Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Radcliffe | |
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  Radcliffe shown within Greater Manchester |
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| Population | 34,239 (2001 Census) |
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| OS grid reference | |
| - London | 170 mi (274 km) SE |
| Metropolitan borough | Bury |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode district | M26 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Bury South |
| List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester | |
Radcliffe (pop. 34,239) is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England.[1] It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the course of the River Irwell, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south-west of Bury and 6.5 miles (10.5 km) north-northwest of Manchester. Radcliffe is contiguous with the town of Whitefield to the south. The disused Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal bisects the town.
Historically a part of Lancashire, Radcliffe and its surroundings have provided evidence of Mesolithic, Roman and Norman activity in the area. A Roman road passes through the area, along the border between Radcliffe and Bury, whilst Radcliffe appears in an entry of the Domesday Book as "Radeclive", held by Edward the Confessor. During the High Middle Ages Radcliffe formed a small parish (one of the smallest in England) and township centred on the Church of St Mary and the manorial Radcliffe Tower, both of which are local landmarks and Grade I listed buildings. Two hamlets lay within the parish boundaries; Radcliffe—around the church—and Radcliffe Bridge—which lay by a bridge over the River Irwell and which would later develop into Radcliffe's commercial centre.
Coal Measures underlie the area, and a series of collieries opened during the Industrial Revolution gave rise to Radcliffe as an important industrial area. Locally sourced coal provided the fuel for a variety of cotton spinning and papermaking industries. The adoption of the factory system facilitated a process of unplanned urbanisation in the area, and by the mid-19th century Radcliffe had emerged as an important mill town at a convergence of cotton mills, bleachworks, and a newly constructed road, canal and railway network.[2]
Radcliffe received a charter of incorporation in 1935, giving it borough status. The town no longer has any working collieries, and imports of cheaper foreign goods led to the decline of Radcliffe's heavy industries during the mid-20th century. The town's industrial diversity has allowed it to withstand, economically.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Toponymy
The name Radcliffe is derived from the Old English words "read" and "clif",[3] meaning "the red cliff or bank",[4] on the River Irwell in the Irwell Valley. The Domesday Book records the name as "Radeclive".[5][3] Other archaic spellings include "Radclive" (recorded in 1227), and "Radeclif" (recorded in 1309 and 1360).[5] The Radcliffe family took its name from the town.[6]
[edit] Early history
Radcliffe's history stretches back more than 6,000 years to the Mesolithic period, Roman associations and a mention in the Domesday Book.[7] A stone axe-hammer was found in the river bed in 1911, during repairs to the bridge at Radcliffe Bridge. The 8.5-inch (22 cm) artefact weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kg) and is made from polished Quartzite, with a bore to take a shaft.[8] A Roman road passes through the town, along the border between Radcliffe and Bury on a south-east to north-west route.[9] It allowed easy travel between the Roman forts at Manchester (Mamucium) and Ribchester (Bremetennacum).[10] The approximate route was through Higher Lane in nearby Whitefield, through Dales Lane and crossing the Irwell over Radcliffe Ees through the site of the former East Lancashire Paper Mill. The road passed up Croft Lane, crossing Cross Lane and over the route of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal under the 10 3/4 milestone. It then crosses Bury and Bolton Road, and through Higher Spen Moor.[11]
Surviving medieval buildings in Radcliffe include the parish church and Radcliffe Tower. The tower is all that remains of an early 15th century stone-built manor house.[12] The structure is a Grade I listed building and protected as a Scheduled Monument.[12][13] The construction of the tithe barn is not documented, but it was probably built between 1600–1720.[14] The tithe barn was for storing the local tithes, a tenth of a farm's produce.[15]
The town initially consisted of two parts; Radcliffe, centred around St Mary's Church close to the border with Bury, and Radcliffe Bridge, a hamlet located to the west, at the crossing of the Irwell.[16] Radcliffe Bridge was alongside part of the Bury to Manchester Turnpike.[17]
[edit] Industrial Revolution
