Burnage

infobox UK place
map_type= Greater Manchester
country = England
official_name= Burnage
latitude= 53.4258
longitude= -2.2108
population= 13,706
metropolitan_borough= City of Manchester
metropolitan_county= Greater Manchester
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Manchester Withington
post_town= MANCHESTER
postcode_district = M19
os_grid_reference= SJ865925
postcode_area= M
dial_code= 0161

Burnage is a neighbourhood of the City of Manchester in North West England. It is about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Manchester City Centre, bisected by the busy dual carriageway of "Kingsway". It lies between Withington in the west, Heaton Chapel in the east and Heaton Mersey in the south.

History

Toponymy

The name Burnage is thought to be a corruption of "Brown Hedge" from the old brown stone walls or "hedges" which were common there in medieval times. In a survey of 1320, the district is referred to as "Bronadge". [cite book
last= Sussex & Helm
first=
title= Looking Back at Withington and Didsbury
pages=45
publisher= Willow
date= 1988
id= ISBN 0-946361-25-8]

Middle Ages

The crest of the Mosley Family, former Lords of the Manor of Withington, was adopted in the 20th century as the badge of Burnage High School. The old Withington Town Hall (1881) on Lapwing Lane, West Didsbury, bears a carved Mosley crest above its door. [cite book
last= Sussex & Helm
first=
title= Looking Back at Withington and Didsbury
pages=45
publisher= Willow
date= 1988
id= ISBN 0-946361-25-8]

During the Middle Ages, Burnage was common pasture and marsh land, shared between the farmers from the manors of Withington and Heaton Norris. As the local population began to expand, this land was gradually reclaimed for arable land. In a survey of 1322, the Lord of Manchester was permitted to appropriate more land for arable use, provided that he left enough common pasture land for the "commoners" to graze their animals. [cite book
last= Sussex & Helm
first=
title= Looking Back at Withington and Didsbury
pages=45
publisher= Willow
date= 1988
id= ISBN 0-946361-25-8]

19th century

In 1894 George Bernard Shaw described Burnage as the prettiest village in Manchester. ["Looking back at Levenshulme and Burnage" Willow Publishing 1987 ISBN 0 946361 22 3, page 8.] In spite of the industrialisation of Manchester, Burnage had an established a cottage industry in hand weaving. Many of the original weavers' cottages still survive today.

20th century

1906 saw plans to build a so-called "garden suburb" in the district. Burnage Garden Village, as it was called, saw the building of many new semi-detached houses as well as open recreational spaces, including lawns, gardens, a bowling green, tennis courts, allotments and a children's playground.

Hans Renold established a large engineering works at Burnage to manufacture roller chain. The factory closed during the late 1980s.

Aviation

On 28 April 1910, French pilot Louis Paulhan landed his Farman biplane in Barcicroft Fields, Pytha Fold Farm, on the borders of Withington, Burnage and Didsbury. This completed the first ever powered flight from London to Manchester, with a short over-night stop at Lichfield, (195 miles/298 km), and he won a £10,000 prize offered by the Daily Mail, beating the British contender, Claude Grahame-White.cite news
title = London to Manchester
publisher = www.thosemagnificentmen.co.uk
url = http://www.thosemagnificentmen.co.uk/manchester/
accessdate = 2006-12-26 ] Two special trains were chartered to Burnage Station to take spectators to the landing, with other spectators waiting through the previous night. Paulhan was followed throughout by a train carrying his wife, Henri Farman and his supporting mechanics. Today, a blue plaque recording Paulhan's achievement is displayed on a house in Paulhan Road, which forms part of the site where he landed.

The 1920s saw the construction of Kingsway (the A34) and the building of the Kingsway Housing Estate and building has continued apace since then - only parts of Burnage Lane still survive as original weavers' cottages.

Mauldeth Hall in Green End was the dwelling of the Bishop of Manchester for more than 20 years, before his move to Higher Broughton.

Present day

Burnage is a mainly residential area, mostly semi-detached houses built in the 1930s and 1940s.

The area is served by two railway stations, Burnage and Mauldeth Road on the Styal Line.

Governance

Civic history

Burnage was a township in the ancient parish of Manchester in the Salford Hundred of Lancashire (historic boundaries). In the early 13th century it lay within the Manor of Withington, a feudal estate which also encompassed the townships of Withington, Didsbury, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Moss Side, Rusholme, Denton and Haughton, ruled by the Hathersage, Longford, Mosley and Tatton families. Burnage remained under the manor of Withington for several centuries. [cite book
last= Sussex & Helm
first=
title= Looking Back at Withington and Didsbury
pages=45
publisher= Willow
date= 1988
id= ISBN 0-946361-25-8]

Burnage was in Chorlton-cum-Hardy Poor Law Union from 1837 to 1915, and in Manchester Poor Law Union from 1915 to 1930. In 1876 it was included in the area of Withington Local Board of Health. Under the Divided Parishes Act 1882 there was an exchange of areas with Withington township and part of Didsbury township was added to Burnage township. In 1894 it became part of Withington Urban District in the administrative county of Lancashire. [ [http://www.gmcro.co.uk/guides/gazette/gazzb.htm "Official British Place Name Archives - Burnage"] , Greater Manchester County Records Office. URL accessed February 20, 2007.]

In 1904 it became part of the City of Manchester, which later in 1974 was amalgamated into the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester.

Political representation

The city councillors for the ward are John Cameron, Iain Donaldson and Rodney Isherwood (all Liberal Democrat). Cameron was elected in 2003 and Isherwood was elected in 2004.

Burnage is one of seven Manchester City Council wards in the parliamentary constituency of Manchester Withington, represented by John Leech MP (Liberal Democrat).

Notable people

The district is probably best known as the childhood home of Liam and Noel Gallagher, of the British rock band Oasis, who attended St. Bernard's Junior school and [http://www.barlowrc.manchester.sch.uk/|The Barlow School] . The writer Frances Hodgson Burnett, who wrote "Little Lord Fauntleroy", spent most of her early childhood in Burnage. Actors David Threlfall and Max Beesley are from Burnage, and fellow thespian John Thaw also lived in the area. Islamic scholar Martin Lings is from Burnage. Alumni of Burnage High School include Roger Byrne, captain of the Manchester United "Busby Babes" and England international who was one of the victims of the 1958 Munich air disaster; Wes Brown, current Manchester United and England player; Ian Wilson, guitarist and member of 70s rock band Sad Cafe

References

External links

* [http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/districts/burnage.html|Manchester 2002: Burnage]
* [http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/homesearch/latest/whereyoulive/s/129/129074_spotlight_on_burnage.html/ ManchesterOnline Spotlight On Burnage Site]
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=41431 British History Online: Burnage]
* [http://www.burnage.manchester.sch.uk/ Burnage High School]
* [http://www.barlowrc.manchester.sch.uk/ The Barlow School]
* [http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=3&b=5941651&c=burnage&d=14&g=351153&i=1001x1003&m=0&enc=1&domainId=16 2001 Census results for Burnage]