Wilmslow
Encyclopedia
Economy
Wilmslow is well known, like Alderley EdgeAlderley Edge
Alderley Edge is a village and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,409....
, for having many famous residents, notably footballers, stars of Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
and rich North West businessmen. The town is part of the so-called Golden Triangle
Golden Triangle (Cheshire)
The Golden Triangle is an area of affluent, leafy towns and villages in Cheshire such as Knutsford and Mottram St. Andrew. The three points of the triangle are Alderley Edge, Prestbury and Wilmslow. The area is noted for its expensive houses, pleasant countryside, celebrities and...
in the north west together with Alderley Edge and Prestbury
Prestbury, Cheshire
Prestbury is a village, civil parish and ecclesiastical parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Prestbury is a long, narrow parish covering 1,165 hectares to the west of the Peak Park foothills and to the east of the sandstone ridge which is...
. It has seen a consistent year-on-year growth in its property value thanks to transport improvements and its iconic Cheshire image.
It grew in popularity in the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
as a most desirable area for wealthy North West businessmen to move out to once the railways arrived and connected the towns.
Wilmslow is the founding location of clothing giant Umbro
Umbro
Umbro is an English sportswear and football equipment supplier based in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England. The company is now part of Nike. Umbro designs, sources, and markets sport-related apparel, footwear, and equipment...
who have their headquarters in the area.
The town is the centre of operations of the life insurance and pensions firm, Royal London Mutual Insurance
Royal London Group
The Royal London Group is the UK's largest mutual insurance company, serving 3.1 million customers, with funds under management of £42.4 billion as at 31 December 2010....
. The Information Commissioner's Office, one of the government's executive agencies, is also based in Wilmslow.
The town's Aston Martin
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
dealership sells the highest number of Aston Martins in the UK; a high demand stimulated largely by the high level of affluence in the town.
Transport
Wilmslow railway stationWilmslow railway station
Wilmslow railway station serves the large town of Wilmslow, in the borough of Macclesfield and the county of Cheshire, England. The station is south of Manchester Piccadilly on the Crewe to Manchester Line....
is situated where the electrified line from Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
to Manchester Piccadilly divides. One line continues to Manchester via Handforth
Handforth
Handforth is a suburban area situated between Wilmslow, Heald Green, and Styal in Cheshire, England. Travelling south from Manchester, Handforth is the first place in Cheshire, although other areas nearer Manchester lie within the historic boundaries of the county.In the 1950s, two overspill...
and Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, the other continues via Styal
Styal
Styal is a village in Cheshire East, England. It is on the River Bollin, near to the town of Wilmslow.Styal is a commuter village, with access to Manchester. The village is dominated by Quarry Bank Mill and much of its housing is the mill's estate. The mill and the surrounding country park are...
, Manchester Airport and Heald Green
Heald Green
Heald Green is a suburb of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated in the south-west of the borough and is bordered by Gatley and Cheadle to the north, Cheadle Hulme to the east, Handforth and Styal to the south and Wythenshawe to the west...
. The latter route is commonly known as the Styal Line. There are frequent services to Manchester, Stockport, Crewe and Manchester Airport plus an hourly service to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
and Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. Since December 2008 there is an hourly service to London Euston. The A34 Manchester to Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...
and Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
road now bypasses the town centre to the east. Manchester Airport lies just four miles (6 km) along the A538
A538 road
The A538 is a road linking Macclesfield, Cheshire to Altrincham in Greater Manchester, through Prestbury, Wilmslow and Hale and providing access to Manchester Airport and the M56 motorway. The road is a Primary route between the A34 Junction in Wilmslow and Manchester Airport / M56...
to the north west, but Wilmslow lies away from the approach and departure routes and therefore suffers only slightly from aircraft noise.
The A34 bypass is the main road network that serves the town of Wilmslow. This is to be extended beyond neighbouring Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge is a village and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,409....
by 2011 and is planned to stretch towards Manchester Airport at an unconfirmed date.
Places of worship
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
churches in Wilmslow, St. Bartholomew's, St Anne's and St John's. St Bartholomew's is a 16th century building, which was modified in the 19th century. It has a turreted bell tower.
Dean Row Chapel
Dean Row Chapel, Wilmslow
Dean Row Chapel is a Unitarian place of worship near Manchester, England. It is located east of the town of Wilmslow, Cheshire, near the junction of the A5102 and B5358 roads. The structure has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building...
, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town centre, is a Grade II* listed building built around the end of the 17th century. Initially Presbyterian
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
, it is now a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
chapel.
Notable residents
Alan TuringAlan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
, the driving force behind the Bombe machine
Bombe
The bombe was an electromechanical device used by British cryptologists to help decipher German Enigma-machine-encrypted signals during World War II...
for cracking the German Enigma
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
cypher, is perhaps Wilmslow's most notable resident. Turing committed suicide in his Wilmslow home on 7 June 1954 by eating an apple laced with potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide is an inorganic compound with the formula KCN. This colorless crystalline compound, similar in appearance to sugar, is highly soluble in water. Most KCN is used in gold mining, organic synthesis, and electroplating. Smaller applications include jewelry for chemical gilding and...
. In 2004, a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
was placed on the house in his honour. In 1999 Time Magazine named him as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.
Antony Grey
Antony Grey
Antony Grey was a leading English lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights activist. He lived with his partner, Eric Thompson, for 50 years after first meeting in 1960...
, pioneer gay rights activist, was born there in 1927.
William Roache
William Roache
William Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
, Coronation Street actor since its inception in 1960, Roache has lived in Wilmslow for most of his adult life, though he was born in 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...
at Ilkeston
Ilkeston
Ilkeston is a town within the Borough of Erewash, in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the River Erewash, from which the local borough takes its name. Its population at the 2001 census was 37,550...
in 1932.
Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
, manager of Manchester United, lives in Wilmslow, as does United player Nemanja Vidić
Nemanja Vidic
Nemanja Vidić is a Serbian footballer who captains English Premier League club Manchester United. He was part of the Serbia national football team from 2002 to 2011....
.
Other footballers living in Wilmslow including Titus Bramble
Titus Bramble
Titus Malachi Bramble is an English footballer who plays for Sunderland as a defender. He is currently suspended by Sunderland after bring arrested for possession of a class A drug and sexual assault.-Ipswich Town:...
, Joleon Lescott
Joleon Lescott
Joleon Patrick Lescott is an English footballer who currently plays for Manchester City. He plays as a centre-back, though he has played in various other positions across the defensive line, in particular left-back....
and David Silva
David Silva
David Josué Jiménez Silva is a Spanish footballer who plays for Manchester City and the Spanish national team. Silva is capable of playing on the wing, as a traditional number 10 and sometimes as a supporting striker...
.
Caroline Daly, Ben Oilberg and Eric Oilberg moved to the area in March 2011.
Literature
Wilmslow has featured in the novels of the writer Alan Garner
Alan Garner
With his first book published, Garner abandoned his work as a labourer and gained a job as a freelance television reporter, living a "hand to mouth" lifestyle on a "shoestring" budget...
, (whose wife once taught at Wilmslow Grammar School), with the Black Lake on Lindow Common
Lindow Common
Lindow Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest located on the western edge of the town of Wilmslow, Cheshire in the northwest of England...
apparently housing a witch. Garner is perhaps best known for his books The Owl Service
The Owl Service
The Owl Service is a novel by Alan Garner first published in 1967. It is a contemporary interpretation, which Garner described as an "expression of the myth", of the story of the mythical Welsh figure of Blodeuwedd, whose story is told in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi.The legend concerns a...
, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is a children's fantasy novel by English author Alan Garner, first published in 1960. The novel is set in and around Macclesfield and Alderley Edge in Cheshire, and tells the story of two children, Colin and Susan, who are staying with some old friends of their mother...
and The Moon of Gomrath
The Moon of Gomrath
The Moon of Gomrath is a fantasy story by the author Alan Garner, published in 1963. It is the sequel to The Weirdstone of Brisingamen.-Plot synopsis:...
the last two of which are set in nearby Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge is a village and civil parish within the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,409....
.
Music
The British indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Doves met at Wilmslow High School
Wilmslow High School
Wilmslow High School, an 11-18 comprehensive, is the only secondary school in the town of Wilmslow, Cheshire. The school was designated as a specialist Sports College in September 2003...
in the 1980s. Their song "Black and White Town
Black and White Town
"Black and White Town" is the lead single on Doves' third album, Some Cities. The single was released as a promo CD on December 13, 2004, and as a full single on February 7, 2005. The song scored the band their second Top 10 hit, charting at #6 on the UK Singles Chart...
" was inspired by Wilmslow and its contradicting 'rich-poor' divide.
Other notable residents include;
- Simon GregsonSimon GregsonSimon Gregson is an English actor. He is known for being a cast member of the British soap opera Coronation Street in which he has played Steve McDonald since 1989....
, who plays taxi boss Steve McDonald in Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960... - Park Ji-SungPark Ji-SungPark Ji-Sung is a South Korean footballer who plays as a midfielder for English club Manchester United. He was also the captain of the South Korean national team until his retirement from international football...
, Manchester United and South Korean midfielder
Business and commerce
- Ian Powell - Chairman and Senior Partner of PwCPwCPricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
UK lives in a London flat during the week but returns to his main family home in Wilmslow at weekends. - Peter Jones - The owner of the Emerson Group (a property business) is ranked 114th in the Sunday Times Rich List, he is one of the richest men in Cheshire and lives in Wilmslow
- Iqbal AhmedIqbal AhmedIqbal Ahmed, OBE , is a British entrepreneur of Bangladeshi origin. Based in Manchester, he made his fortune in shrimp. The success of his two companies, Seamark and Ibco, have turned him into one of the UK's richest men. He is also the highest British Bangladeshi to feature on the Sunday Times...
(OBE) - The owner of the Seamark group is ranked 540th in Sunday Times Rich List. Ahmed's Asian food business is based in Manchester but he lives in Wilmslow with his family.
See also
- George Bramwell EvensGeorge Bramwell EvensThe Rev. George Bramwell Evens was, under the pseudonym Romany , a British radio broadcaster and writer on countryside and natural history matters - quite possibly the first to broadcast on such issues...
and Romany's vardo - St Bartholomew's Church, WilmslowSt Bartholomew's Church, WilmslowSt Bartholomew's Church, Wilmslow, is in the town of Wilmslow, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of...
- Dean Row Chapel, WilmslowDean Row Chapel, WilmslowDean Row Chapel is a Unitarian place of worship near Manchester, England. It is located east of the town of Wilmslow, Cheshire, near the junction of the A5102 and B5358 roads. The structure has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building...
- Wilmslow Hockey ClubWilmslow Hockey ClubWilmslow Men's Hockey Club, a hockey club in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England, was founded in 1896/97 as one of the very early member clubs of the Cheshire County Hockey Association. Little is known of its early history but a team photo dating to 1899 is believed to have been taken on the Rectory...
- RAF WilmslowRAF WilmslowRAF Wilmslow was a Royal Air Force station that existed from 1938 to 1962 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. It was known as No. 4 School of Recruit Training.-References:...