile
