Prestwich
Encyclopedia
Prestwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury
, in Greater Manchester
, England. It lies close to the River Irwell
, 3.3 miles (5.3 km) north of Manchester city centre
, 3.1 miles (5 km) north of Salford and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) south of Bury
.
Historically
a part of Lancashire
, Prestwich's early history is marked by its status as the seat of the ancient parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham
, in the hundred of Salfordshire
. The Church of St Mary the Virgin
—a Grade I listed building
—has lain at the centre of the community for centuries.
The oldest part of Prestwich developed around Bury New Road and is known as "Prestwich Village". There is a large Jewish community in Prestwich and Whitefield
, neighbouring Broughton Park in Salford and parts of Cheetham Hill
and Crumpsall
, which forms the second-largest Jewish community in the United Kingdom.
The township was variously recorded as Prestwich in 1194, Prestwic in 1202 and Prestewic in 1203.
Bury New Road roughly follows the line of a Roman
road connecting forts at Mamucium (Manchester
) and Bremetennacum
(Ribchester
). It is possible that a Roman fort or encampment was built at "Castle Hill", near the Salford border, mirroring an encampment on Rainsough Hill equidistant from the Roman road. John Booker B.A., 19th century author and curate of the parish church, considered these were agrarian camps built to protect cattle kept in the woods of Broughton
and Kersal
. The camp was "just to the right of the old road to Bury, immediately beyond Singleton Brook, on the first field in the Parish of Prestwich, which was formerly known as Lowcaster". Roman coins have been found off Bury New Road, near Prestwich Golf Course and some in Prestwich Clough.
A hoard of 65 silver coins from the reign of King Stephen
was found in the Sedgley Park
area in 1972. The Prestwich manor emerged in the Middle Ages
and in 1212 it was assessed as four oxgangs
of land held by Adam de Prestwich whose father, Robert held it in 1193. The lord of the manor
also held the advowson
for the church. Another Adam de Prestwich settled the manors of Prestwich, Alkrington
and Pendlebury
on his son John in 1297 but remarried and in 1313 settled the same manors on Thomas de Prestwich, his son by second wife. Thomas de Prestwich had daughters, Margaret who became a nun
at Seaton Priory
in 1360, but left the convent to marry Robert de Holland and Agnes who married John de Radcliffe but died childless in 1362. Thomas de Prestwich granted his manors to Richard de Radcliffe for life and after that the manor was held by Richard de Langley. In 1371 Robert de Holland claimed the manor as the right of his wife. Roger de Langley was a minor and ward of the Duke of Lancaster in 1372 when Robert de Holland and a troop of armed men took possession of the manor by force and retained it until 1389. The Langleys regained the manor after 1403.
After Sir Robert Langley's death in 1561 the manor became the share of his daughter Margaret, who married John Reddish. Their granddaughter Sarah who married Clement Coke had the manor. It descended in the Coke family, until 1777, when Thomas William Coke, Coke of Norfolk
, a leader in the agricultural revolution
sold his land in Prestwich to increase his Norfolk estates. The manor was acquired by Peter Drinkwater of Irwell House in 1794 and it descended to his son Thomas who died in 1861. Irwell House and Drinkwater Park
was sold to Salford Corporation and Prestwich Council.
In the hearth tax of 1666 there were 97 hearths in the township, the rector's house was the largest with ten. In the 17th and 18th centuries local government, away from the towns, was based on the parish structure. The lord of the manor administered land tenure
and inheritance
, but law and order was kept by the parish constables, assisted by the church wardens. The local justices sat in the "Star Chamber" in the Ostrich Inn, now the Church Inn, close to the parish churchwhere the justices' seat can still be seen. The village had stocks which were in use in 1800.
The early settlement grew to serve the parish church making Church Lane the historic centre. In the late 18th century the area was mainly rural with scattered farms and small settlements grew at Great and Little Heaton. The population was estimated at 670. Rooden Lane which became part of Bury Old Road was a centre for hand loom weaving and at Simister
and neighbouring Bowlee
, silk weaving was established. During the 19th century another settlement grew around the junction of Fairfax Road and Bury New Road along with another village centre on Bury Old Road. The area in between these centres remained rural, however, the arrival of the railway in 1881 encouraged affluent merchants from Manchester to move in and build villas. By 1912 the population had increased to 12,800, but from the 1930s onwards the remaining fields were developed and by 1961 the population soared to 31,000 and Prestwich had become a suburb of Manchester.
Prestwich Hospital was built as an asylum
in 1851 and by 1900 it had grown into the largest asylum in Europe.
an ancient parish
in the Salford Hundred
of Lancashire
. It was in Manchester Poor Law Union (PLU) from 1841–50 and the Prestwich PLU from 1850–1915 when it rejoined the Manchester PLU until its abolition in 1930. In 1867 the Prestwich Local Board of Health was established which as a result of the Local Government Act 1894
in 1894 became Prestwich Urban District
to which parts of Great and Little Heaton townships were added. In 1903 Heaton Park was added to the City of Manchester and in 1933 part of the Urban District west of the Irwell was added to Swinton and Pendlebury Urban District. Prestwich became a municipal borough
in 1939. Under the Local Government Act 1972
it became an unparished area
in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury in Greater Manchester.
Prestwich is a part of Bury South
Parliamentary constituency, which has been represented by Labour
MP Ivan Lewis
since 1997.
and is bounded on the north by Whitefield, on the east by Heaton Park
, to the west by the Prestwich Forest Park and the Irwell Valley
(Agecroft
and Clifton
) and to the south by the City of Salford
. The two main north-south roads passing from central Manchester
to Bury, Bury New Road (A56
) and Bury Old Road, traverse the district.
The geology of the area is characterised by carboniferous
coal measures
of the Manchester Coalfield
and sandstone
appertaining to the Carboniferous Westphalian C geological age. This is overlain with quaternary
glacial drift comprising sand, gravel and boulder clay
.
and Manchester's districts of Crumpsall
and Cheetham Hill
.