The first real mention of industry in Radcliffe was after 1680, in the Radcliffe Parish Registers, which make increasing mention of occupations such as woollen webster (weaving), linen webster, and whitster (bleacher). These were cottage industries which worked alongside farming in the region. In 1780, Robert Peel built the first factory in the town, several hundred yards upstream from Radcliffe Bridge (at the end of Peel Street). With a weir and goit providing motive power for a water wheel, the factory was built for throstle spinning and the weaving of cotton—a relatively new introduction to Britain. The waterwheel proved to be insufficient, and so around 1804 an extension was made to the goit. The weir (known as Rectory Weir)[19] was made from timber.[20] Conditions were poor; the mill employed child labour bought from work houses in Birmingham and London, boarded on one of the upper floors of the building. Bound until they reached the age of 21, they were unpaid, and kept locked up each night. Shifts were typically 10–10.5 hours in length, and children returning from a day shift would sleep in the same bed as children leaving for a night shift. Peel himself admitted that conditions at the mill were "very bad".[21] An outbreak of typhoid in 1784 prompted Lord Grey de Wilton to inform the magistrates of the Salford Hundred;[22] keen to prevent the spread of the disease to neighbouring towns and villages, they sent doctors to assess the situation. Their recommendations included leaving the windows of the mill open at night, fumigation of rooms with tobacco (as this was thought to discourage disease), regular cleaning of rooms and toilets, and occasional bathing of children.[23] The report made the magistrates, led by Thomas Butterworth Bayley, abandon the practice of binding parish apprentices to any mill not adhering to these conditions. The report also prompted Peel to introduce an Act of Parliament to improve factory hygiene, which later became the Factory Act of 1802.[24][25] Over time, conditions at the mill improved; in the mid-1790s the physician John Aikin, a critic of the factory system, praised working conditions at the mill,[26] and in 1823, inspections by local magistrates of conditions in mills across the county, revealed that unlike many other mills, the factory at Radcliffe was adhering to all requirements of the Factory Acts.[27]
The underlying coal measures throughout the parish were a valuable source of fuel. Radcliffe already had an established textile industry before the onset of steam power, however the first recorded instance of coal getting in the North West of England was as far back as 1246 when Adam de Radeclyve was fined for digging 'de minera' on common land in the Radcliffe area. Coal outcroppings were not unusual; as recently as 1936 members of the public were seen carrying away large pieces of coal from a seam revealed by the landslip caused when the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal breached at Ladyshore. Initially, mining was limited to bell pits until the onset of the steam age, when steam engines made possible much deeper pits with improved ventilation. The earliest known local use of such an engine was in 1792 at Black Cat Colliery. Radcliffe was once home to as many as 50 pits throughout the parish. With the exceptions of Outwood Colliery and Ladyshore Colliery, all were either worked out or closed by the end of the 19th century. During the 1926 General Strike many striking miners illegally took coal from exposed seams around the Coney Green area of the town, to sell to local housewives. Later in the 1950s the National Coal Board did some open cast mining near Radcliffe Moor Road, to the north of the town, but the last coal legally mined in Radcliffe began in 1931, close to Bury and Bolton Road, ending in 1949.[28]
The transformation of the area from an industry based upon water power, to one based upon steam power, may not have been without problems. A story in W. Nicholl's "History and Traditions of Radcliffe" (1900) told of a 'great crowd' of protesters from Bury who marched on Bealey's Works, demanding that work be halted. James Booth ordered the gates closed, gave the ringleaders £5, and promised to halt work the next day. The crowd then marched on other businesses within the town, before heading along the canal to Bolton, at which point they were apparently turned back by news of approaching soldiers.[29]
There were many smaller textile concerns in the parish. Thomas Howarth owned a cottage in Stand Lane, from where he sent yarn to be dyed and sized, made his own warps, had them weaved locally, and took to Preston and Kendal for sale to drapers. His nephews founded A. & J. Hoyle's mill in Irwell Street, which employed power weaving to produce their specialities in Ginghams and Shirting. The mill closed in 1968. Powered looms and spinning were introduced to the town around 1844, by Messrs Stott & Pickstone's Top Shop on Stand Lane, who employed many people who later left to start their own businesses, such as Spider Mill, built by Robert and William Fletcher, and John Pickstone. This mill closed around 1930.[30]
One of the larger mills in Radcliffe, which survives today, was the Pioneer Mill, built between 1905 and 1906, and which ceased weaving in July 1980 – the last mill in Radcliffe to use cotton.[31] The mill is now occupied by several different businesses. Radcliffe was at one time home to around 60 textile mills, 15 spinning mills, and 18 bleachworks, of which the Bealey family were prominent owners.[32] However, the textile industry was not the town's major employer as other industries such as mining and paper making were also common.[33]
