Hyde, Greater Manchester

Hyde is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, Hyde has a population of 31,253 (2001 census).

History

Toponymy

Hyde's name derives from hide - a measure of land for taxation purposes, taken to be that area of land which was necessary to support a peasant family: "Much of the 19th-century controversy concerning the size of the early hide arose from thinking of it as an areal unit, when in fact it was one by which taxes were assessed." In later times, it was taken to be equivalent to 120 acres (0.5 km²). The name Hyde came into common usage by 1830, but if one looks at Newton Hall in Dukinfield Road, there were buildings present in the thirteenth century.

Industrial Revolution

Hyde was built on the success of the cotton mills during the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Peak Forest Canal runs through Hyde; A branch of the canal leading to Ashton, the other way leads to Woodley, Romiley and Marple. At the end of Woodend Lane one can see Captain Clark's Bridge, commemorating Cpt Clark. Originally there were 40 working mills. By 1872 only 27 remained - of these half closed from 1921-1939. There is one working mill in the town today.

Hyde Town Hall dominates the market place area. The large bell in the clocktower is known as "Owd Josh" (Old Josh), named after Joshua Bradley, a former mayor of Hyde who had risen up from being a poor child worker in the mills. It has the ring of Big Ben.

There were many mill-owning families, including the Sidebotham, Hibbert and Horsfield families. However, the major employer in the mills was the Ashton family, who successfully did both spinning and weaving even though most mills concentrated on one process only. The Ashton family also built Hyde Chapel on Stockport Road, Gee Cross. The Ashton mill (Ashton Bros) has recently been demolished to make way for a housing estate.

Harold Shipman

Britain's most prolific serial killer, Dr Harold Shipman, had his doctor's surgery in the town where he murdered most of his hundreds of victims.

Moors Murders

The Shipman killings were not the first high profile multiple murders to have taken place.

During the 1960s, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady were arrested in their home on the Hattersley estate in Hyde after police found the body of 17-year-old Edward Evans in the house. At their trial they were found guilty of murdering Evans as well as two other children whose bodies were found buried on Saddleworth Moor several miles away. One of these victims had been killed at Brady and Hindley's semi-detached council house on Wardle Brook Avenue. They later confessed to killing two more children. Hindley died in jail in November 2002, while Brady is still alive and currently being held in the maximum security wing at Ashworth psychiatric hospital.

Shipman was originally from Nottingham and had lived in West Yorkshire before moving to Hyde, while Hindley was originally from the Gorton area of Manchester.

Life on Mars

In fiction, Hyde is referenced in the BBC drama Life on Mars. In the programme, the character Sam Tyler was transferred from Hyde to Manchester and Salford Police CID. The choice of Hyde is given as a clue that his 1973 self is an alter ego, as in Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Governance

Civic history

Hyde was incorporated as a municipal borough of Cheshire in 1881, which covered the parishes of Hyde, Compstall, Godley and Newton. In 1936 the borough was extended by the annexation of the civil parish of Hattersley and part of the civil parish of Matley from Tintwistle Rural District. The town became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside , Greater Manchester in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972.

Geography

One of the most beautiful areas of Tameside is the Werneth Low Country Park in Hyde, which is also home to the Hyde War Memorial Trust. The trust raised funds from Hyde residents after World War I to create a permanent memorial to those Hyde residents who died in that conflict. The memorial contains 710 names.

Hyde is separated from Denton by the Tame Valley. The valley contains the River Tame, a tributory of the River Mersey, together with significant open space which can be used by local residents.

Transport

Hyde is served by six railway stations, Hyde Central and Hyde North stations are on the Manchester Piccadilly - Romiley - Rose Hill 'Hyde Loop' line. Flowery Field, Newton (for Hyde) , Godley and Hattersley stations are on the electrified Piccadilly - Glossop - Hadfield line.

Hyde is served by the M67 motorway, a feeder to the M60, the orbital motorway for Manchester, which is connected to many other motorways that serve across the country.

Hyde also has a bus station (rebuilt in the mid 2000s), with bus services into Manchester and other surrounding areas, including Stockport, Ashton, Oldham and Glossop. The station was opened on 23 August 2007 and cost £3.7M to build. The initiative was intended to encourage people to use public transport.

Sports

One of the town's most noted achievements came with the success of the Hyde Seal water polo team, who from 1904 to 1914 were often regarded as the finest in the world, winning the world championship in 1904, 1905 and 1906.

Their sporting heritage extends to Dr Ron Hill, a former European gold-medallist marathon runner.

The town is home to Hyde United Football Club (recently promoted to the Conference North after winning the UniBond League First Division and Premier Divisions in successive seasons). The largest defeat in English professional football history, a 26-0 loss against Lancashire team Preston North End in an 1887 FA Cup match, is often attributed to Hyde United, but as they were not formed until 1919, that distinction must belong to Hyde F.C., who were founded in 1885. Hyde United play their home games at Ewen Fields, a ground which Manchester City and later Manchester United used for their reserve team fixtures.

Hyde also contains the area of Flowery Field, which hosts Flowery Field Cricket Club of the Lancashire County League who are located on the opposite side of the town to Werneth Low's Hyde Cricket Club, who play in the Cheshire League.

Hyde also has a claim in the history of boxing, as world champion Ricky Hatton was raised on the Hattersley housing estate and now lives in Gee Cross, Hyde.

Notable people

• Alan Wright, Premiership footballer.[Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers]
• Timmy Mallett, television presenter and entertainer (born in Marple)
• Becky Want, BBC local radio presenter and TV presenter for Channel M) born in Hyde 1961
• Len Hopwood, Lancashire & England cricketer.
• Lee A. Martin, Manchester United footballer
• Ricky Hatton, world champion boxer.
• Tony Husband, multi award winning cartoonist.
• Brian Day(uk) (Musician) Bassist,Composer,Arranger,Founder member of the Syd Lawrence Orchestra
• L.S. Lowry, world famous artist.
• Wayne Fontana, 1960s pop singer and musician.
• John Ogdon, world famous pianist.
• Stuart Hall, BBC TV & Radio presenter.
• Warren Bradley - Manchester United Player
• Davey Jones, lead singer of The Monkees
• Brian and Michael, singers of Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs
• James Purnell, MP

References

External links

• Hyde history at Tameside Council website
• Hyde Daily Photo
• Old Hyde