Wythenshawe, District of Manchester

Wythenshawe
Districts & Suburbs of Manchester

Wythenshawe takes its name from the old English meaning of a "willow wood". Contemporary Wythenshawe bears little resemblance to its former self, and its earlier owners, the Tatton Family, who lived at Wythenshawe Hall would not recognise it today. It is Manchester's largest district, a massive housing estate that was created in the 20th century as a so-called "Garden City" where an overspill population could be rehoused away from the slum squalor of central wards like Moss Side and Chorlton on Medlock. Little sign of willows nowadays.

Yet in earlier days, Wythenshawe was wooded, quiet and tranquil - a pretty place to spend a day in the country. Agriculture was abundant in the district and most of the resident population would have worked the land. One of its oldest buildings was Peel Hall, a moated 14th century manor house probably belonging to the Arden family. Also of note is Baguely Hall, built in 1320 by Sir William de Baggiley who had made his fortune from salt mining in Cheshire and had married into the royal family. Sharston Hall is another manor house in the district, home of the Worthington family and also sold to Manchester Corporation in 1926.

Wythenshawe Hall set in Wythenshawe Park is still a major attraction for the people of Manchester, with its wide fields, playgrounds, sports and horticultural attractions, quite apart from the Hall itself which is part of Manchester City Art Galleries and is open to the public throughout summer months. It is an impressive black and white half-timbered building and in Tudor times the Hall was the home of Robert Tatton.

Later it was the site of a major battle in the Civil Wars, when the Parliamentarian forces laid siege to the house in 1642. The Hall was purchased by Manchester Corporation in 1926, and is now used as an art gallery and has facilities for conferences and wedding receptions.

The upheaval and resettlement of such large numbers of people took little account of social evolution or community spirit, neither of which existed, so that by the late 20th century Wythenshawe suffered many social problems. First, the estate was built initially without shops, amenities or services, and second there was very little employment directly to hand (except the Timpsons Shoe Factory on Altrincham Road). Various Residents Associations were set up to address these problems, and progress was very slow. The building of nearby Sharston Industrial Estate somewhat improved matters, as did the later Moss Nook and Roundthorn Industrial complexes, and over the years, the experiment that was Wythenshawe has gradually settled down to a degree of peace and normality.

Wythenshawe gradually acquired all the amenities and facilities that the early planners forgot, including its schools, shops, pubs and churches. Nowadays it has the Wythenshawe Forum, a major venue for dramatic, theatrical and musical events. It also got its own hospital, and Wythenshawe Hospital grew out of the earlier Baguley Hospital after the war in 1948.

Wythenshawe is also the home of Manchester Airport. Known as Ringway Airport since its opening in 1928 it grew out of a temporary field and was not officially opened and named until June 1938. When the parish of Ringway was incorporated into the City of Manchester in 1974 the airport came into municipal hands and was renamed in 1975 as Manchester International Airport, and later to its present name of, simply, Manchester Airport.

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.