Urmston.html



Coordinates: 53°26′55″N 2°22′29″W / 53.4487, -2.3747

Urmston
Urmston shown within Greater Manchester
Population	45,730 (2001 Census)
- Density	3,902 per mi² (1,507 per km²)
OS grid reference	SJ766947
- London	165 miles (265 km) SE
Metropolitan borough	Trafford
Metropolitan county	Greater Manchester
Region	North West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MANCHESTER
Postcode district	M41
Dialling code	0161
Police	Greater Manchester
Fire	Greater Manchester
Ambulance	North West
European Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Stretford and Urmston
List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester

Urmston (pronunciation (help·info)) is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of around 46,000.¹ It lies about six miles (10 km) to the southwest of Manchester City Centre, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire. The southern boundary is marked by the River Mersey and the Mersey Valley, with Stretford lying to the east and Flixton to the west. Davyhulme lies to the north of the town centre. Urmston covers an area of 4,799 acres (19 km²).

The town has early medieval origins. Until the arrival of the railway in 1873, Urmston was a small farming community. The railway acted as a catalyst, transforming the town into a residence for the middle classes. Today, Urmston is one of the major urban areas within Trafford: it includes the areas of Davyhulme, Flixton, and Partington.

History

In 1983, during an excavation by South Trafford Archaeological Group, fragments of Roman pottery were found in the area now occupied by Urmston cemetery – previously the site of Urmston Old Hall – suggesting that there may have been a Roman settlement on the site.² In the early 13th century, Lord Greenhalgh and his family lived Highfield House (under what is now the M60 motorway).

Shortly after the Norman Conquest, between 1069 and 1070, William the Conqueror led a military campaign against the Saxon Earl Edwin, who ruled England north of the River Mersey. On the campaign's successful conclusion, William gave his kinsman Roger de Poictou all of the land between the River Mersey and the River Ribble. Part of this land was in turn given to Albert de Greslet, who towards the end of the 12th century, bestowed as much land as a team of oxen could plough in one year upon Orme Fitz Seward, the son of Edward Aylward.³ It is probable that the name Urmston is derived from Orme's Easton, or Ormestun, the "tun" or dwelling of Orme Fitz Seward.

The Manor of Urmston was rented by a family using the local surname. The earliest known member of the Urmston family is Richard de Urmston, who was recorded in 1193–4 as giving 40 shillings "for having the king's good will".⁴ Orme Fitz Seward's land passed to Richard de Trafford in the 13th century.⁵ The de Trafford family later lost the land, but won it back as the result of a duel.

Urmston Old Hall was the home of the manorial lord, and a centre of power in the area during the Middle Ages. The Old Hall was completely rebuilt in brick and timber in the late 16th century. New Croft Hall, also in Urmston, was the residence of a wealthy freeman and may have been moated. Urmston was only one of three manors in Trafford to have had two medieval halls, the others being Hale and Timperley. Neither of the halls has survived to the present day.⁶

Farming was the main occupation in Urmston until the early 19th century, when weaving became a significant source of employment, although this later declined due to competition from large industry. In 1848, the population was recorded as being 771, with around 80% of the land being farmed.⁷ The opening of the Cheshire Lines Railway in 1873 allowed the town to grow as a commuter town: between 1871 and 1901 the population grew by over 500%, from 996 to 6,594. By 1901, farming had virtually died out in Urmston, and the town became a residence for the middle classes.⁸

In 1948 the then Minister for Health, Aneurin Bevan, conducted the symbolic inauguration of the National Health Service at Davyhulme's Park Hospital, now renamed Trafford General Hospital.⁵

Governance

Civic history

Coat of Arms of the former Urmston Urban District Council.

Once a township within the parish of Flixton, Urmston became an urban district of the administrative county of Lancashire, under the Local Government Act 1894. The Local Government Act 1972 abolished the Urban District of Urmston and in 1974 Urmston became a district of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester.

Political representation

The parliamentary constituency of Stretford and Urmston was formed in 1997. Since its creation, the constituency has been represented by Beverley Hughes MP, who is a member of the Labour Party.

Urmston is one of the four major urban areas in Trafford, the other three being Altrincham, Sale and Stretford. In local elections for Trafford Council, Urmston is split into five wards; Bucklow-St. Martins, Davyhulme East, Davyhulme West, Flixton and Urmston. Like every other ward in Trafford they are each represented by three local councillors, giving Urmston 15 of the 63 seats on Trafford Council; as of the 2007 local elections 12 of these seats were held by the Conservative Party and 3 by the Labour Party.⁹ The wards elect in thirds on a four yearly cycle.