Mount Sion mill along Sion Street was founded in the early 1800s and manufactured guncotton during World War I. A weir was constructed along with a goit, used to turn a water wheel which powered a beam engine to pump water to the reservoirs above. The beam engine exists still, albeit heavily overgrown.[34]
Radcliffe was to become well-known for its paper industry. Two of the larger mills in Radcliffe were the East Lancashire Paper Mill, and Radcliffe Paper Mill. The former was founded on 29 March 1860 by the Seddon family, along the banks of the Irwell. Its construction provided much-needed employment; in the 1860s living standards within the town were poor, with local Mills often on 'short time'. A reduction in the demand for coal had placed many colliers out of work, and the Lancashire Cotton Famine was starving Lancashire of raw materials, especially Cotton. Soup kitchens were opened by local benefactors, and many local residents were on Poor relief.[35] The mill began producing low grade paper and newsprint, moving on to other products including high quality printing and writing papers. Radcliffe Paper Mill was formed during World War I, taking over from a paper mill and a pipe plant. The mill produced paper for roofing felt to cater for a national shortage. After World War II the mill employed a workforce of over 600 people, producing 70,000 tons of paper per year. The company was taken over by British Plaster Board Industries (BPB) in 1961.[36] It has since been demolished, along with the East Lancashire mill.[37]
Other industries in the town included brick making and chimney pot manufacture, using local collieries for the raw materials. Carts, wagons, and bicycles were manufactured from 1855 in Mill Street. Motor vehicles were also produced until the late 1950s. John Cockerill moved to the town from Haslingden before leaving for continental Europe to become the founder of Cockerill-Sambre. His son, James Cockerill, employed Radcliffe man William Yates as his manager. Several foundries and machine manufacturers were located around the town, including Dobson and Barlow at Bradley Fold, and Wolstenholmes along Bridgewater Street. Munitions, aircraft, and tank components were manufactured locally during World War II. Chemicals were manufactured by companies such as Bealey's and J. & W. Whewell.[38]
[edit] Governance
From the 11th century, Radcliffe was a parish and township in the hundred of Salford, and county of Lancashire.[40]
Much of the land around the parish was owned by the Pilkington family, however during the Wars of the Roses they suffered badly as they supported the House of York. When in 1485 Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth, Thomas Pilkington—Lord of the Manors of Bury and Pilkington—was captured and executed and his lands confiscated.[41] The Duke of Richmond, representing the House of Lancaster, was crowned Henry VII by Sir William Stanley. As a reward for the support of his family Thomas Stanley was created Earl of Derby and amongst other land the confiscated Pilkington estate was presented to him.[42] During the English Civil War the parish, along with nearby Bolton, fought on the side of the Parliamentarians against the Royalist Bury.[37]
Following the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, Radcliffe formed part of the Bury Poor Law Union, an inter-parish unit established to provide social security.[1] Radcliffe's first local authority was an early form of local government in England. A Local board of health was established in July 1866.[1] Established with reference to the Local Government Act 1858, the Radcliffe Local Board of Health was a regulatory body consisting of 12 members,[43] whom were responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation in the township. Richard Bealey J.P. was chairman of the local board until April 1876[43] In the same year, the parish was extended to include parts of the former township of Pilkington, in the parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham.[44]
Radcliffe became a part of the Municipal Borough of Bury in 1876, but following the Local Government Act 1894, it left the district (by then the County Borough of Bury), becoming an urban district within the administrative county of Lancashire.[1][45] The district boundary was extended to include the Stand Lane district[46] The extension made the area covered by Radcliffe Urban District 3,084 acres (12.48 km2; 4.819 sq mi).[43] Radcliffe Urban District was governed by a council of 24 members, made from six councillors from each of the four wards, Radcliffe Hall, Radcliffe Bridge, Black Lane, and Stand Lane.[5] Alker Allen J.P. was the first chairman of the new council.[43] A Town Hall was built in 1911, replacing an earlier building on the junction of Water Street and Spring Lane. It formed the public administrative centre for the district with a large council chamber on the first floor, with public gallery, and four committee rooms.[47]