The area in the south of Prestwich known as Sedgley Park
has a sizeable Jewish population and is served by five synagogues. There are many Jewish businesses, specialist shops and delicatessen
s along King's Road, Bury New Road and Bury Old Road.
Prestwich has a wide range of traditional and superstore shopping. Jewish-owned shops give Prestwich a particular distinction. The Longfield Centre, a shopping precinct, civic centre which includes the Longfield Suite, Library, Health Centre, and NHS
drop-in centre was built in the 1970s.
Prestwich is now considered to be an affluent area and has been called the "Didsbury
of North Manchester".
Public transport in Prestwich is coordinated by Transport for Greater Manchester. It has good transport links to Manchester city centre
, Bury and other parts of Greater Manchester. High frequency services are mostly provided by First Manchester
. There are local bus routes, linking Prestwich village to northern areas of Salford
including Pendlebury
, Swinton
, Monton
and Eccles
. 'The Lancashire Way
' and 'The Witch Way
' express services link Prestwich to Manchester, Burnley
and Pendle
.
The first road to be turnpiked
was Bury Old Road in 1754 under the control of the Cheetham Hill
Trust. Bury New Road, now the main thoroughfare was constructed by a turnpike trust in 1826. Electric trams arrived around 1900, and the route along Bury New Road to Kersal Bar (the location a toll bar until 1848) was opened on Friday 5 December 1902.
The railway arrived in Prestwich in 1879. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
obtained an Act of Parliament for a line from Manchester to Radcliffe in 1872 and in 1876 began building a line through Cheetham Hill, Crumpsall, Heaton Park, Prestwich and Whitefield. A cut and cover tunnel was built at Heaton Park. In 1916 the line was converted to electric operation and operated until August 1991 when it was closed. It was reopened as the Manchester Metrolink
in April 1992.
Prestwich is served by four tram stations on the Metrolink line from Manchester to Bury, at Besses o' th' Barn
on the Whitefield border to the north, Prestwich
in the centre of the village, Heaton Park
in the centre-east and Bowker Vale
on the Blackley
border to the south-east.
and Our Lady of Grace Primary School.
is a Grade I listed building and was at the centre of the ancient ecclesiastical parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham
that extended beyond the township boundaries. It is known that it had a rector
by 1200. Parts of the present building date from around 1500, although extensions were made at the end of the 19th century. For a time in the 19th century, the church was referred to as St Bartholomew's. The church wakes
were traditionally held around St Bartholomew's Day. The living of Prestwich was suspended by the Diocese of Manchester
in 2002. A priest-in-charge, The Revd. Bryan Hackett, residing in the rectory, was appointed.
In 1849, St Margaret's Church
was erected near Heaton Park
, as a chapel of ease to the parish church, but since 1885 as a parish church in its own right. The church was extended in 1863, 1871, 1884, 1888 and 1899. A feature of the church is the Arts and Crafts Movement
oak carved reredos
, choir stalls, rood screen
, panelling, pulpit, bishop's chair and altar rails by Arthur Simpson of Kendal
, widely believed to be the finest collection of his ecclesiastical work. Other Anglican churches in the area include churches dedicated to St Gabriel, St Hilda and St George.
The Roman Catholic Church had a resurgence in late Victorian times. Mass
was celebrated in 1889 for the first time since the Reformation
. The present Catholic church, dedicated to Our Lady of Grace
, was opened in 1931 and consecrated in 1956. There are two Methodist churches, Heaton Park Methodist Church and Prestwich Methodist Church. There are cemeteries at the parish church and St Margaret's.
The migration of Jewish families, mainly from the nearby Cheetham
area of Manchester and Broughton Park in Salford
, and the later arrival of Muslims into this urban area, resulted in synagogues, such as Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation
, and mosques being constructed alongside Christian places of worship. There are Jewish cemeteries at Philips Park Cemetery, Prestwich Village Cemetery was used from 1841 to 1951, and Rainsough Cemetery from 1923. According to Pevsner
, the 1934 Holy Law Synagogue was the first "purpose-built" synagogue in Prestwich.
, Prestwich Clough, Mere Clough, the Park and Hurst Clough were the homes of most of the interesting plants. Many noted local botanists had studied the area including Leo Grindon and Thomas Rogers.
In 1906 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) of land were given to the Prestwich Urban District Council by William Gardner, a further 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) were purchased and the "sylvan and beautiful" Prestwich Clough was opened to the public as a place of recreation.
Prestwich Forest Park consists of 200 hectares of land on the western side of Prestwich incorporating, Philips Park
, Prestwich Clough, Mere Clough, Waterdale Meadow and Drinkwater Park
.
Much of the area of the park was industrialised during the 18th and 19th centuries but has been reclaimed with extensive woodlands, reservoirs and grasslands. While this area has become a haven for wildlife there are still remnants of the area's industrial past. Philips Park has been designated as a Local Nature Reserve
(LNR) and Prestwich Clough as a Site of Biological Importance
(SBI) due to the important contribution they make to the wildlife heritage of Greater Manchester
. The Irwell Sculpture Trail
, the Irwell Valley Way and a National Cycle Route all pass through the park. The "Friends of Prestwich Forest Park" and the BTCV
coordinate volunteer activities and events such as the Prestwich Clough Centenary Celebrations. The BTCV has a permanent base in the renovated Philips Park Barn, which has become a major environmental
education and countryside centre for the borough.
. Prestwich Heys, formed in 1938, played at Grimshaw's off Heys Road but moved to Sandgate Road in Whitefield in 1992. The ground has been redeveloped to include concrete fencing, a car park and club facilities. Prestwich Heys currently play in the Manchester Football League
.
Formed in 2005, Prestwich FC originally played in the Bury & District Sunday League. In 2009 the club expanded into open aged Saturday football and introduced a junior section. As of the 2011/12 season, the first team play in the Lancashire Amateur League
Premier Division. The club, officially the football section of Prestwich Cricket, Tennis & Bowling Club
, play home games on Grimshaw's, Drinkwater Park
and Heaton Park
.
