Mottram in Longdendale
Encyclopedia
Mottram in Longdendale is an unparished village within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside
, in Greater Manchester
, England. It lies in the valley of Longdendale
, on the border with Derbyshire
and close to the Peak District
neighbouring Broadbottom
and Hattersley
. Mottram in Longdendale Parish
was one of the eight ancient parishes of the Macclesfield Hundred
of Cheshire
. The larger Mottram parish
was incorporated into Longdendale in 1936, remaining part of Cheshire, then incorporated into Tameside, as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972
in 1974. Even as late as 1991, the town has the prefered name of Mottram in Longendale
In those days the River Etherow
, was known as the Mersey
. The nearby River Tame
has added as acted as a border from the earliest of times separating the Anglo Saxon kingdoms of the Brigantes
and Mercia
ns. The ancient parish of Mottram in Longdendale (ancient parish)
was the most northerly in Cheshire
.
As such, Mottram came to prominence as a transport hub. It lies at the foot of two important pack horse routes over the Pennines
. These were used to carry salt
from Cheshire over to South Yorkshire, and to carry lime that was used soil improvement, from Chapel-en-le-Frith
. Later it was on the Manchester to Sheffield stage coach route, and has a flyer service to Manchester. Before the industrial revolution Mottram and Ashton had been the two significant towns in the area, the manor and manorial court house were situated in Mottram, but other towns such rapidly eclipsed Mottram in size and importance. Mottram was active in the early stages of industrialisation
, and there were significant spinning concerns
in Wedneshough Green and the Treacle Street areas of Mottram Moor, and printing and dyeing works on the Etherow at Broadbottom
which until recently was considered part of the parish.
The smaller early mills of Mottram became increasingly uneconomic and harder to run. Stalling industrialisation led to social conflict and widespread hunger in the area during 1812 stoked Luddite
riots that led to the smashing of labour-reducing machines. The Luddites secretly drilled on Wedneshough Green. Again in 1842 leading local Chartist
s met on the green, and planned the closure of Stalybridge
factories in the Plug Riots
. By 1860 the population had peaked. The 1844 railway
passed through the valley with stops at Hattersley
and Broadbottom
which were in the parish but not at the Mottram township.
A Polish pilot called Josef Gawkowski was killed on July 19, 1942 when his aircraft crashed near Mottram on a training flight from RAF Newton
in Nottinghamshire
. A memorial plaque commemorating the pilot is located in Mottram Cemetery.
Mottram occupies a elevated site straddling the A57 trunk road
from the end of the M67
to the junction with the A628 trunk road
. It is 10 miles (16.1 km) east of Manchester
, liying on land between 150m to 250m above mean sea level. The geology is mainly boulder clay
above millstone grit
, but there are some small outcrops of coal from the Lancashire Coalfield
in the vicinity. To the south and east of Mottram is the River Etherow
and to the west is the Hurstclough Brook.
The existing A628 trunk road
connects the M67
from Manchester
to the M1
in South Yorkshire
. A single-carriageway road through the villages of Mottram in Longdendale
, Hollingworth
and Tintwistle
and through the Peak District National Park, it is used by a relatively large number of heavy goods vehicles. The A628 is one of the most congested A-road routes in the country, with high volumes of traffic (including HGVs) using a road which is totally unsuitable for the volume and nature of traffic it carries In addition the stretch through Mottram carries all the traffic from the A57
,that links Manchester through Glossop to Sheffield over the Snake Pass, another major trans-pennine route. The congestion at peak time backs up through Glossop and Hadfield rendering local journeys impossible. To solve these problems the Longdendale Bypass
was proposed. This was vigorously opposed, and has failed to be built, and dropped of the governments funding list. There is considerable local feeling that there is no viable alternative to a bypass.
dates from the later part of the 15th century. The church is a Grade II* Listed Building and was built in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The interior of St. Michael's was remodelled in 1854 but the exterior remains intact from the 15th and 16th centuries. The church stands high up on Warhill overlooking the village of Mottram. In 2010, local vandals destroyed the church's windows which led to cork boards being used as replacements.
Famous former residents also include Kathy Staff
(aka Nora Batty from the sitcom Last of the Summer Wine) and Harold Shipman
, the UK's most prolific serial killer.
Tameside
The Metropolitan Borough of Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after the River Tame which flows through the borough and spans the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Mossley and Stalybridge. Its western...
, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. It lies in the valley of Longdendale
Longdendale
Longdendale is a valley in the north of England, north of Glossop and south east of Holmfirth. The name means "long wooded valley".- Geography :...
