There has been human occupation in the area that is now Cheadle since prehistoric times.[citation needed] The earliest evidence of civilisation is of burial mounds dating from the Iron Age, belonging to Celts who occupied Britain. Later, the area was occupied by Brigantes, whose activity was discovered in the form of axe fragments.
In the first millennium, Romans occupied the area, and their coins have been discovered. During the seventh century, St. Chad preached in the area.[2] A stone cross dedicated to him was found close to the confluence of the River Mersey and Micker Brook in 1873.[3]
The village is first recorded in the Domesday Book under the name "Cedde",[4] which comes from the Brythonic word for "wood".[5] It was held by Gamel, a free Saxon under Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester; it was about three miles long and half as wide, containing both wooded and open land, with areas enclosed for hunting purposes.[4] This early manor occupied the approximate areas of both modern day Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme.
By June 1294, Geoffrey de Chedle was lord of the manor, and it was valued at about £20 per annum. Geoffrey's descendant Robert (or Roger) died in the early 1320s, leaving the estate to his wife Matilda who held it until her death in 1326.[3] As there were no male heirs the manor, which was now worth £30 per annum,[6] was divided between her daughters, Clemence and Agnes. Agnes inherited the northern half (which would later become the modern-day Cheadle), and Clemence inherited the southern half (latterly Cheadle Hulme). The two areas became known as "Chedle Bulkeley" and "Chedle Holme" respectively.
William de Bulkeley succeeded his mother, and was a participant in several wars in France for Edward, the Black Prince. His son, Richard, was sent to live at the court Richard II, and later to a baron whose daughter Margery married Richard. Richard died at the age of 21, but Margery lived until she was around 90 years old. She was succeeded by her grandson and great-grandson, both named William. Shortly after the Battle of Bosworth, the latter William was succeeded by his brother Richard.[7]
During the reign of Henry VIII, the current St Mary's Church on High Street was built.[8] There has been a church on the site since the 12th century, the original being constructed of wood,[4] but it was rebuilt in stone between 1520 and 1550.[9] The church contains an effigy of John Stanley who, along with many other men from the area, fought in the Battle of Flodden.[8] Later he claimed the manor for himself, but was imprisoned by Thomas Wolsey who ensured the land went to its rightful owner.[10]
The Bulkeleys continued to hold the lands as lords of the manor until the 18th century, when the manor was purchased by Thomas Egerton.
Gatley Road, Cheadle in 1908
Moseley Old Hall, an early Stuart mansion dating from 1666 is still standing and is owned privately.
Abney Hall is a late Victorian hall from 1847 and was used as the Cheadle town hall from 1959 until 1974: it is now used for offices. It is surrounded by parkland which is open to the public all year round and features some of the only wetlands left in Stockport.
In 1886, Cheadle was in the Cheadle and Gatley local board of health, a regulatory body responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation for the area of Stockport Etchells township and the part of Cheadle township outside the Municipal Borough of Stockport. The board of health was also part of Stockport poor law union. In 1888 the board was divided into four wards: Adswood, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme and Gatley.[14] Under the Local Government Act 1894 the area of the local board became Cheadle and Gatley Urban District. There were exchanges of land with the neighbouring former urban districts of Wilmslow and Handforth in 1901, and the wards were restructured again, splitting Cheadle Hulme into north and south, and merging in Adswood.[14] Due to the fast-paced growth of the district, the wards were again restructured in 1930, with the addition of Heald Green. In 1940 the current wards of Adswood, Cheadle East, Cheadle West, Cheadle Hulme North, Cheadle Hulme South, Gatley and Heald Green were established.[15] Under the Local Government Act 1972 the Cheadle and Gately Urban District was abolished, and Cheadle has, since 1 April 1974, formed an unparished area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester.[11]
Cheadle's public transport is currently confined to bus routes provided by several operators, predominantly Stagecoach Manchester. Key routes include:[18]
The locality was served between 1866 until 1964 by a Cheshire Lines Committee railway station (initially called Cheadle and, from 1950, Cheadle North) situated 600 yards (550 m) north of the village on the west side of Manchester Road. It was also served, from 1866 until 1917, by Cheadle LNWR, a London & North Western Railway station located next to the railway overbridge near the centre of the village. Both stations were on lines leading from Altrincham to Stockport.
There are now advanced plans to build a new station in Cheadle, on the Mid-Cheshire line between Altrincham and Stockport. The station facilities would be built on the car park of the Alexandra Hospital, near to where the former-LNWR station was sited. It is expected to open in 2025.[19]
Nearby stations are located at Gatley, approximately one mile west of Cheadle, and the neighbouring areas of East Didsbury (within the City of Manchester's boundaries), Cheadle Hulme and Heald Green.[20]
A number of houses in Cheadle that were built in the 1800s still stand today, in a conservation area in the centre of the village.
There is also a Manchester overspill council estate that was constructed shortly after the Second World War to rehouse families from the Victorian slums of inner-city Manchester. In April 2008, these homes were transferred to a housing association, Mossbank Homes.
Education
The following educational establishments are in Cheadle:
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2014)
Cheadle is home to the HQ of sportswear giants Umbro.
It formerly had the head office of Nord Anglia Education.[21] At a later time the Nord Anglia Cheadle housed the International Schools and Learning Services divisions.[22]
^"Contact Us." Nord Anglia Education PLC. 1 April 2003. Retrieved on 5 March 2016. "Head Office: Nord Anglia Education PLC Anglia House Eden Place Cheadle Cheshire SK8 1AT"
^"Contact Us" (). Nord Anglia Education. Retrieved on 5 March 2016. "Head Office Nord Anglia Education PLC Nord House Third Avenue Centrum 100 Burton-upon-Trent Staffordshire DE14 2WD " and "International Schools Division Anglia House Carrs Road Cheadle Cheshire SK8 2LA " and "Learning Services Division Anglia House Carrs Road Cheadle Cheshire SK8 2LA "