Other local sides include Bury Amateurs who play at Drinkwater Park and Prestwich Marauders. These teams are in the North Bury League or the Bury and Radcliffe
League.
Prestwich Cricket, Tennis & Bowling Club is located between Prestwich Metrolink
station and Grimshaw's playing fields off Heys Road. Prestwich CTBC has cricket
, crown green bowling
, tennis
and football facilities and a clubhouse. Prestwich CC First Team are 2011 champions of the Lancashire County Cricket League.
Crown green bowling is played in the area, with teams composed of veterans, ladies, gents and mixed teams in different leagues. The Salford League is mixed, the Middleton Sunday Morning and Tuesday evening Leagues, together with the Prestwich and District League are for men, the Prestwich Ladies league is played on Thursday evenings and the Prestwich Veterans League takes place on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. St Mary's Park to the south of Prestwich Village has recently reopened both its greens and regular competitions take place on them throughout the winter. There are flat green bowling facilities in Heaton Park which were built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games
.
The Prestwich and District Snooker
League compete on Thursdays and occasionally on Tuesdays.
Golf is played at Prestwich Golf Club
is produced and printed in Prestwich.
The Longfield Centre civic hall has one of the largest sprung floor
ballrooms in the Northwest of England and has been the host venue for Danceclub2000 since August 1998.
There are several private members' clubs in the town including, Prestwich Church Institute, the Royal British Legion, the Carlton Club, Heaton Park Social (Working Men's) Club, and two political clubs Prestwich Conservative
Club and Prestwich Liberal
Club.
(1783–1850), physicist and inventor. He created the first practical electric motor and electromagnetic solenoid. He lived in Prestwich and is buried at St Mary's Cemetery.
Dr Montagu Lomax, was an assistant medical officer at the Prestwich Asylum
from 1917 to 1919, and exposed the inhuman, custodial and antitherapeutic practices there in a book which led to a Royal Commission, increased central control and ultimately the Mental Treatment Act of 1930. However, much of what Lomax described could still be seen in parts of Prestwich Hospital in the 1960s and 1970s.
The amateur astronomer Michael Oates, who resides in Prestwich, has discovered 144 comets using images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
and for almost 5 years, held the world record for the greatest number of comet discoveries by an individual.
Man Booker Prize
-winning author Howard Jacobson
was born and raised in Prestwich.
Actress Julie Stevens
born in Prestwich in 1936, appeared in episodes of TV series The Avengers
, Playschool and Playaway
.
The comedienne Victoria Wood
was born in Prestwich.
Kevin Godley
and Lol Creme
of the band 10cc
were from Prestwich.
Choreographer Arlene Phillips
was born in Prestwich.
Mark E. Smith
lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of The Fall has lived in Prestwich since childhood.
Jazz
organist Alan Haven
was born in Prestwich.
One of the Atomic Kitten
band members, Jenny Frost
, grew up in Prestwich and attended the local Catholic high school, St Monica's
.
Metropolitan Borough of Bury
The Metropolitan Borough of Bury is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. Lying to the north of the City of Manchester, the borough is composed of six towns: Bury, Ramsbottom, Tottington, Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich, and has a population of 181,900...
, 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 close to the River Irwell
River Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
, 3.3 miles (5.3 km) north of Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, 3.1 miles (5 km) north of Salford and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) south of Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, Prestwich's early history is marked by its status as the seat of the ancient parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham
Prestwich-cum-Oldham
Prestwich-cum-Oldham was an ancient ecclesiastical parish of the hundred of Salford, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire, England...
, in the hundred of Salfordshire
Salford (hundred)
The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. It was sometimes known as Salfordshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of Salford...
. The Church of St Mary the Virgin
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Prestwich
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Prestwich, is located in Church Lane, Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Radcliffe and Prestwich, the archdeaconry of Bolton, and the diocese of Manchester. The church has been designated by English...
—a Grade I listed building
Grade I listed buildings in Greater Manchester
-See also:*Architecture of Manchester*Conservation in the United Kingdom*Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester*List of tallest buildings in Manchester*Scheduled Monuments in Greater Manchester-Bibliography:...
—has lain at the centre of the community for centuries.
The oldest part of Prestwich developed around Bury New Road and is known as "Prestwich Village". There is a large Jewish community in Prestwich and Whitefield
Whitefield, Greater Manchester
Whitefield is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the south bank of the River Irwell, south-southeast of Bury, and to the north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, neighbouring Broughton Park in Salford and parts of Cheetham Hill
Cheetham Hill
Cheetham Hill is an inner city area of Manchester, England. As an electoral ward it is known as Cheetham and has a population of 12,846. It lies on the west bank of the River Irk, north-northeast of Manchester city centre and close to the boundary with the City of Salford...
and Crumpsall
Crumpsall
Crumpsall is a suburban area and electoral ward of the city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It is about north of Manchester city centre...
, which forms the second-largest Jewish community in the United Kingdom.
Toponymy
The name Prestwich is possibly of Saxon origin, derived from Priest Wic, which in Old English translates to "the priest's farmed land". Another possible derivation of the town's name is "Priest's retreat". Wic was a place-name element derived from the Latin vicus, place. Its most common meaning is dairy-farm.The township was variously recorded as Prestwich in 1194, Prestwic in 1202 and Prestewic in 1203.
History
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
road connecting forts at Mamucium (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...
) and Bremetennacum
Bremetennacum
Bremetennacum was a Roman fort which is now the village of Ribchester in Lancashire . The site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The first Roman activity on the site was the establishment of a timber fort believed to have been constructed during the campaigns of Petillius Cerialis around AD 72/3...
(Ribchester
Ribchester
Ribchester is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Ribble, northwest of Blackburn and east of Preston.The village has a long history with evidence of Bronze Age beginnings...
