Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the
north-west of
England. It lies in the foothills of the
Pennines, straddling the
River Tame, which, from its source to its confluence with the Mersey, forms part of the ancient boundary between Lancashire and Cheshire. Stalybridge town centre lies eight miles to the east of
Manchester. The heighest point in the town is the summit of Wild Bank at 1309 ft (399 m).
Harridge Pike is the second highest peak at 1296 ft (395 m). At the 2001 census Stalybridge had a population of 22,568.
Since 1918 the town has been represented in
Parliament by the member for the
Stalybridge and Hyde constituency (currently
James Purnell). Prior to 1918
Stalybridge had been a
borough constituency in its own right since the passing of the
Second Reform Act in 1867.
Stalybridge received its charter of incorporation on
March 5,
1857 and was granted borough status. The borough, both on the Lancashire and the Cheshire sides of the river was placed wholly within the administrative county of
Cheshire in 1888. Cheshire has since then been used as a postal address. For the purposes of local government provision, Stalybridge has, since
1974, been served by the
Metropolitan Borough of
Tameside, which also serves the neighbouring towns of
Hyde,
Dukinfield,
Mossley,
Ashton-under-Lyne,
Longdendale,
Denton,
Audenshaw and
Droylsden. The town currently lies in the ceremonial county of
Greater Manchester.
The name Stalybridge comes from the old
English word "staef" ( a
staff or stave) and "leah", a clearing in a wood. The full meaning of "Staly" is therefore "a wood where staves are collected". Staley was the name of the medieval manor. The "bridge" part was added in the 18th century, when the town became an important market crossing point on the
River Tame.
In the mid-eighteenth century Stalybridge had a population of just one hundred and forty. Farming and woolen spinning were the main means subsistence at this time. In 1776 the town's first small water-powered mill for carding and spinning cotton was built at Rassbottom. In 1789 the town's first spinning mill using the priciple of Arkwright's water-frame was built. By 1793 steam power had been introduced to the Stalybridge cotton industry and by 1803 there were eight cotton mills in Stalybridge containing 76,000 spindles. The
Huddersfield Narrow Canal was completed in
1811 and ran through the town until the
1970s. The impact of the industrial revolution led to a rapid increase in the town's population in the early part of the nineteenth century. In
1828, the Stalybridge Police and Market Act received
royal assent establishing Stalybridge an independent town with a board of commissioners. On
December 30,
1831 the Town Hall and Market were officially opened.
The Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway company was formed in 1844 and the railway was connected to Stalybridge on 5th October 1846.
In
1999, a two year, multi-million pound refurbishment programme began which involved the reopening of the canal, amongst other commercial ventures such as riverside cafés and boat trips.
The reinstatement of the canal and the fact that the River Tame runs through the centre resulted in the nickname 'Little Venice'. As a result of the conversion of premises in the shopping area into
clubs and bars, the proliferation of takeaways and the renovation of some of the more traditional
public houses, Stalybridge has in recent years acquired another ironic nickname, 'Stalyvegas'. Indeed, Stalybridge is home to over forty pubs.
The ironic name of "Stalyvegas" contrary to what the local council thinks sprang up because of the high number of traffic lights on the roads surrounding the main centre. This was prior to the explosion of the apparently trendy pub scene ~ the time when CAMRA would still recommend it as a place for decent real ale.
Local amenities include a library containing the Astley Cheetham art gallery, which is noted for displaying the works of local artists.
Secondary Schools
*Copley High School
*
West Hill SchoolStalybridge lies just north of the
M67 motorway, which itself is a feeder to the Manchester orbital
M60 motorway. By rail Stalybridge is served by the
Huddersfield Line between Manchester (
Victoria) and
Huddersfield. Stalybridge station is also served by some
Transpennine Express trains which give it a direct link to
Manchester Piccadilly station and to
Leeds.
The football team in Stalybridge is called
Stalybridge Celtic.
They are one of four
FIFA recognised teams to be called
Celtic. Usually based in non-league football, they are consistently the best team in Stalybridge. They are presently members of the
National Conference - North, in the sixth tier of English football.
There are two main cricket clubs in Stalybridge. Staley play in Millbrook and are members of the
Saddleworth & District League. Staley St Pauls play on Cheetham Hill Road on the ground formerly used by the now defunct Stalybridge Cricket Club (despite being within the boundaries of Dukinfield). They are members of the Cheshire League Pyramid.
A
snooker league is operated by
The Stalybridge & District Sunday Schools Billiards Snooker & Whist League which has been in existence at least since 1910. The league starts around October each year and runs until May.
Music
Stalybridge has an established musical tradition. The first ever
brass band was formed in Stalybridge in 1809 and is still in existence. The band fled from the
Peterloo massacre of 1819.
An annual Brass Band contest has been held on Whit Friday for well over a century. Other contests have been held on the same day in the Stalybridge villages of Millbrook, Carrbrook and Heyrod. There is now an established tradition of holding Brass Band contests on this day in various locations around Staybridge and Mossley and also in the villages of Saddleworth. Bands travel by coach from all over the United Kingdom and sometimes beyond to contest in as many locations as possible on the day.