, on the border with Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and close to the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
neighbouring Broadbottom
Broadbottom
Broadbottom is a suburban village within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England. It lies within the ancient county boundaries of Cheshire, by the River Etherow, on Greater Manchester's border with Derbyshire.-Description:...
and Hattersley
Hattersley
Hattersley is a residential area within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is to the east of Hyde and 6 miles west of the Peak District National Park....
. Mottram in Longdendale Parish
Mottram in Longdendale (ancient parish)
Mottram in Longdendale was one of the eight ancient parishes of the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire, England. Centred on St Michael and All Angels Church it included the townships of Godley, Hattersley, Hollingworth, Matley, Newton, Stayley, Tintwistle and Mottram itself...
was one of the eight ancient parishes of the Macclesfield Hundred
Macclesfield (hundred)
The hundred of Macclesfield was an ancient division of the historic county of Cheshire, in northern England. It was known to have been in existence at least as early as 1242, and it was formed to a great extent from the earlier Domesday hundred of Hamestan...
of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. The larger Mottram parish
Mottram in Longdendale (ancient parish)
Mottram in Longdendale was one of the eight ancient parishes of the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire, England. Centred on St Michael and All Angels Church it included the townships of Godley, Hattersley, Hollingworth, Matley, Newton, Stayley, Tintwistle and Mottram itself...
was incorporated into Longdendale in 1936, remaining part of Cheshire, then incorporated into Tameside, as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
in 1974. Even as late as 1991, the town has the prefered name of Mottram in Longendale
History
In 1795, Aikin in his book, "Forty Miles around Manchester", wrote- Mottram is situated twelve miles from Manchester and seven for Stockport, on a high eminence one mile to the west of the Mersey, from which the river ground begins to rise; half the way being so steep as to make it difficult to access. It forms a long street well paved both in the town and some distance on the roads. It contains 127 houses, which are for the most part built of a thick flag stone, and covered with a thick, heavy slate, of nearly the same quality, no other covering being able to endure the strong blasts of wind which occasionally occur. Of late, many of the houses in the skirts of the town are built of brick. About fifty years ago, the houses were few in number, and principally situated on top of the hill, adjoining the church-yard, where is an ancient cross, and at a small distance the parsonage house, now gone much to decay and occupied by working people. It is only of late years that the town has had any considerable increase, which has been chiefly at the bottom of the hill, but some latterly on the top.
In those days the River Etherow
River Etherow
The River Etherow is a river in northern England, and a tributary of the River Goyt. Although now passing through South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, it historically formed the ancient county boundary between Cheshire and Derbyshire. The upper valley is known as Longdendale...
, was known as the Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
. The nearby River Tame
River Tame
River Tame is a Celtic river name, used in England to refer to:*River Tame, Greater Manchester, a river that meets the Goyt to form the Mersey*River Tame, West Midlands, the largest tributary of the Trent...
has added as acted as a border from the earliest of times separating the Anglo Saxon kingdoms of the Brigantes
Brigantes
The Brigantes were a Celtic tribe who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England, and a significant part of the Midlands. Their kingdom is sometimes called Brigantia, and it was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire...
and Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
ns. The ancient parish of Mottram in Longdendale (ancient parish)
Mottram in Longdendale (ancient parish)
Mottram in Longdendale was one of the eight ancient parishes of the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire, England. Centred on St Michael and All Angels Church it included the townships of Godley, Hattersley, Hollingworth, Matley, Newton, Stayley, Tintwistle and Mottram itself...
was the most northerly in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
.
As such, Mottram came to prominence as a transport hub. It lies at the foot of two important pack horse routes over the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
. These were used to carry salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
from Cheshire over to South Yorkshire, and to carry lime that was used soil improvement, from Chapel-en-le-Frith
Chapel-en-le-Frith
Chapel-en-le-Frith is a small town in Derbyshire, England, on the edge of the Peak District near the border with Cheshire, from Manchester. Dubbed "The Capital of the Peak District", the settlement was established by the Normans in the 12th century, originally as a hunting lodge within the Forest...
. Later it was on the Manchester to Sheffield stage coach route, and has a flyer service to Manchester. Before the industrial revolution Mottram and Ashton had been the two significant towns in the area, the manor and manorial court house were situated in Mottram, but other towns such rapidly eclipsed Mottram in size and importance. Mottram was active in the early stages of industrialisation
Industrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
, and there were significant spinning concerns
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
in Wedneshough Green and the Treacle Street areas of Mottram Moor, and printing and dyeing works on the Etherow at Broadbottom
Broadbottom
Broadbottom is a suburban village within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England. It lies within the ancient county boundaries of Cheshire, by the River Etherow, on Greater Manchester's border with Derbyshire.-Description:...
which until recently was considered part of the parish.