). It is possible that a Roman fort or encampment was built at "Castle Hill", near the Salford border, mirroring an encampment on Rainsough Hill equidistant from the Roman road. John Booker B.A., 19th century author and curate of the parish church, considered these were agrarian camps built to protect cattle kept in the woods of Broughton
Broughton, Greater Manchester
Broughton is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the east bank of the River Irwell and A56 road, in the northeastern part of the City of Salford, north-northwest of Manchester city centre and south of Prestwich. Broughton consists of Broughton Park, Higher...
and Kersal
Kersal
Kersal is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. The centre of Kersal is northwest of Manchester city centre, and north-northwest of Salford's conventional centre at Greengate....
. The camp was "just to the right of the old road to Bury, immediately beyond Singleton Brook, on the first field in the Parish of Prestwich, which was formerly known as Lowcaster". Roman coins have been found off Bury New Road, near Prestwich Golf Course and some in Prestwich Clough.
A hoard of 65 silver coins from the reign of King Stephen
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
was found in the Sedgley Park
Sedgley Park
Sedgley Park is a suburban area of Prestwich, a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. Sedgley Park is roughly bounded to the north by Scholes Lane, to the east by Bury Old Road and to the west by Bland Road/George Street.The district has a large Jewish...
area in 1972. The Prestwich manor emerged in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
and in 1212 it was assessed as four oxgangs
Oxgangs
Oxgangs is a suburb in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. It is named for an oxgang, an ancient Scottish land measure.Surrounding districts include Caiystane, Dreghorn, Redford, Fairmilehead, Colinton and Swanston and Colinton Mains...
of land held by Adam de Prestwich whose father, Robert held it in 1193. The lord of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
also held the advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
for the church. Another Adam de Prestwich settled the manors of Prestwich, Alkrington
Alkrington
Alkrington Garden Village, more commonly known as Alkrington, is a suburb of Middleton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England....
and Pendlebury
Pendlebury
Pendlebury is a suburban town in the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies to the northwest of Manchester city centre, northwest of Salford, and southeast of Bolton....
on his son John in 1297 but remarried and in 1313 settled the same manors on Thomas de Prestwich, his son by second wife. Thomas de Prestwich had daughters, Margaret who became a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
at Seaton Priory
Seaton Priory
Originally called the nunnery of Lekeley from the name of the land it was built upon, the former nunnery of Seaton is to the north of the parish of Bootle, Cumbria, England.-Early life:...
in 1360, but left the convent to marry Robert de Holland and Agnes who married John de Radcliffe but died childless in 1362. Thomas de Prestwich granted his manors to Richard de Radcliffe for life and after that the manor was held by Richard de Langley. In 1371 Robert de Holland claimed the manor as the right of his wife. Roger de Langley was a minor and ward of the Duke of Lancaster in 1372 when Robert de Holland and a troop of armed men took possession of the manor by force and retained it until 1389. The Langleys regained the manor after 1403.
After Sir Robert Langley's death in 1561 the manor became the share of his daughter Margaret, who married John Reddish. Their granddaughter Sarah who married Clement Coke had the manor. It descended in the Coke family, until 1777, when Thomas William Coke, Coke of Norfolk
Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (seventh creation)
Thomas William Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester , known as Coke of Norfolk, was a British politician and agricultural reformer. Born to Wenman Coke, Member of Parliament for Derby and his wife Elizabeth, Coke was educated at several schools, including Eton College, before undertaking a Grand Tour of...
, a leader in the agricultural revolution
British Agricultural Revolution
British Agricultural Revolution describes a period of development in Britain between the 17th century and the end of the 19th century, which saw an epoch-making increase in agricultural productivity and net output. This in turn supported unprecedented population growth, freeing up a significant...
sold his land in Prestwich to increase his Norfolk estates. The manor was acquired by Peter Drinkwater of Irwell House in 1794 and it descended to his son Thomas who died in 1861. Irwell House and Drinkwater Park
Drinkwater Park
Drinkwater Park is situated in the Irwell Valley on the western border of Prestwich, near Manchester bounded by the River Irwell to the west, Agecroft Road and Rainsough Brow to the south, Butterstile Lane and Carr Clough estate to the east and Bunkers Hill to the north...
was sold to Salford Corporation and Prestwich Council.
In the hearth tax of 1666 there were 97 hearths in the township, the rector's house was the largest with ten. In the 17th and 18th centuries local government, away from the towns, was based on the parish structure. The lord of the manor administered land tenure
Land tenure
Land tenure is the name given, particularly in common law systems, to the legal regime in which land is owned by an individual, who is said to "hold" the land . The sovereign monarch, known as The Crown, held land in its own right. All private owners are either its tenants or sub-tenants...
and inheritance
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
, but law and order was kept by the parish constables, assisted by the church wardens. The local justices sat in the "Star Chamber" in the Ostrich Inn, now the Church Inn, close to the parish churchwhere the justices' seat can still be seen. The village had stocks which were in use in 1800.
The early settlement grew to serve the parish church making Church Lane the historic centre. In the late 18th century the area was mainly rural with scattered farms and small settlements grew at Great and Little Heaton. The population was estimated at 670. Rooden Lane which became part of Bury Old Road was a centre for hand loom weaving and at Simister
Simister
Simister is a small village in Prestwich, within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester. Historically part of Lancashire, it is located between the districts of Prestwich, Rhodes and Langley. The village is located east of "Simister Island", motorway junction 18 which links the M62,...
and neighbouring Bowlee
Bowlee
Bowlee is a village in Greater Manchester, England along Heywood Old Road on the outskirts of Middleton between Rhodes and Heywood. Historically it forms part of Lancashire..-RAF Bowlee:...
, silk weaving was established. During the 19th century another settlement grew around the junction of Fairfax Road and Bury New Road along with another village centre on Bury Old Road. The area in between these centres remained rural, however, the arrival of the railway in 1881 encouraged affluent merchants from Manchester to move in and build villas. By 1912 the population had increased to 12,800, but from the 1930s onwards the remaining fields were developed and by 1961 the population soared to 31,000 and Prestwich had become a suburb of Manchester.
Prestwich Hospital was built as an asylum
History of psychiatric institutions
The story of the rise of the lunatic asylum and its gradual transformation into, and eventual replacement by, the modern psychiatric hospital, is also the story of the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry...
in 1851 and by 1900 it had grown into the largest asylum in Europe.