The Lancashire (Southern Areas) Review Order of 1933 extended the district to include the township of Ainsworth, and a portion of the township of Outwood. This increased the area covered by Radcliffe District to 4,915 acres (19.89 km2). A new ward was created for Ainsworth, comprising the former township and a portion of the Black Lane ward. Three councillors were added to the council, and the total number of electors became 15,009.[48] On 21 September 1935, the urban district received a charter as a municipal borough, giving it borough status, and elevating it to the Municipal Borough of Radcliffe.[49][50]
Under the Local Government Act 1972, the town's Urban District status was abolished, and Radcliffe has, since 1 April 1974, formed an unparished area of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, a local government district of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester.[1][51][52]
For electoral purposes, Radcliffe is now divided into three wards, Radcliffe North, Radcliffe East, and Radcliffe West.[3] It is in the Bury South constituency and is represented in the House of Commons by Ivan Lewis, a member of the Labour Party.[53]
[edit] Geography
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- Further information: Geography of Greater Manchester
At (53.5615°, -2.3268°) and 170 miles (274 km) northwest of central London, Radcliffe lies in the Irwell Valley, on the course of the River Irwell. The larger towns of Bury and Bolton lie to the northeast and northwest respectively. For purposes of the Office for National Statistics, Radcliffe forms a northerly part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area,[54] with Manchester City Centre itself 6.5 miles (10.5 km) south-southeast of Radcliffe.[55]
Radcliffe's position on the River Irwell has proved important in its history and development as a source of water for local industry. Radcliffe Ees is a level plain along the north bank of the river, formed by a glacier from the previous ice age depositing debris.[56] The area is now derelict, and the planned location of a new school.[57] From a highpoint of 500 feet (152 m) above-sea-level in the northwest of Radcliffe, the surface gradually descends, particularly in the south and east, being the lowest along the River Irwell.[5] The geology is represented by coal measure.[5]
Several weirs and Goits were built along the course of the river as it passes through the town. Flowing from east to west the river divides the town on the north and south sides of the valley respectively. The town centre sits on the north side of the valley. Two road bridges cross the river; one in the former hamlet of Radcliffe Bridge, and the newer bridge built as part of the A665 Pilkington Bypass. Various smaller pedestrian footbridges exist, and two railway viaducts (one disused) also cross the river. To the east of the town the River Roch, flowing from the east, joins the Irwell close to another bridging point, Blackford Bridge.[58]
[edit] Demography
| Radcliffe Compared | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK census | Radcliffe[59] | Bury (borough)[60] | England |
| Total population | 34,239 | 180,608 | 49,138,831 |
| White | 96.2% | 93.9% | 91% |
| Asian | 2.1% | 4.0% | 4.6% |
| Black | 0.3% | 0.5% | 2.3% |
| Christian | 73.48% | 73.68% | 71.74% |
| Buddhist | 0.11% | 0.14% | 0.28% |
| Hindu | 0.43% | 0.37% | 1.11% |
| Jewish | 6.74% | 4.94% | 0.52% |
| Muslim | 1.7% | 3.74% | 3.1% |
| Sikh | 0.13% | 0.11% | 0.67% |
| Other religions | 0.14% | 0.17% | 0.29% |
| No religion | 10.2% | 10.16% | 14.59% |
| Religion not stated | 7.07% | 6.7% | 7.69% |
- See also: Demography of Greater Manchester
According to the Office for National Statistics, at the time of the United Kingdom Census 2001, Radcliffe had a population of 34,239. The population density in 2001 was 9,132 inhabitants per square mile (3,526 /km²), with a 100 to 94.9 female-to-male ratio.[61] Of those over 16 years old, 28.6% were single (never married) and 42.8% married.[62] Radcliffe's 14,036 households included 28.1% one-person, 39.0% married couples living together, 9.2% were co-habiting couples, and 12.3% single parents with their children.[63] The figures for married couples households was below the borough (48.5%) and national average (47.3%), and single parent households were slightly above the average for the whole of Bury (11.6%) and England (10.5%).[64] Of those aged 16–74, 31.1% had no academic qualifications, slightly higher than averages of Bury (29.2%) and England (28.9%).[60][65]
[edit] Economy
The first market in Radcliffe was opened in 1851, built by the Earl of Wilton.[5] The town was home to a dozen Co-op stores,[66] the largest of which was on Stand Lane. The four storey structure, built in 1877, had shops and offices on the ground floor, and a large area for public meetings on the second floor.[67] The building was truncated to two stories in June 1971, and eventually demolished.[68] Two more Co-op stores were located on Bury Street[69] and Cross Lane.[70] The current market hall, built in 1937 on a different site to the old market, suffered a devastating fire in 1980[71] but was later restored. Radcliffe was served by several banks including the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank, the Manchester and Liverpool District Bank, the Union Bank of Manchester, and Parr's Bank ltd.[72]
Radcliffe has two weekly newspapers, the Radcliffe Times, based at the Bury Times offices, in Bury, and the Salford-based Advertiser, which also covers the neighbouring areas of Prestwich and Whitefield.