Geography

Further information: Geography of Greater Manchester

The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, highlighting Urmston in red.

Urmston occupies an area of 7.5 square miles (19.4 km²), at 53°26′55″N 2°22′29″W / 53.44861, -2.37472 (53.4487, -2.3747); it is approximately 137 feet (42 m) above sea level at its highest point.¹⁰ The land is relatively flat, sloping gently from north to south.⁴

Urmston comprises the local areas of Davyhulme, Flixton, and Urmston,⁵ with the River Mersey forming the southern boundary.¹¹ For administrative reasons, Partington is sometimes considered to be part of Urmston. The most southerly part of Urmston lies within the flood plain of the River Mersey, an area known as Urmston Meadows, part of the Mersey Valley. Much work was carried out in the 1970s to canalise the Mersey, in an effort to speed up the flow of floodwater, and so reduce the risk of flooding.¹² Upstream emergency floodbasins such as Sale Water Park, lying just to the east of Urmston, have also been constructed.¹³

The M60 Manchester orbital motorway passes through the northern half of Urmston, from southeast to northwest, and the M62 motorway lies just to the west.

The Thirlmere Aqueduct also passes through the Urmston area.

Urmston's climate is generally temperate, with few extremes of temperature or weather. The mean temperature is slightly above average for the United Kingdom. Annual rainfall and average amount of sunshine are both slightly below the average for the UK.¹⁴

Demography

As of the 2001 UK census, Urmston had a population of 45,730.¹⁵ Of the 19,172 households in Urmston, 38.0% were married couples living together, 30.3% were one-person households, 7.9% were co-habiting couples and 10.1% were lone parents.¹⁶

The population density is 15.1 people per hectare¹⁷ and for every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. Of those aged 16–74 in Urmston, 27.6% had no academic qualifications, slightly high compared to 21.3% for all of Trafford but roughly inline with the and 28.9% in England. There is also a low proportion of non-white people, ie:3.1%. The largest minority group was recorded as Asian at 1.0% of the population.¹⁵ 4.4% of Urmston’s residents were outside of the United Kingdom, low compared to the national average of 9.2%.¹⁸

Economy

The Trafford Centre, a large shopping and leisure complex, is situated to the north of Urmston. Some local residents felt that it brought about the decline of Urmston Precinct, the town's central shopping area – dating back to the 1960s – where many units closed or became "pound stores".²¹²² As of 2007, Urmston Precinct is being demolished and a £45 million redevelopment of the site is underway, to include 140,000 square feet (13,006 m²) of retail and leisure space and 144 apartments.²³ The new shopping precinct and supermarket (Sainsbury's) are due to open in 2009.²⁴

The average price for a semi-detached home in Urmston is £155,475, whilst a detached house will cost on average £247,630. Semi-detached prices have more than doubled from an average of £60,000 in 1998, although house prices in most areas of the country have seen a similar increase. These figures are, however, below the England and Wales average.²⁵

As of the 2001 UK census, Urmston had a possible workforce of approximately 32,996 people. The economic activity of residents in Urmston was 44.9% in full-time employment, 12.4% in part-time employment, 11.7% self-employed, 2.4% unemployed, 2.5% students with jobs, 3.1% students without jobs, 14.5% retired, 5.0% looking after home or family, 6.2% permanently sick or disabled and 2.5% economically inactive for other reasons. Urmston has a low rate of unemployment (2.4%) compared with Trafford (2.7%) and England (3.3%).¹⁵ The Office for National Statistics estimated that during the period of April 2001 to March 2002 the average gross weekly income of households in Urmston was £504 (£26,209 per year).²⁶

According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents in Urmston was 16.7% retail and wholesale, 13.6% manufacturing, 13.1% health and social work, 13.1% property and business services, 7.9% transport and communications, 6.7% education, 6.6% construction, 4.9% finance, 4.4% public administration and defence, 3.5% hotels and restaurants, 0.8% energy and water supply, 0.5% agriculture, and 4.2% other. This was roughly in line with national figures.²⁷

Culture

Cultural events and venues

The Urmston Musical Theatre was formed as the Urmston and District Operatic Society in 1911. Its current president is the actor Matthew Kelly, who was born in Urmston. It performs an adult main show in October with rehearsals running from June to October and a pantomime in January/February with rehearsals running from November to the date of the show. Both shows are performed at the Poolside Theatre within the Urmston Leisure Centre. Its youth section performs a show in May at St Antony's Catholic College in Urmston.²⁸

Canterbury Players is a local amateur dramatic society. Performances are given on stage at the Davyhulme (Wesley) Methodist Church located in Brook Road, Flixton.