Governance
Prestwich was the ecclesiastical centre of Prestwich-cum-OldhamPrestwich-cum-Oldham
Prestwich-cum-Oldham was an ancient ecclesiastical parish of the hundred of Salford, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire, England...
an ancient parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Salford Hundred
Salford (hundred)
The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. It was sometimes known as Salfordshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of Salford...
of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. It was in Manchester Poor Law Union (PLU) from 1841–50 and the Prestwich PLU from 1850–1915 when it rejoined the Manchester PLU until its abolition in 1930. In 1867 the Prestwich Local Board of Health was established which as a result of the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
in 1894 became Prestwich Urban District
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
to which parts of Great and Little Heaton townships were added. In 1903 Heaton Park was added to the City of Manchester and in 1933 part of the Urban District west of the Irwell was added to Swinton and Pendlebury Urban District. Prestwich became a municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
in 1939. Under 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....
it became an unparished area
Unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish. Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparished. Many towns and some cities in otherwise rural districts are also unparished areas and therefore no longer have a town council or city...
in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury in Greater Manchester.
Prestwich is a part of Bury South
Bury South (UK Parliament constituency)
Bury South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
Parliamentary constituency, which has been represented by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP Ivan Lewis
Ivan Lewis
Ivan Lewis is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Bury South since 1997. Lewis served in a variety of junior ministerial positions, including as Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.-Personal life:Lewis was born to a British Jewish...
since 1997.
Geography
Prestwich lies to the north of the River IrwellRiver Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
and is bounded on the north by Whitefield, on the east by Heaton Park
Heaton Park
Heaton Park, covering an area variously reported as , 247 hectares, , over and is the biggest park in Greater Manchester, England and one of the biggest municipal parks in Europe. The park comprises the grounds of a Grade I listed, neoclassical 18th century country house, Heaton Hall...
, to the west by the Prestwich Forest Park and the Irwell Valley
Irwell Valley
The Irwell Valley extends from the Forest of Rossendale in North West England, through to the cities of Salford and Manchester. The River Irwell runs through the valley, along with the River Croal.-Geology:...
(Agecroft
Pendlebury
Pendlebury is a suburban town in the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies to the northwest of Manchester city centre, northwest of Salford, and southeast of Bolton....
and Clifton
Clifton, Greater Manchester
Clifton is a small town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the Irwell Valley in the northern part of the City of Salford....
) and to the south by the City of Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
. The two main north-south roads passing from central 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 Bury, Bury New Road (A56
A56 road
The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the village of Broughton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the...
) and Bury Old Road, traverse the district.
The geology of the area is characterised by carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
coal measures
Coal Measures
The Coal Measures is a lithostratigraphical term for the coal-bearing part of the Upper Carboniferous System. It represents the remains of fluvio-deltaic sediment, and consists mainly of clastic rocks interstratified with the beds of coal...
of the Manchester Coalfield
Manchester Coalfield
The Manchester Coalfield is part of the South East Lancashire Coalfield. Its coal seams were laid down in the Carboniferous period and some easily accessible seams were worked on a small scale from the Middle Ages and extensively from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th...
and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
appertaining to the Carboniferous Westphalian C geological age. This is overlain with quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
glacial drift comprising sand, gravel and 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...
.
Demography
From the 1991 census the population of Prestwich was estimated at 33,047. An estimated 19% of the population of Prestwich and Whitefield are Jewish and are part of the second largest Jewish community in the UK outside London, which also reaches over the border into Salford's BroughtonBroughton, Greater Manchester
Broughton is an inner city area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the east bank of the River Irwell and A56 road, in the northeastern part of the City of Salford, north-northwest of Manchester city centre and south of Prestwich. Broughton consists of Broughton Park, Higher...
and Manchester's districts of Crumpsall
Crumpsall
Crumpsall is a suburban area and electoral ward of the city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It is about north of Manchester city centre...
and Cheetham Hill
Cheetham Hill
Cheetham Hill is an inner city area of Manchester, England. As an electoral ward it is known as Cheetham and has a population of 12,846. It lies on the west bank of the River Irk, north-northeast of Manchester city centre and close to the boundary with the City of Salford...
.
The area in the south of Prestwich known as Sedgley Park
Sedgley Park
Sedgley Park is a suburban area of Prestwich, a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. Sedgley Park is roughly bounded to the north by Scholes Lane, to the east by Bury Old Road and to the west by Bland Road/George Street.The district has a large Jewish...
has a sizeable Jewish population and is served by five synagogues. There are many Jewish businesses, specialist shops and delicatessen
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
s along King's Road, Bury New Road and Bury Old Road.
Population change
| Population growth in Prestwich 1881–1961 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1939 | 1951 | 1961 | ||
| Population | 8,627 | 10,485 | 12,839 | 17,195 | 18,750 | 23,881 | 32,594 | 34,466 | 34,209 | ||
Prestwich CP/Tn |
|||||||||||
Economy
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
drop-in centre was built in the 1970s.
Prestwich is now considered to be an affluent area and has been called the "Didsbury
Didsbury
Didsbury is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre, in the southern half of the Greater Manchester Urban Area...
of North Manchester".
Transport
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, Bury and other parts of Greater Manchester. High frequency services are mostly provided by First Manchester
First Manchester
First Manchester is one of the bus companies serving Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
. There are local bus routes, linking Prestwich village to northern areas of Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
including Pendlebury
Pendlebury
Pendlebury is a suburban town in the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies to the northwest of Manchester city centre, northwest of Salford, and southeast of Bolton....
, Swinton
Swinton, Greater Manchester
Swinton is a town within the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. Located on the A6 road it stands on gently sloping ground on the southwest side of the River Irwell, and within the bounds of the orbital M60 motorway. It is west-northwest of Salford, and west-northwest of Manchester...
, Monton
Monton
Monton is an area of Eccles in the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England.-Geography and administration:It was administered by the municipal borough of Eccles in the administrative county of Lancashire until its abolition in 1974...
and Eccles
Eccles, Greater Manchester
Eccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...