The construction in the 1980s of the A665 Pilkington Way Bypass relieved congestion along the traditional route through the town, Blackburn Street. A new bridge across the Irwell was constructed for the road, and part of Blackburn Street was pedestrianised. The road has attracted developments along former industrial land to the west of the town, including a large Asda supermarket,[73] although it has exacerbated the decline of the retail outlets in the town centre. The bypass has created problems for cyclists and pedestrians, who appear reluctant to cross the road and visit the town centre.[74] One possible solution is under consideration, which would involve partially reopening the pedestrianised section of Blackburn Street to vehicular traffic.[73]
Along with the decline of local industry, the town's shopping centre has suffered a severe loss of trade and is now barely viable as a retail outlet. The town's market hall compares poorly with the market in nearby Bury[74] Amongst other shops, the town's central shopping precinct retains a Boots.[75] A Dunelm Mill store occupies the former site of the town's Asda supermarket.[76]
Re-inventing Radcliffe is the name given on a report of a proposed scheme to improve the town. The report envisages several initiatives, including the creation of new housing both to the north and south of the town. Existing industry to the west of the town and along Milltown Street would be retained and improved, along with sections of the former Radcliffe Paper Mill and Pioneer Mill. The market would be redeveloped along with the Kwik Save site and Bus Station, and the town could become a centre for the arts. New crossings of the Irwell and canal are proposed to improve transport links, and a new school to replace the two existing secondary schools is also proposed. Finally, the report suggests improving the image of Radcliffe within the Bury area.[77]
Newlands is a regeneration programme run by the Forestry Commission.[78] One of the sites under consideration for regeneration is Radcliffe Ees, a former waste tip.[79]
[edit] Population and employment change
| Population growth in Radcliffe from 1801 to 2001 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | |
| Population | 2,497 | 2,792 | 3,089 | 3,904 | 5,099 | 6,293 | 8,838 | |
| Year | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | |
| Population | 11,446 | 16,267 | 20,021 | 25,368 | 26,084 | 24,759 | 24,675 | |
| Year | 1939 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | |
| Population | 26,951 | 27,556 | 26,726 | 29,274 | 27,642 | 32,567 | 34,239 | |
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Ancient Parish 1801-1891 [80] • Urban District 1901-1931 [81] • Municipal Borough 1939-1971 [81] • Urban Subdivision 1981-2001 [82][83][84] |
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In 1921, 2,394 men and 3,680 women were employed in the textile industry.[85] By 1951 these figures had fallen to 981 and 1,852 respectively.[86] A more drastic fall is evident in the numbers of people working in the mining and quarrying industries; in 1921, 591 people were employed in both,[85] but in 1951 this had dropped to only 57,[86] reflecting the number of mines in and around Radcliffe that had by that time been completely worked out.[28]
By 2001, from a working population of 15,972 between the ages of 16 and 74 only six people were employed in mining. 3,011 people were employed in manufacturing, 103 in public utilities, and 985 in construction. 3,371 people worked in wholesale and retailing; repair of motor vehicles, 682 in hotels and catering, and 1,185 in transport; storage and communication. 642 people worked in financial intermediation, 1,711 in real estate, 694 in public administration and defence, 987 in education, 1,876 in health and social work, and 657 in 'other' work.[87]
[edit] Landmarks
Along with Radcliffe Tower, the Parish Church of St Mary is a Grade I listed building.[88] The town also has two Grade II* listed buildings; Dearden Fold Farmhouse, completed during the 16th century,[89] and Radcliffe Cenotaph, built in 1922 to commemorate the First World War.[90] Outwood Viaduct, and Radcliffe's most visible landmark, St Thomas' Church, are Grade II listed buildings.[91] St Thomas' took nine years to complete. The first stone was laid by Viscount Grey de Wilton (grandson of the Countess Grosvenor) on 21 July 1862. It was consecrated in 1864 by the first Bishop of Manchester, James Prince Lee. Construction of the tower began in 1870,[92] and the building was completed in 1871. The building cost £7,273,[35] and the tower cost £1,800. The first vicar was the Reverend Robert Fletcher.
Radcliffe's first public ornament was a drinking fountain located at the bottom of Radcliffe New Road. It was presented to the town by a Mrs Noah Rostron, in memory of her husband, and erected in August 1896.[93] The fountain no longer exists at this location.