In the mid-20th century there were 20 cinemas in Trafford, of which the only survivor is The New Curzon, in Princess Road Urmston. It opened in 1931, originally named The Curzon. It was converted to a twin cinema and bingo club in the 1970s, and re-opened under its present name of The New Curzon in 1980, after a £100,000 conversion.²⁹ Since 2003, the building has been shared with Flixton Dance Studio.

The Beatles

In 1963 the Council booked The Beatles to play at the Urmston Show at Abbotsfield Park in Chassen Road on Monday 5 August. At the time of the booking, the "fab four" were not too well known, but they were when they appeared!³⁰. David Hamilton who was the compere for which he received ten guineas (£10.50) commented:³⁰ 'The boys were smuggled in in a van. ...screaming girls rushed the stage, trying to get hold of their idols...it was certainly a hard day's night' . It was said that The Beatles' performance could not be heard because of the ear-splitting noise from their fans!

Sport

Urmston Cricket Club was founded in 1846 as Urmston & Flixton Cricket Club. As well as serving as a social club, it expanded to include other sports including hockey, tennis, and bowls. The club has been located on Moorside Road since 1870.³¹ Urmston Riding Club was established in 1956 on Southgate on the Urmston–Flixton border, and has approximately 150 members.³² AFC Urmston provides football coaching facilities, and has teams ranging from under 7s to under 17s. The club was founded in 1977, as Meadowside Athletic FC, and has won the Manchester County FA Youth Cup.³³³⁴

Transport

Motorway

Junctions 9 and 10 of the M60 orbital motorway connect Urmston to the rest of Greater Manchester and the motorway network. A junction previously existed further east along the motorway under its old M63 title, but was closed on the opening of the A6144(M) in 1987. A well known local landmark, opened in 1960, is the Barton High level motorway bridge, which crosses the Manchester Ship Canal.³⁵

Rail

Urmston is connected to Liverpool and Manchester by the Manchester-Liverpool Railway, which passes through Warrington, and Liverpool South Parkway (for Liverpool Airport). There are four railway stations in the Urmston area (Humphrey Park and Urmston stations in Urmston and Chassen Road and Flixton stations in neighbouring Flixton). Trains stopping at these stations are operated by Northern Rail.

First North Western used to operate a direct service to Manchester Airport. This service no longer operates. Passengers wishing to travel to the airport must change at Deansgate or Manchester Oxford Road for Northern Rail or First Transpennine Express services to the airport.

Bus

The area is generally well served by bus. Some areas have a frequent service of every 10/12 minutes on some routes (256 and 15), with half hourly frequencies on other routes. However, Church Road is poorly served, with no buses in the evening or on Sundays.

Services include:³⁶

• Services 15, 253, 256, and 255, mostly operated by Stagecoach in Manchester, connect Urmston with Manchester city centre (Piccadilly Gardens). Bus 255 originates in Partington. Bus 256 is operated as a night bus services, leaving Manchester Piccadilly at 00:10, 01:20 & 02:30 for Flixton on Friday and Saturday nights. Bus 253 has a limited morning service from Flixton Village to Manchester but does not operate in the opposite direction.
• Services 23 & 23a, operated by Stagecoach in Manchester, connect with Stockport and The Trafford Centre
• Service 245, operated by Arriva North West & Wales, connects with Sale & Altrincham
• Service 247, operated by Arriva North West & Wales, connects with Partington, Altrincham and Eccles
• Services 278 (Hayton's Coaches) with Lostock & 276 (JP Travel) with West Didsbury
• Service 277, operated by Belle Vue, connect with the Gorse Hill area of Stretford
• Service 22 (operated mostly by First Manchester with some services provided by Stagecoach in Manchester & Stagecoach North West) connects with Bolton and Stockport.
• Service 268, operated by JP Travel connects with Wythenshawe

Although not serving the residential areas, service 18 operated by Arriva North West & Wales departs fom The Trafford Centre to Manchester Airport every 30 minutes Monday-Saturday daytime.