. 'The Lancashire Way
Lancashire United
Transdev Lancashire United is an English bus operator, running mainly in and around the boroughs of Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley. The company was founded in April 2001 following the buyout of Stagecoach Ribble by Blazefield Holdings and has since overcome other operators...
' and 'The Witch Way
The Witch Way
The Witch Way is the current name for the long-standing bus route X43, which runs between Manchester and Nelson, England. The service is currently operated by Transdev Burnley & Pendle.The route has operated continuously since 1948...
' express services link Prestwich to Manchester, Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
and Pendle
Pendle
Pendle is a local government district and borough of Lancashire, England. It adjoins the Lancashire boroughs of Burnley and Ribble Valley, the North Yorkshire district of Craven and the West Yorkshire districts of Calderdale and the City of Bradford...
.
The first road to be turnpiked
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
was Bury Old Road in 1754 under the control of the Cheetham Hill
Cheetham Hill
Cheetham Hill is an inner city area of Manchester, England. As an electoral ward it is known as Cheetham and has a population of 12,846. It lies on the west bank of the River Irk, north-northeast of Manchester city centre and close to the boundary with the City of Salford...
Trust. Bury New Road, now the main thoroughfare was constructed by a turnpike trust in 1826. Electric trams arrived around 1900, and the route along Bury New Road to Kersal Bar (the location a toll bar until 1848) was opened on Friday 5 December 1902.
The railway arrived in Prestwich in 1879. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
obtained an Act of Parliament for a line from Manchester to Radcliffe in 1872 and in 1876 began building a line through Cheetham Hill, Crumpsall, Heaton Park, Prestwich and Whitefield. A cut and cover tunnel was built at Heaton Park. In 1916 the line was converted to electric operation and operated until August 1991 when it was closed. It was reopened as the Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
in April 1992.
Prestwich is served by four tram stations on the Metrolink line from Manchester to Bury, at Besses o' th' Barn
Besses o'th' Barn Metrolink station
Besses o'th' Barn Metrolink station is a Manchester Metrolink tram station in Besses o' th' Barn, Greater Manchester, England on the former Manchester Victoria to Bury railway line....
on the Whitefield border to the north, Prestwich
Prestwich Metrolink station
Prestwich Metrolink station is a Manchester Metrolink tram station in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England on the former Manchester Victoria to Bury railway line....
in the centre of the village, Heaton Park
Heaton Park Metrolink station
Heaton Park Metrolink station is a Manchester Metrolink station on the former Manchester Victoria to Bury railway line.The station forms part of Ticketing Zone B. The station is located at the corner of Whittaker Lane and Bury Old Road...
in the centre-east and Bowker Vale
Bowker Vale Metrolink station
Bowker Vale Metrolink station is a Manchester Metrolink station on the former Manchester Victoria to Bury railway line.It was opened in 1938 by the London Midland and Scottish Railway, to serve a growing inter-war residential area...
on the Blackley
Blackley
Blackley is an area of the city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north of Manchester city centre, by a meander of the River Irk. Further north is Middleton...
border to the south-east.
Education
The large Catholic community in Prestwich is served by St Monica's RC High School Specialist Language CollegeSt Monica's High School
St Monica's RC High School Specialist Language College is located on Bury Old Road in Prestwich, Greater Manchester opposite Heaton Park. The Headteacher of St Monica's is Frank McCarron....
and Our Lady of Grace Primary School.
Religion
The Parish Church of St Mary the VirginChurch of St Mary the Virgin, Prestwich
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Prestwich, is located in Church Lane, Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Radcliffe and Prestwich, the archdeaconry of Bolton, and the diocese of Manchester. The church has been designated by English...
is a Grade I listed building and was at the centre of the ancient ecclesiastical parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham
Prestwich-cum-Oldham
Prestwich-cum-Oldham was an ancient ecclesiastical parish of the hundred of Salford, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire, England...
that extended beyond the township boundaries. It is known that it had a rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
by 1200. Parts of the present building date from around 1500, although extensions were made at the end of the 19th century. For a time in the 19th century, the church was referred to as St Bartholomew's. The church wakes
Wakes week
The wakes week is a holiday period in parts of England and Scotland.- History :Wakes were originally religious festivals that commemorated church dedications...
were traditionally held around St Bartholomew's Day. The living of Prestwich was suspended by the Diocese of Manchester
Anglican Diocese of Manchester
The Diocese of Manchester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, England. Based in the city of Manchester, the diocese covers much of the county of Greater Manchester and small areas of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.-History:...
in 2002. A priest-in-charge, The Revd. Bryan Hackett, residing in the rectory, was appointed.
In 1849, St Margaret's Church
St Margaret's Church, Prestwich
The Parish Church of St Margaret serves the parish of Holyrood in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England. The Anglican church, in the Diocese of Manchester, was originally opened in 1851, but has been extended several times since...
was erected near Heaton Park
Heaton Park
Heaton Park, covering an area variously reported as , 247 hectares, , over and is the biggest park in Greater Manchester, England and one of the biggest municipal parks in Europe. The park comprises the grounds of a Grade I listed, neoclassical 18th century country house, Heaton Hall...
, as a chapel of ease to the parish church, but since 1885 as a parish church in its own right. The church was extended in 1863, 1871, 1884, 1888 and 1899. A feature of the church is the Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
oak carved reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
, choir stalls, rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
, panelling, pulpit, bishop's chair and altar rails by Arthur Simpson of Kendal
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
, widely believed to be the finest collection of his ecclesiastical work. Other Anglican churches in the area include churches dedicated to St Gabriel, St Hilda and St George.
The Roman Catholic Church had a resurgence in late Victorian times. Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
was celebrated in 1889 for the first time since the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
. The present Catholic church, dedicated to Our Lady of Grace
Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)
Roman Catholic veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is based on Holy Scripture: In the fullness of time, God sent his son, born of a virgin. The mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God through Mary thus signifies her honour as Mother of God...
