Blackley

infobox UK place
country = England
map_type= Greater Manchester
latitude= 53.5207
longitude= -2.1887
official_name= Blackley
population= 10,196 (2001 Census)
metropolitan_borough= City of Manchester
metropolitan_county= Greater Manchester
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Manchester Blackley
post_town= MANCHESTER
postcode_district = M9
postcode_area= M
dial_code= 0161
os_grid_reference= SD874027 Blackley (Audio|En-uk-Blackley.ogg|pronunciation; IPA|/'bleɪklɪ/ "blake-ley") is a district of Manchester, in North West England. It is about three and a half miles northeast of Manchester city centre.

Blackley lies in a bend of the River Irk, just south of Boggart Hole Clough and on the east and west sides of Rochdale Road, a major route from Manchester to the north and to the M60 orbital motorway. The village (centre) of Blackley is just to the west of Rochdale Road.

History

The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Blæclēah = "dark wood" or "dark clearing". In the 13th and 14th centuries Blackley was referred to as "Blakeley" or "Blakelegh", a spelling that is consistent with the local pronunciation.cite web | title = Townships: Blackley | work = A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4 (1911), pp. 255-59 | publisher = British History Online | url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=41412 | format = HTTP | accessdate = 2007-04-10]

By the Middle Ages, Blackley had become a park belonging to the lords of Manchester. Its value in 1282 was recorded as £6 13s 4d, a sum approximately equivalent in buying power to £3,500 today. [cite web | title = Currency converter | publisher = The National Archives | url = http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency/ | format = HTTP | accessdate = 2007-04-10]

The lords of Manchester leased the land from time to time. In 1473 John Byron held the leases on Blackley village, Blackley field, and Pillingworth fields at an annual rent of £33 6s 8d. The Byron family continued to hold the land until the beginning of the 17th century when Blackley was sold in parcels to a number of landowners.

By the middle of the 17th century Blackley was a village of just 107 inhabitants. Blackley today is hardly recognisable as the same rural area that it had been at the start of the 20th century. Now only local place names like "Meadows School", "Plant Hill" or "French Barn Lane" hint at its rural past. [cite web | title = Districts and suburbs of Manchester | work = Blackley | publisher = Papillon Graphics' Virtual Encyclopaedia of Greater Manchester | url = http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/districts/blackley.html | format = HTTP| accessdate = 2007-04-10]

Governance

Blackley is a part of the UK parliamentary constituency of Manchester Blackley, considered to be the safest Labour Party seat in Manchester.

The current Member of Parliament (MP) is Graham Stringer (Labour).

Economy

During the 1930s substantial residential development took place in Blackley to provide overspill housing for Manchester's growing population.

This is an area with a mixture of housing which is mainly council homes—owner-occupied, private renting and housing association. It is part of the "North Manchester Regeneration Area" — a special project set up by Manchester City Council and private company Bellway's to improve existing housing, build new homes and improve the environment. There are about 240 council homes, all managed by Northwards Housing. About 150 are flats in small blocks. The rest are houses (mostly two or three-bedroom, with a handful of larger properties).

Landmarks

Blackley is well served in terms of green space and parks, with significant open spaces at Tweedale Common, Irk Valley, Blackley Forest, Nutbank Common, Heaton Park and Boggart Hole Clough. Heaton Park is the largest park in the Manchester area, and the largest municipal park in Western Europe, providing some 25% of Manchester's total green space.

Boggart Hole Clough
Boggart Hole Clough is a country park where many walks can be undertaken, guided or otherwise. Thanks to recent funding the park now has many leisure facilities; a bowling green, tennis and basketball courts, a boating lake and a children's play area. It has its own permanent orienteering course and an athletics track. Visitors can enjoy family fun days in the summer and an annual firework display.

Blackley Forest

A site of biological importance and a fine example of one of the country's first Community Woodlands. Planted to commemorate fallen soldiers of the Second World War, the forest is a diverse mix of woodland, grassland and wetlands, dissected by a well established network of paths and steps. The River Irk can be seen in its most natural state, fringed by birch trees with some colonies of autumn crocus.

Heaton Park

Heaton Park, at around nowrap|convert|600|acre|km2|2|lk=on, is the biggest park in Greater Manchester. It is the grounds of Heaton Hall, a Grade I listed, neoclassical 18th century country mansion. The hall was remodelled to a design by James Wyatt in 1772, and is now open to the public as a museum and events venue. Although the park is officially part of the city of Manchester, two of the entrances are accessed from Middleton Road in Blackley.

Transport

Like many areas in Manchester, Blackley is very well served by buses primarily along the main A664 Rochdale Road directly to and from Manchester city centre.

There are frequent Metrolink trams from Bowker Vale to and from Manchester city centre and as far south as Altrincham and as far north as Bury.

Manchester's M60 orbital motorway is the northern boundary of Blackley.

Education

Primary schools

Blackley has a number of primary schools which include:

* Crab Lane Primary School
* St Clare's RC Primary School
* Camberwell Park School
* Victoria Avenue Community Primary School
* Bowker Vale Primary School
* Mount Carmel RC Primary School
* Crosslee Community Primary School
* St John Bosco's RC Primary School
* Pike Fold Primary School
* Holy Trinity Primary School

econdary schools

Blackley has two secondary state schools; Plant Hill Arts College, and Our Lady's RC Sports College. Each school has in excess of 800 pupils, and both rank average in the Manchester district in terms of results achieved and attendance.

ports

Blackley Golf Club

Blackley Golf Club has occupied its present site close to the M60 since 1937, following the acquisition of the original course by Manchester City Council.

AFC Blackley

The only Saturday team to play in Blackley, they played in the Manchester Premier League. The club lost its ground in Blackley village when it was earmarked for development. The club then moved to Plant Hill Park. It has now disbanded.

Blackley Cricket Club

Blackley Cricket Club currently play in the North Manchester Cricket League. The club is located on Crab Lane.

Notable people

*Mike Hall: British politician
*David Heyes: British politician
*Jon Macken: Former Manchester United and Manchester City footballer
*Bernard Manning: Manchester comedian
*Tony Monopoly: Australian cabaret singer and actor
*Malcolm Roberts: Eurovision contestant
*Bill Keeth, Author
*Wilf McGuinness, Former Manchester United player and manager
*Hasney Aljofree, Swindon Town footballer
*Steven Riley, Former Manchester United footballer
*John Bradford, Martyr
*Howard Davies, Director of the London School of Economics
*Stephen Bywater: Professional footballer

References

External links

* [http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/districts/blackley.html Blackley - Districts & Suburbs of Manchester]