There are also several weekday commuter bus services to Trafford Park and Manchester as well as school buses to schools around Trafford

Metrolink

Urmston is not served by Metrolink. The nearest Metrolink stations are in Stretford and Eccles.

Future Proposals

The AGMA and GMPTE are currently consulting to create a peak time Manchester Congestion Charge paid by motorists entering/leaving Manchester city centre. It is proposed, if the scheme goes ahead in 2012, to develop a major park and ride facility at Urmston railway station, and to increase rail rolling stock. Other proposals include extending the Metrolink to the nearby Trafford Centre, increasing the number of buses and routes, and providing real-time bus stop information.³⁷

Education

Further information: List of schools in Trafford

Along with the rest of Trafford, Urmston maintains a selective education system assessed by the Eleven Plus examination.³⁸

There are four primary, infant or junior schools in Urmston, including Urmston Infant School, together with an independent prep school, Abbotsford Preparatory School, in addition to two secondary schools, Urmston Grammar School and St Antony's Catholic College. Urmston Grammar School is a specialist Science College;³⁹ the school was assessed as "outstanding" in its February 2006 Ofsted report.⁴⁰ St Antony's Catholic College is a specialist Business and Enterprise College.⁴¹ In its October 2005 Ofsted report the school was assessed as "a good and improving school with some outstanding features".⁴²

Religion

Further information: List of churches in Urmston

As of the 2001 UK census, 82.3% of Urmston’s residents reported themselves as being Christian, 0.7% Muslim, 0.2% Hindu, 0.1% Jewish, 0.1% Buddhist and 0.1% Sikh. The census recorded 11.2% as having no religion, 0.1% had an alternative religion and 6.8% did not state their religion.¹⁵ Urmston is in the Catholic Diocese of Salford,⁴³ and the Church of England Diocese of Manchester.⁴⁴

There are three listed churches in Urmston: the Church of St Clement (Grade II),⁴⁵ the Church of St Michael’s (Grade II*),⁴⁶ and the Church of All Saints (Grade I).⁴⁷

The Church of All Saints.

The Church of All Saints was built in 1867–8 by E. W. Pugin, in the Gothic Revival style; the church is said to be a "notably complete and unspoiled" example of Pugin’s best work.⁴⁷ St Clement’s Church was built in 1868 by J Medland Taylor, also in the Gothic Revival style.⁴⁵ The Church of St Michael was first mentioned in 1189–91 although may be even older. It was rebuilt in 1815, 1824, and 1888.⁴⁸⁴⁶ There are two listed structures in the grounds of the church, the sundial and the Jones Chest tomb.⁴⁹⁵⁰ The Church of St Michael is one of 11 Grade II* listed buildings in Trafford, and All Saints is one of six Grade I listed buildings in Trafford.⁵¹

Notable people

Suzanne Charlton, BBC weather presenter and daughter of Bobby Charlton, was born in Urmston,⁵² as was Judy Loe, actress mother of Kate Beckinsale and wife of the late Richard Beckinsale.⁵³ Other people born in the town include actor and entertainer Matthew Kelly,⁵⁴ Manchester City footballer Michael Johnson,⁵⁵ and Lynda Baron, best known for playing Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in Open All Hours.⁵⁶ Actor George Coulouris was partly brought up in Urmston.⁵⁷ Keith Hopwood, the rhythm guitarist of Herman's Hermits, attended Urmston Grammar School.⁵⁸ Former Manchester United player David Herd has a home in Urmston; Herd has owned a local garage that still bears his name.⁵⁹

The 18th-century caricaturist and satirical poet John Collier, who used the pseudonym Tim Bobbins, was born in Urmston in 1708. A self-styled Lancashire Hogarth, his first and most famous work, A View of the Lancashire Dialect, or, Tummus and Mary, appeared in 1746, the earliest significant piece of Lancashire dialect to be published.⁶⁰ The local Wetherspoons public house The Tim Bobbin is named after him.

Cultural references

Urmston is mentioned in the BBC sitcom dinnerladies, starring Victoria Wood and Julie Walters. Petula's (Walters) friend, Babs is seen repeating the lines "I come from Urmston." and "There's two ways to come from Urmston." She is later seen saying "They've chained up all the toilets in Urmston, but I know other places."

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Greater Manchester portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Urmston

• Ask about Urmston
• Stretford and Urmston Messenger
• Web site for Urmston and surrounding areas

External maps and images

• Map of the Borough of Trafford from Trafford MBC
• Map of Urmston Town Centre from Trafford MBC
• Urmston from the air