Withington
Districts & Suburbs of Manchester

WITHINGTON
The district of Withington was mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086 as little more than a "wasteland" (ie. unoccupied or unused for pasture or agriculture). It was later recorded in the 12th century, and its name probably means "a settlement or farmstead near a willow wood", (a withy was an old name for a willow branch or twig). In recent times it has been merged with its neighbouring district of Ladybarn, and the two are now effectively indivisible from each other. Withington & Ladybarn were incorporated into the City of Manchester in 1904. The district is bounded by Derby Road, Lapwing Lane, Kingsway and Palatine Road and Wilmslow Road runs north-south through its centre. Fallowfield lies to its north and Didsbury abuts its southern boundary.

By the early 13th century the district had grown to include Withington, Didsbury, Burnage, Moss Side and Denton and was granted to the son of one Ingrith of Wythington and the Abbey of Our Lady; the tithe barn (tithes or one-tenths were a commonly levied 10% tax to support religious institutions) built for the upkeep of the Abbey became known as Our Lady's barn - hence Ladybarn. Much of modern Mauldeth Road was formerly Ladybarn Lane, where the barn once stood.

Over the century, ownership passed from the Wythingtons to the Longfords and then to the Mosleys, the latter being successful wool merchants and whose ancestors became Lord of the Manor of Manchester. Later, the Egertons bought the land, by which time areas like Fallowfield and Heaton Norris had already been separated from the estate; the Mosleys held the land until its incorporation into Manchester.

Withington actually held its own courts until the mid 19th century. Its distance from central Manchester meant that it escaped the Industrial Revolution largely intact and it is still predominantly a residential area of large Victorian houses, apart from the shopping centre on either side of Wilmslow Road. By the beginning of the 20th century it was still a rural and agricultural area with a profusion of farms and small holdings. The 20th century, however, was to see a rapid population explosion and the building of many surrounding housing estates eventually obliterated the farms that were Withington's most distinctive features.

The 19th century saw the arrival of a transport system in the nature of horse drawn trams which terminated at Lapwing Lane, later to be replaced by an electric tram service in 1902. The railway had arrived earlier and there was a station in Lapwing Lane.

Modern Withington is best known for its two important hospitals, Withington Hospital and the Christie Hospital, the later known world-wide for its pioneering work in the treatment of cancer.

Actor Robert Donat was born in Withington in 1905.

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.