The town hall, built in 1911, was located on the junction of Water Street and Spring Lane.[50] For many years after the town lost its Urban District status, the building was unoccupied. It was finally converted in 1999 for use as private accommodation.[94]
[edit] Transport
The Manchester to Blackburn packhorse route passed through the town (hence the name Blackburn Street). The bridge across the Irwell was likely first erected at the site of a ford, during late medieval times. An Act of Parliament in 1754 authorised the first turnpike through the town, and included Manchester to Bury via Crumpsall, and from Prestwich to Radcliffe. Another act in 1821 created a turnpike from Bury to Radcliffe, Stoneclough, and Bolton. An Act of 1836 created a turnpike from Starling Lane to Ainsworth, and Radcliffe to Bury and Manchester Road (near Fletcher Fold). A turnpike from Whitefield to Radcliffe Bridge via Stand Lane was created in 1857 with tollhouses at Besses O Barn, Stand Lane, the junction of Dumers Lane and Manchester Road, on Bolton Road near Countess Lane, and on Radcliffe Moor Road at Bradley Fold. Radcliffe New Road was created in an Act of 1860, to build a toll road between Radcliffe and Whitefield.[95] Weighing machines were used at various strategic positions, including at the bridge end of Dumers Lane, at Sandiford turning, and on Ainsworth Road. These machines were used to weigh traffic using the roads in order to prevent damage to the road surface.[96][97]
As local Cottage Industries were gradually supplanted by the Factory system during the Industrial Revolution, the roads became inadequate for use. A convoy of horse-drawn lorries carrying salt between Bealey's Bleach Works and Northwich would take up to two weeks to make a return jouney.[95] These problems gave rise to the construction of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal, which reached the town in 1796 and which was navigable throughout in 1808. For 38 years the canal was the town's main route for trade and transport, with a wharf near Hampson Street. The proprietors later converted into a railway company and built a line between Salford and Bolton, which opened in 1838. A branch from this line was to have been built to Bury, along the line of the canal, but due to technical constraints this did not happen.[98] Radcliffe's closest railway connection therefore was at Stoneclough, several miles distant.
The opening of the Manchester, Bury and Rossendale Railway (later known as the East Lancashire Railway) in 1846[99] brought the town a direct connection to Manchester and Bury. Two stations served the town, Radcliffe Bridge, and Withins Lane station (although this closed in 1851 after only a few years of operation). Ringley Road station was located to the south of the town, close to the civil parish of Pilkington. The line crossed the Irwell over Outwood Viaduct, an impressive structure which remains to this day.[100]
The Liverpool and Bury Railway (L&BR) opened on 28 November 1848, with a station to the north of the town, called Black Lane station. On 18 July 1872 the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR), which had amalgamated with the ELR some years previously, gained an Act of Parliament to construct a railway between Manchester and Bury, via Whitefield and Prestwich. This opened in 1879 with a new station, known as Radcliffe New Station,[101] with a link northwest to the L&BR line at Bradley Fold (near the present day Chatsworth Road) from the new station, and a new station along Ainsworth Road, Ainsworth Road Halt. The new L&YR route joined the existing ELR route near Withins Lane (North Junction), whereon they shared the connection to Bury. The L&YR gained another act in 1877 to construct a link between North Junction and Coney Green farm (West Junction). The LY&R line was electrified in 1916 for which a substation was constructed between the canal and the West Fork.[17]
The town also had an extensive Tram network. The first Tram ran from Black Lane (latterly Ainsworth Road) in 1905, with a terminus on Black Lane Bridge next to St Andrew's Church. In 1907 a branch was built to connect to the Bury to Bolton part of the network.[102] A large bus station is located between Dale Street and the river.[103] The canal, officially abandoned in 1961, is currently undergoing restoration on the Salford arm of the canal,[104] although a rebuilt bridge along Water Street presents a barrier to its full restoration.[105]
Public transport in Radcliffe is now co-ordinated by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), a county-wide public body with direct operational responsibilities such as supporting (and in some cases running) local bus services, and managing integrated ticketing in Greater Manchester.[103]
The town is now served only by a single light rail system, and regular bus services.[103] The Metrolink opened on 6 April 1992, using the L&YR line between Manchester and Bury.[106] Trams leave from the town's station every six minutes between 7:15 am and 6:30 pm, and every 12 minutes at other times of the day.[107] Radcliffe Bridge station closed on 5 July 1958,[108] and has been replaced by the path of the A665 Pilkington Way (the new road has been built below the level of the old station).[58] The path of the ELR line is still quite visible from aerial photography with Outwood Viaduct fully restored,[109] and the route of the line southwest of the town converted for use as a nature trail, forming part of the Irwell Sculpture Trail.[110]
[edit] Education
- See also: List of schools in Bury