Luddite
The Luddites were a social movement of 19th-century English textile artisans who protested – often by destroying mechanised looms – against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt were leaving them without work and changing their way of life...
riots that led to the smashing of labour-reducing machines. The Luddites secretly drilled on Wedneshough Green. Again in 1842 leading local Chartist
Chartist
Chartist may refer to:*Chartist , a person who uses charts for technical analysis*Chartist , a British social democratic periodical*An adherent of Chartism, a 19th-century political and social reform movement in the UK...
s met on the green, and planned the closure of Stalybridge
Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically a part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of...
factories in the Plug Riots
1842 General Strike
The 1842 General Strike, also known as the Plug Plot Riots, started among the miners in Staffordshire, England, and soon spread through Britain affecting factories, mills and coal mines from Dundee to South Wales and Cornwall....
. By 1860 the population had peaked. The 1844 railway
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
passed through the valley with stops at Hattersley
Hattersley
Hattersley is a residential area within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is to the east of Hyde and 6 miles west of the Peak District National Park....
and Broadbottom
Broadbottom
Broadbottom is a suburban village within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England. It lies within the ancient county boundaries of Cheshire, by the River Etherow, on Greater Manchester's border with Derbyshire.-Description:...
which were in the parish but not at the Mottram township.
A Polish pilot called Josef Gawkowski was killed on July 19, 1942 when his aircraft crashed near Mottram on a training flight from RAF Newton
RAF Newton
RAF Newton was a Royal Air Force station, 7 miles east of Nottingham, England. It was used briefly as a bomber base and then as a flying training school during World War II....
in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
. A memorial plaque commemorating the pilot is located in Mottram Cemetery.
Geography
A57 road
The A57 is a major road in England. It runs east from Liverpool to Lincoln, via Warrington, Cadishead, Irlam, Patricroft, Eccles, Salford and Manchester, then through the Pennines over the Snake Pass , around the Ladybower Reservoir, through Sheffield and past Worksop...
from the end of the M67
M67 motorway
The M67 is a urban motorway in Greater Manchester, England which heads east from the M60 motorway passing through Denton and Hyde before ending near Mottram. It had originally conceived as the first part of a trans-Pennine motorway between Manchester and Sheffield connecting the A57 motorway to...
to the junction with the A628 trunk road
A628 road
The A628 is a major road in the north of England connecting Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire by crossing the Pennine chain of hills by way of the Woodhead Pass through the Peak District National Park. The height and the exposure of the road often creates problems during poor weather in winter...
. It is 10 miles (16.1 km) east of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, liying on land between 150m to 250m above mean sea level. The geology is mainly boulder clay
Boulder clay
Boulder clay, in geology, is a deposit of clay, often full of boulders, which is formed in and beneath glaciers and ice-sheets wherever they are found, but is in a special sense the typical deposit of the Glacial Period in northern Europe and North America...
above millstone grit
Millstone Grit
Millstone Grit is the name given to any of a number of coarse-grained sandstones of Carboniferous age which occur in the Northern England. The name derives from its use in earlier times as a source of millstones for use principally in watermills...
, but there are some small outcrops of coal from the Lancashire Coalfield
Lancashire Coalfield
The Lancashire Coalfield in north-west England was one of the most important British coalfields.-Geography and geology:The geology of the coalfield consists of the coal seams of the Upper, Middle and Lower Coal Measures, layers of sandstones, shales and coal of varying thickness, which were laid...
in the vicinity. To the south and east of Mottram is the River Etherow
River Etherow
The River Etherow is a river in northern England, and a tributary of the River Goyt. Although now passing through South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, it historically formed the ancient county boundary between Cheshire and Derbyshire. The upper valley is known as Longdendale...
and to the west is the Hurstclough Brook.
Longdendale bypass proposal
A628 road
The A628 is a major road in the north of England connecting Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire by crossing the Pennine chain of hills by way of the Woodhead Pass through the Peak District National Park. The height and the exposure of the road often creates problems during poor weather in winter...
connects the M67
M67 motorway
The M67 is a urban motorway in Greater Manchester, England which heads east from the M60 motorway passing through Denton and Hyde before ending near Mottram. It had originally conceived as the first part of a trans-Pennine motorway between Manchester and Sheffield connecting the A57 motorway to...
from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to the M1
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
. A single-carriageway road through the villages of Mottram in Longdendale
Mottram in Longdendale
Mottram in Longdendale is an unparished village within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the valley of Longdendale, on the border with Derbyshire and close to the Peak District neighbouring Broadbottom and Hattersley. Mottram in Longdendale Parish was...