, was opened in 1931 and consecrated in 1956. There are two Methodist churches, Heaton Park Methodist Church and Prestwich Methodist Church. There are cemeteries at the parish church and St Margaret's.
The migration of Jewish families, mainly from the nearby Cheetham
Cheetham Hill
Cheetham Hill is an inner city area of Manchester, England. As an electoral ward it is known as Cheetham and has a population of 12,846. It lies on the west bank of the River Irk, north-northeast of Manchester city centre and close to the boundary with the City of Salford...
area of Manchester and Broughton Park in Salford
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
, and the later arrival of Muslims into this urban area, resulted in synagogues, such as Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation
Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation
Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation is a large Ashkenazi Orthodox synagogue located in North Manchester, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1935, and in 2010 had between 500 and 749 members. Under the aegis of the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, Reverend Leslie Olsberg MBE led the congregation for 35...
, and mosques being constructed alongside Christian places of worship. There are Jewish cemeteries at Philips Park Cemetery, Prestwich Village Cemetery was used from 1841 to 1951, and Rainsough Cemetery from 1923. According to Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
, the 1934 Holy Law Synagogue was the first "purpose-built" synagogue in Prestwich.
Parks
Richard Buxton (1786–1865), a botanist born at Sedgley Hall Farm published a botanical guide to the plants found around the Manchester area in 1849. In the early 20th century James Cosmo Melvill wrote that Kersal MoorKersal Moor
Kersal Moor is a recreation area in Kersal, within the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England, consisting of eight hectares of moorland, bounded by Moor Lane, Heathlands Road, St...
, Prestwich Clough, Mere Clough, the Park and Hurst Clough were the homes of most of the interesting plants. Many noted local botanists had studied the area including Leo Grindon and Thomas Rogers.
Prestwich Forest Park consists of 200 hectares of land on the western side of Prestwich incorporating, Philips Park
Philips Park, Whitefield
Philips Park is an area of parkland situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury on the boundary of Whitefield and Prestwich, in Greater Manchester. The park consists of rich woodland and grassland habitat and is home to an assortment of wildlife...
, Prestwich Clough, Mere Clough, Waterdale Meadow and Drinkwater Park
Drinkwater Park
Drinkwater Park is situated in the Irwell Valley on the western border of Prestwich, near Manchester bounded by the River Irwell to the west, Agecroft Road and Rainsough Brow to the south, Butterstile Lane and Carr Clough estate to the east and Bunkers Hill to the north...
.
Much of the area of the park was industrialised during the 18th and 19th centuries but has been reclaimed with extensive woodlands, reservoirs and grasslands. While this area has become a haven for wildlife there are still remnants of the area's industrial past. Philips Park has been designated as a Local Nature Reserve
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
(LNR) and Prestwich Clough as a Site of Biological Importance
Site of Biological Importance
A Site of Biological Importance is one of the non-statutory designations used locally by the Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire County Councils in England to protect locally valued sites of biological diversity which are described generally as Local Wildlife Sites by the UK Government...
(SBI) due to the important contribution they make to the wildlife heritage of 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...
. The Irwell Sculpture Trail
Irwell Sculpture Trail
The Irwell Sculpture Trail is the largest public art scheme in England, commissioning regional, national and international artists. The Trail includes 28 art pieces and follows a well established footpath stretching from Salford Quays through Bury into Rossendale and up to the Pennines above...
, the Irwell Valley Way and a National Cycle Route all pass through the park. The "Friends of Prestwich Forest Park" and the BTCV
BTCV
BTCV is a British charitable organisation that works to facilitate environmental conservation through practical tasks undertaken by volunteers...
coordinate volunteer activities and events such as the Prestwich Clough Centenary Celebrations. The BTCV has a permanent base in the renovated Philips Park Barn, which has become a major environmental
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
education and countryside centre for the borough.
Sport
Amateur football teams representing Prestwich are Prestwich Heys AFC and Prestwich FCPrestwich Cricket, Tennis & Bowling Club
Prestwich Cricket, Tennis & Bowling Club, commonly known as PCTBC or Prestwich Cricket Club, is an English multi-sports club from the town of Prestwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, England....
. Prestwich Heys, formed in 1938, played at Grimshaw's off Heys Road but moved to Sandgate Road in Whitefield in 1992. The ground has been redeveloped to include concrete fencing, a car park and club facilities. Prestwich Heys currently play in the Manchester Football League
Manchester Football League
The Manchester Football League, currently known under terms of sponsorship as Bridgewater Office Supplies Football League, is a football league in England, covering a 20-mile radius from Manchester Town Hall. It was formed in 1893, although play ceased between 1912 and 1920. The 2010–11 champions...
.
Formed in 2005, Prestwich FC originally played in the Bury & District Sunday League. In 2009 the club expanded into open aged Saturday football and introduced a junior section. As of the 2011/12 season, the first team play in the Lancashire Amateur League
Lancashire Amateur League
The Lancashire Amateur Football League is an English association football league founded in 1899. Currently the league consists of eight divisions - Premier, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven...
Premier Division. The club, officially the football section of Prestwich Cricket, Tennis & Bowling Club
Prestwich Cricket, Tennis & Bowling Club
Prestwich Cricket, Tennis & Bowling Club, commonly known as PCTBC or Prestwich Cricket Club, is an English multi-sports club from the town of Prestwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, England....
, play home games on Grimshaw's, Drinkwater Park
Drinkwater Park
Drinkwater Park is situated in the Irwell Valley on the western border of Prestwich, near Manchester bounded by the River Irwell to the west, Agecroft Road and Rainsough Brow to the south, Butterstile Lane and Carr Clough estate to the east and Bunkers Hill to the north...
and Heaton Park
Heaton Park
Heaton Park, covering an area variously reported as , 247 hectares, , over and is the biggest park in Greater Manchester, England and one of the biggest municipal parks in Europe. The park comprises the grounds of a Grade I listed, neoclassical 18th century country house, Heaton Hall...
.
Other local sides include Bury Amateurs who play at Drinkwater Park and Prestwich Marauders. These teams are in the North Bury League or the Bury and Radcliffe
Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
Radcliffe is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the course of the River Irwell, south-west of Bury and north-northwest of Manchester. Radcliffe is contiguous with the town of Whitefield to the...