One of the earliest schools in the parish was the Close Wesleyan Day School, a Dame school, opened around 1840.[111] St Thomas's day school was opened on 4 March 1861, housing over 500 children. Due to overcrowding and the risk of subsidence caused by local mining activity, the school was rebuilt on a new site along School Street, provided by the Earl of Wilton. It was opened by Lady Wilton in October 1877. St John's school on the opposite side of the town started life as an institute along Irwell Street in 1860, with 120 children by 1864. The buildings were enlarged in 1869. In 1897 the school contained 358 children taught by eight teachers and a monitor. In 1899 the school leaving age was twelve, and many of the senior class were half-timers who would spend half the day at school, and the other half working. This system was abolished in 1919. Regular epidemics of Scarlet Fever, Chicken Pox, Mumps, and especially Measles, meant that in 1897 and 1903 the school was temporarily closed.[112] St John's school and the nearby Church were demolished in the 1970s.[113] Radcliffe also had its own Technical school on Whittaker Street. Formally opened by Lord Stanley on 7 November 1896, it adjoined the public baths on Whittaker Street.[114] Today the building is used as council offices.[115]
Radcliffe County Secondary School was founded in 1933[116] on the former Peel Park Ground near School Street, but Radcliffe's first secondary school (apart from an endowed grammar school in nearby Stand) was held at the New Jerusalem schoolroom from the early 1860s.[117] Radcliffe East, latterly known as Coney Green County Comprehensive School, was built in 1975 on the site of the former railway goods yard alongside Radcliffe East Fork. Part of the school, known as Phase One, opened in September 1975, with 150 first-year pupils, and 70 second-year pupils (from Radcliffe County Secondary School). The remainder, known as Phase Two, opened two years later.[118]
Today Radcliffe is home to ten primary schools, and one secondary school, spread across two sites. Presently, these two secondary school sites have been renamed Radcliffe Riverside East Campus (Coney Green) and Radcliffe Riverside West Campus (Radcliffe High). The lower school students in years 7, 8, and 9 are studying at the Coney Green building, while the upper school students years 10 and 11 are studying in the Radcliffe High building. A new school is proposed to replace Coney Green High School and Radcliffe High School,[77] however recent developments have delayed construction of the new school.[119]
[edit] Religious sites
In Romano-British times, Radcliffe was in the diocese of York; in Saxon times in the diocese of Lindesfarne, then of York; in Norman times in the diocese of Lichfield; after 1540 in the diocese of Chester and since 1847 in the diocese of Manchester.[120]
Before 1535,[121] Radcliffe ancient parish was in Manchester and Blackburn rural deanery, based on the subdivisions of the dioceses. Radcliffe ancient parish was then placed in Manchester rural deanery until 1850. From 1850 to 1851, it was placed in Bury Rural Deanery; from 1851 to 1872, it was in Prestwich Rural Deanery; from 1872 to 1912, it was placed in Prestwich and Middleton Rural Deanery, and from 1872 it has been in Radcliffe and Prestwich Rural Deanery.[122]
[edit] Church of England
Radcliffe was an ancient parish which in its early history had duties which combined both ecclesiastical and civil matters. In 1821, Radcliffe St. Thomas ecclesiastical parish was created from the ancient parish, and it was refounded in 1839. In 1873, further parts of the ancient parish were taken to form Bury St. Peters ecclesiastical parish. In 1878, parts of the ancient parish as well as part of Radcliffe St. Thomas were taken to form Radcliffe St. Andrew, Black Lane ecclesiatical parish.[122] The Parish Church of St Mary was built during the 14th century, the tower being added in the 15th century. It was designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage in 1966, under its former name of the Church of St Mary and St Bartholomew.[88] In 1991, some local parishes were merged, and the church adopted its present name.[123]
Radcliffe is also served by the Parish of St Thomas and St John. St Thomas' is visible on the horizon for many miles. The original church was built in 1819 by Countess Grosvenor[35] and is visible in the above image of Radcliffe Bridge. The building was later considered too small, and in 1862 was demolished and replaced with the present structure (see Landmarks). The Church of St John was consecrated on 19 February 1866, at the bottom of Radcliffe New Road. Built at a cost of about £4,000 the site was gifted to the church by the Earl of Derby, who in 1897 also made a grant of land for the site of the Mission Church at Chapelfield.[124] The parishes of St John and St Philip were merged with St Thomas' in 1975-1976.[125][113] Radcliffe is also home to the Church of St Andrew, consecrated in 1877 along Ainsworth Road.[126]
[edit] Other faiths
Radcliffe was also home to a large number of smaller churches. The main Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary & St. Philip Neri, on Spring Lane, was built in 1894.[127] Other churches included Stand Independent, a Quaker church on Foundry Street, Water Lane Congregational, and several Wesleyan churches, including one on Bridgefield Street, which in March 2008 was destroyed by fire.[128] The building was built in 1892.[129] The United Reformed Church has two congregations within the town, one on Lord Street, and the other on Stand Lane. The church was originally formed from a Congregational school in 1848.[130] A Methodist New Connexion church existed along Smyrna Street since 1844.[131] Other faiths are also catered for, with a Mosque on Bridgefield Street,[132] and a centre for Swedenborgianism on Radcliffe New Road.[133]
