Fallowfield, Manchester & the Northwest of England

Fallowfield
Districts & Suburbs of Manchester

The name Fallowfield is derived, not as one might have supposed, because its fields lay fallow, but after an early owner of the area, one Jordan de Fallafield. By the 14th century it was more commonly known as Fallafeld. The district is bounded by Old Hall Lane, Whitworth Lane and Mauldeth Road and was formerly divided between its neighbouring northern and southern districts of Rusholme and Withington.

By the early 19th century Fallowfield was still largely agricultural in character, and it escaped the worst ravages of encroaching industrialisation during the 19th century, though its population was significantly enlarged by the influx of the middle classes moving outward to avoid the city grime and squalor. Hence, many fine houses were built in the area, including work by Alfred Waterhouse, the architect of Manchester Town Hall.

The development of Wilmslow Road as a major turnpike southwards out of the City, and later the coming of the railways, meant that Fallowfield was inevitably swallowed up by increasing urbanisation, and its open rural nature was changed irrevocably and forever. The early 20th century saw the gradual disappearance of all but one of its farms, Firs Farm, subsequently lost in the Manchester Athletic Club grounds, later known as the Harris Stadium after local champion cyclist Reg Harris, on Whitworth Lane. These grounds also succumbed eventually, and the Owens Park Student Village Complex now stand on the site.

A major feature of the area is Manchester Grammar School (MGS) in Old Hall Lane. The school moved from its original location in Long Millgate in the mid-1930s (the original buildings now part of the Chethams School of Music). This prestigious school regularly features amongst the top ten in the United Kingdom for its academic achievements, and boasts a long list of celebrities as Old Mancunians. These include the writer Alan Garner, actors Robert Powell and Ben Kingsley, theatre producer Nick Hytner, and many others already listed in the Local Celebrities section of this website. The author is also proud to admit to having been a teacher at MGS during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Due to the large number of temporary student residents within the area, Fallowfield is a lively and dynamic district, with Wilmslow Road forming its main artery and the innumerable takeaway food outlets and convenience stores that supply and maintain a student population.

Return to: Suburban Districts of Manchester

See also:

• Map of City Boundaries in 1838
• Map of City Boundaries in 1938
• Map of City Boundaries in 2002
• Gazetteer of Greater Manchester Place Names

NOTE:
We have made reference to several sources in compiling this web page, but must make special mention of the Breedon Books' "Illustrated History of Manchester's Suburbs" by Glynis Cooper, of which we made particular use. Information about this book can be found on our Books About Manchester webpage.