The song
It's a Long Way to Tipperary was written in Stalybridge after composer
Jack Judge was challenged by a friend to write, compose and produce a song in just one night.
This was despite the writer having never visited the Irish town.This is now commemerated by a statue outside the old market hall.
More recently there has been a small folk music tradition in the town. The most famous folk band to have been founded in Stalybridge was
The Fivepenny Piece who sung traditional northern music in the
1970s. In one case, they took the work of a local poet and putting it to music (
"In Bowton's Yard" by Samuel Laycock).
Art
During the earlier part of the twentieth century, Stalybridge was artistically captured by the painter
L.S.Lowry (noted for his matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs). Many of his notable paintings were of the people and factories of Stalybridge. Lowry continued painting pictures until his death in 1976. His house is marked with a
blue plaque on Stalybridge Road, in Mottram-in-Longdendale, there is also a statue of him, holding his sketch pad, cleverly positioned on a bench near the Stalybridge Rd bus stop.
Writing
Samuel Laycock, born in 1826, was a librarian at the Mechanics Institute for two years. His poetry presents a vivid impression of mid 19th century, working class life and he drew on his personal experience in the cotton industry. His best-loved poems are 'Bowton's Yard' and 'Bonny Brid' - both written in Stalybridge. Samuel Laycock died in 1893.
The children's novelist
Beatrix Potter visited Gorse Hall (where a blue plaque can be seen on the wall) many times as a child as it was the home of her maternal grandmother.
Gorse Hall itself was the site of a murder in
1909, where local mill owner George Storrs was brutally dispatched.
Tim Willocks, author of Bad City Blues, Green River Rising and Bloodstained Kings is from Stalybridge.
Television and Film
Stalybridge has been used as location shots for various film and TV series. The most notable of these was the John Schlessinger film
Yanks which featured Richard Gere. The opening shot of the movie features Trinity St.'s war memorial. Presumably, Stalybridge in the seventies needed little set dressing in order to appear as wartime England. Notable TV appearances include fondly remembered children's TV series
Jossy's Giants (1986),
Coronation Street,
Making Out, "
Common As Muck (1994-1997) and
The League Of Gentlemen series, where the now-defunct Palace cinema appears briefly.
Twin Town
Stalybridge was twinned in 1955 with
Armentières in
France.
*
John Aston European Cup Winner with
Manchester United 1968
*
Josh Morgan of band
The Subways*
Peter Kenyon ex Manchester United now: CEO
Chelsea FC*
Alex Higgins, snooker player, lived on Mottram Road
*
John Lees, winner of the 1957
Mr Universe competition
Churches
Church of England
St George's is the parish church on the Lancashire side of the river in the
Diocese of Manchester.On the Cheshire side, the parish churches of St Paul's, Staley and St James', Millbrook are situated in the
Diocese of Chester.
Roman Catholic
There are two
Roman Catholic parishes - St Peter's, Stalybridge and St. Raphael's, Millbrook. Both parishes are situated in the
Diocese of Shrewsbury.
Unitarian
The
Unitarian Church on Forester Drive was established in 1870 and is part of the East Cheshire Union of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.
*Stalybridge has the pub with the longest name in the
United Kingdom,
The Old Thirteenth Cheshire Astley Volunteer Rifleman Corps Inn.
*Stalybridge has the pub with the shortest name in the United Kingdom,
Q.
*The
Buffet Bar was until recently the only licensed bar on a railway platform.
*On
19 October,
1970 a frightened
red deer registered a speed of 42mph on a police radar trap as it charged down Mottram Road.
*The Huddersfield Narrow Canal runs under the legs of an
electricity pylon.
*During the filming of
Yanks,
Richard Gere formed the opinion that Stalybridge was an apalling place. In later years when asked the question, "What was the worst place you have ever been to?", Gere replied: "Stalybridge".
*During the writing of
The Condition of The Working Class in England ,
Friedrich Engels formed the opinion that "multitudes of courts, back lanes, and remote nooks arise out of [the] confused way of building... . Add to this the shocking filth, and the repulsive effect of Stalybridge, in spite of its pretty surroundings, may be readily imagined."
* Ada Summers was elected Mayor of Stalybridge in November 1919. In December 1919, the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act came into force, which enabled women for the first time to become magistrates. She was sworn in, becoming the first woman to adjudicate on an English Bench.
*
Stalybridge Weather Centre - Recent weather statistics in this town
*
Stalybridge Online*
"The life and soul of StalyVegas"*
Stalybridge Webcam - providing current view from the market clock tower
*
Stalybridge section of Tameside MBC website*
Stalypubs.com - Guide to the town's considerable number of pubs/clubs/restaurants
*
Lancashire Dialect Society - Complete text of "Bowton's Yard" poem, by Samuel Laycock
*
Tameside Council Galleries Site - Astley Cheetham Art Gallery