[edit] Sports
Radcliffe has a rich history of sport, including football, rugby, cricket and swimming, but entertainment in Radcliffe once included bear-baiting, bull-baiting, and cock-fighting. Cock fights were prevalent in the town, taking place in local 'hush-shops', and generally viewed by invitation only. Bull and bear baiting was held in the Radcliffe Bridge area of the parish. In Nicholls' History and Traditions of Radcliffe (1900) the author describes the contents of the diary of a Lord Kenyon, who wrote "W.M. Robt. James, and Thomas Radcliffe, were fined for causing a Bayre to be bayted upon Saturday being the 18th of March 1587–8, at the Bull-Ringe neere the conduite in Manchester." Trained dogs were used to attack a bull, gifted by the Earl of Wilton. Such entertainment would take place along the banks of the river at the ford, where the bridge now stands. Such spectacles were eventually outlawed by Act of Parliament, and the last bull bait in the town was held on 26 September 1838. Horse racing replaced the sport the following year, with a course alongside the river. During the first year of racing the main spectator stand collapsed, injuring many spectators. Events were later moved to a course approximately one mile in circumference[134] at Radcliffe Moor in 1876, upon which site the town's cricket club now stands.[135]
The town is home to Radcliffe Borough Football Club and to Radcliffe Cricket Club who play in the Central Lancashire Cricket League. Sir Frank Worrell played for Radcliffe Cricket Club for many years,[136] and a street near the cricket ground was named in his honour.[137] Sir Garfield Sobers joined the club in 1958 at the age of 21.[136] Famous Radcliffe Borough players include Paul Gascoigne[138] and Matt Derbyshire.[139]
[edit] Public services
The Rivers Pollution Prevention Act 1876 posed a problem for the local authorities; disposal of sewage was generally an expensive proposition, and efforts to resolve the practical problems involved were often unsatisfactory. After initial experiments, in 1894 contracts were let for work. Chairman of the Local Board Samuel Walker Esq cut the first sod on 23 April 1894, and the works were completed the following year.[140]
The town was provided with electricity by a coal-fired power station along the south bank of the river, to the west of the town. Authorised by the Radcliffe Electric Lighting Order of 1894, and inaugurated on 5 October 1904,[141] Radcliffe Power Station was opened on 9 October 1905 by the Earl of Derby.[142] It originally had two 1,500 kW turbo sets made by British Thomson-Houston. Radcliffe was the first power station in the country to transmit electricity over bare electrical conductors.[143]
In 1921 the Radcliffe and Little Lever Joint Gas Board purchased the Radcliffe & Pilkington Gas Company. Constituted by Act of Parliament in 1921, the board consisted of six members of the Radcliffe Council and one member of the Little Lever Council. The area supplied included all the districts of Radcliffe and Little Lever, and also Prestwich, Whitefield, Unsworth, Outwood, and Ainsworth. The company supplied 263,000,000 cubic feet (7,400,000 m3) of gas to 16,748 consumers and public street lighting. Water supplies were provided both by upland watersheds and by the Bury & District Joint Water Board, of which Radcliffe was a constituent authority.[144]
By 1935 a fire brigade and ambulances were used to protect the town during emergencies. The Gamewell system of fire alarms was used, consisting of 16 alarm boxes spread throughout the district. Three motor ambulances and a motorised utility van were kept at the fire station, operated by permanent staff.[145] The North West Ambulance Service now provides emergency patient transport, and the statutory emergency fire and rescue service is now provided by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.[146]
Home Office policing in Radcliffe is provided by the Greater Manchester Police. The force's "(N) Division" have a police station in Radcliffe, along Railway Street. Waste management is co-ordinated by the local authority via the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.[147] Radcliffe's Distribution Network Operator for electricity is United Utilities.[148]
[edit] Notable people
Born in Radcliffe, Private James Hutchinson was a recipient of the Victoria Cross in the First World War.[149] Radcliffe was also the birthplace of Canadian author Donald Jack and also the home of Olympic medal winning cyclist Harry Hill who took bronze at the 1936 Summer Olympics. Nellie Halstead was a swimmer who represented Britain in both the 1932 Summer Olympics and 1936 Summer Olympics.[150] Radcliffe was also the birthplace of film director Danny Boyle[151] and the late snooker player, John Spencer.[152]
[edit] Culture
Radcliffe's wealth as a mill town gave rise to many outlets for the entertainment of its population. These included cinemas and public houses. Several cinemas were built in the town, including the Picturedrome in Water Street,[66] and an Odeon cinema, built in 1937 along Dale Street.[153] Whittaker Street public baths were built in 1898 and demolished in 1971.[154] Radcliffe Pool now provides swimming facilities for the local population. A public library was opened in 1907[155] on a site donated by Andrew Carnegie, who also contributed £5,000 towards the cost of the building. Two branch libraries were opened in Ainsworth between 1933 and 1935.