, Hollingworth
Hollingworth
Hollingworth is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is about twelve miles east of Manchester on the Derbyshire border at Glossop...
and Tintwistle
Tintwistle
Tintwistle is a village and civil parish in the High Peak district of the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,401. The village is just north of Glossop at the lower end of Longdendale Valley...
and through the Peak District National Park, it is used by a relatively large number of heavy goods vehicles. The A628 is one of the most congested A-road routes in the country, with high volumes of traffic (including HGVs) using a road which is totally unsuitable for the volume and nature of traffic it carries In addition the stretch through Mottram carries all the traffic from the A57
A57 road
The A57 is a major road in England. It runs east from Liverpool to Lincoln, via Warrington, Cadishead, Irlam, Patricroft, Eccles, Salford and Manchester, then through the Pennines over the Snake Pass , around the Ladybower Reservoir, through Sheffield and past Worksop...
,that links Manchester through Glossop to Sheffield over the Snake Pass, another major trans-pennine route. The congestion at peak time backs up through Glossop and Hadfield rendering local journeys impossible. To solve these problems the Longdendale Bypass
Longdendale Bypass
The Longdendale Bypass was a controversial road scheme in England by the Highways Agency. The aim was to alleviate traffic congestion on the A57 road/A628 road/A616 road routes that presently pass through the villages...
was proposed. This was vigorously opposed, and has failed to be built, and dropped of the governments funding list. There is considerable local feeling that there is no viable alternative to a bypass.
Landmarks
St Michael and All Angels ChurchSt Michael and All Angels Church, Mottram
St Michael and All Angels Church, Mottram stands on Warhill overlooking the village of Mottram in Longdendale, Greater Manchester, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building...
dates from the later part of the 15th century. The church is a Grade II* Listed Building and was built in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The interior of St. Michael's was remodelled in 1854 but the exterior remains intact from the 15th and 16th centuries. The church stands high up on Warhill overlooking the village of Mottram. In 2010, local vandals destroyed the church's windows which led to cork boards being used as replacements.
Sports
Mottram Cricket Club plays in the Derbyshire and Cheshire League. The club was founded in 1878.Notable people
- Sir Edmund ShaaEdmund ShaaSir Edmund Shaa was a goldsmith, Sheriff of London in 1475 and Lord Mayor of London in 1482. Shaa lent money to Edward IV and, as mayor , was extensively involved in the coronation of Edward IV’s brother Richard III...
was a goldsmith, and Lord Mayor of LondonLord Mayor of LondonThe Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
in 1482, dying there 20 April 1488. He appeared as a character in William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play, Richard IIIRichard III (play)Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
, and a bequest was used to found Stockport Grammar SchoolStockport Grammar SchoolStockport Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in Stockport, England, founded in 1487 by the 1482 Lord Mayor of London Sir Edmund Shaa.The school motto is "Vincit qui patitur" – He who endures, conquers....
.
- Lawrence Earnshaw (c.1707–12 May 1767) was an inventor and machine-maker, who made an astronomical clockAstronomical clockAn astronomical clock is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the sun, moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets.-Definition:...
, and a machine to spin and reel cotton in one operation.
- John Chapman (1810–1877)John Chapman (1810–1877)John Chapman DL, JP was a British Conservative Party politician who served for two three-year terms as the Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby....
was MP for GrimsbyGrimsbyGrimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
, High Sheriff of Cheshire, JP and Chairman of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire RailwayManchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire RailwayThe Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
. He lived in Broadbottom.
- The StretfordStretfordStretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, it is to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
-born artist L.S. Lowry lived in Mottram from 1948 until his death in 1976. A bronze statue of him seated on a bench is located next to the junction of Hyde Road and Stalybridge Road, and there is a commemorative plaque on his former home, "The Elms" on Stalybridge Road.
Famous former residents also include Kathy Staff
Kathy Staff
Kathy Staff was an English actress, well known for her work on British television...
(aka Nora Batty from the sitcom Last of the Summer Wine) and Harold Shipman
Harold Shipman
Harold Fredrick Shipman was an English doctor and one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history with 218 murders being positively ascribed to him....
, the UK's most prolific serial killer.