League.
Prestwich Cricket, Tennis & Bowling Club is located between Prestwich Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
station and Grimshaw's playing fields off Heys Road. Prestwich CTBC has cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, crown green bowling
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and football facilities and a clubhouse. Prestwich CC First Team are 2011 champions of the Lancashire County Cricket League.
Crown green bowling is played in the area, with teams composed of veterans, ladies, gents and mixed teams in different leagues. The Salford League is mixed, the Middleton Sunday Morning and Tuesday evening Leagues, together with the Prestwich and District League are for men, the Prestwich Ladies league is played on Thursday evenings and the Prestwich Veterans League takes place on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. St Mary's Park to the south of Prestwich Village has recently reopened both its greens and regular competitions take place on them throughout the winter. There are flat green bowling facilities in Heaton Park which were built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
.
The Prestwich and District Snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
League compete on Thursdays and occasionally on Tuesdays.
Golf is played at Prestwich Golf Club
Culture and media
The Advertiser, (a GWN Greater Manchester Weekly News newspapers) is a weekly freesheet, based in Salford. The Prestwich and Whitefield Guide and The Bury Times are sold in the locality. The Jewish TelegraphJewish Telegraph
The Jewish Telegraph is a British Jewish newspaper. It was founded in December 1950 by Frank and Vivienne Harris, the parents of the current Editor, Paul Harris.-Founding:...
is produced and printed in Prestwich.
The Longfield Centre civic hall has one of the largest sprung floor
Sprung floor
A sprung floor is a floor that absorbs shocks, giving it a softer feel. Such floors are considered the best available for dance and indoor sports and physical education....
ballrooms in the Northwest of England and has been the host venue for Danceclub2000 since August 1998.
There are several private members' clubs in the town including, Prestwich Church Institute, the Royal British Legion, the Carlton Club, Heaton Park Social (Working Men's) Club, and two political clubs Prestwich Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Club and Prestwich Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Club.
Notable people
William SturgeonWilliam Sturgeon
William Sturgeon was an English physicist and inventor who made the first electromagnets, and invented the first practical English electric motor.-Early Life :...
(1783–1850), physicist and inventor. He created the first practical electric motor and electromagnetic solenoid. He lived in Prestwich and is buried at St Mary's Cemetery.
Dr Montagu Lomax, was an assistant medical officer at the Prestwich Asylum
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
from 1917 to 1919, and exposed the inhuman, custodial and antitherapeutic practices there in a book which led to a Royal Commission, increased central control and ultimately the Mental Treatment Act of 1930. However, much of what Lomax described could still be seen in parts of Prestwich Hospital in the 1960s and 1970s.
The amateur astronomer Michael Oates, who resides in Prestwich, has discovered 144 comets using images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is a spacecraft built by a European industrial consortium led by Matra Marconi Space that was launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS launch vehicle on December 2, 1995 to study the Sun, and has discovered over 2100 comets. It began normal operations in May...
and for almost 5 years, held the world record for the greatest number of comet discoveries by an individual.
Man Booker Prize
Man Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the Commonwealth of Nations, Ireland, or Zimbabwe. The winner of the Man Booker Prize is generally assured of international renown and...
-winning author Howard Jacobson
Howard Jacobson
Howard Jacobson is a Man Booker Prize-winning British Jewish author and journalist. He is best known for writing comic novels that often revolve around the dilemmas of British Jewish characters.-Background:...
was born and raised in Prestwich.
Actress Julie Stevens
Julie Stevens (British actress)
Julie Stevens is an English actress, best known in Britain for her appearances on children's television. She married actor John White in 1961....
born in Prestwich in 1936, appeared in episodes of TV series The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
, Playschool and Playaway
Playaway
Playaway is the name of a solid-state prerecorded audio player introduced in 2005 by Findaway World, LLC, based in Solon, Ohio. About the size of a deck of playing cards and weighing 2 ounces, it can store up to 80 hours of audio...
.
The comedienne Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
was born in Prestwich.
Kevin Godley
Kevin Godley
Kevin Godley is a British musician and music video director.He was born in a family of Jewish descent, and went to North Cestrian Grammar School in Altrincham....
and Lol Creme
Lol Crème
Lol Creme is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings, plays guitar and keyboards.-Biography:...
of the band 10cc
10cc
10cc are an English art rock band who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The band initially consisted of four musicians -- Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme -- who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name...
were from Prestwich.
Choreographer Arlene Phillips
Arlene Phillips
Arlene Phillips OBE is an English choreographer, theatre director, talent scout, TV presenter, TV judge and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment...
was born in Prestwich.
Mark E. Smith
Mark E. Smith
Mark Edward Smith is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk band The Fall.-Early life:...
lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of The Fall has lived in Prestwich since childhood.
Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
organist Alan Haven
Alan Haven
Alan Haven is an English jazz organist.He is best known for his collaborations with John Barry in the James Bond films From Russia with Love and Goldfinger and in the Richard Lester film The Knack …and How to Get It...
was born in Prestwich.
One of the Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten were an English girl group from Liverpool, first established in 1997. Created by Andy McCluskey, the final line-up, and most commercially successful, consisted of Natasha Hamilton, Liz McClarnon, and Jenny Frost...
band members, Jenny Frost
Jenny Frost
Jennifer "Jenny" Frost is an English singer, dancer, television presenter and model. She was a member of girl group Precious before replacing Kerry Katona in chart topping band Atomic Kitten from 2001 until they split in 2008. Frost presented makeunder show Snog Marry Avoid? from 2008 to 2011...
, grew up in Prestwich and attended the local Catholic high school, St Monica's
St Monica's High School
St Monica's RC High School Specialist Language College is located on Bury Old Road in Prestwich, Greater Manchester opposite Heaton Park. The Headteacher of St Monica's is Frank McCarron....
.
Further reading
- Nicholls, W. (1905) History and Traditions of Prestwich. Manchester: Albert Sutton