Whitefield, Greater Manchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Whitefield | |
|
  Whitefield shown within Greater Manchester |
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| Population | 23,284 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | Bury |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Manchester |
| Postcode district | M45 |
| Dial code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| UK Parliament | Bury South |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester | |
Whitefield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury of Greater Manchester, traditionally Lancashire, England.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Originally part of the Earl of Wilton's estate which cut a swathe across north Manchester from his home at Heaton Hall. Whitefield is still very green in parts although in recent years it has seen an increase in built up housing estates. Most of the rolling acres are private golf courses (Whitefield and Stand Golf Clubs).
Sedgley Park R.U.F.C. play their home matches at their Park Lane ground, and are in National Division One.
From Park Lane there is access to Philips Park (not to be confused with the other Philips Park in East Manchester) which includes a young children's play area, a decent undesignated area of mown grass and the Orangery surrounded by what is left of the ornamental gardens. The original house occupied by the Philips family was demolished in the mid 20th century but Philips Park Hall which is used for private functions and public events still stands. It also includes a large local nature reserve -[1] Click here [2] to see a map of the park.
There is another small play area on Park Lane, known locally as "The Dobby". This was a term coined by Jeremy Kaye in 1869, however the reasons for it are unclear.
Whitefield has only ever been a residential town and is one of the few places in Manchester where you will find £2m mansions and council houses within half a mile of each other. It is an area of great socio-economic contrasts. The area is home to two fair-sized council estates; "The Hillock Estate" and "Victoria (known locally as "Vicky") Estate". However, the area also encompasses the affluent community of "Ringley Road". In recent years there has been a fair amount of new building on in-fill sites. There is a strong local community, but nearby Prestwich is where most shop. The local Philips High School rates slightly higher than the UK average with 56 per cent of pupils getting 5 A-C GCSEs. Although, along with other schools in the district, it has recently been under threat of closure.
Whitefield is home to part of the Jewish community who have a large settlement in the district. The community is extremely loving, and plays a large role in charity donations and parties. The district's proximity to the M60 orbital motorway and city of Manchester has ensured that there are many flourishing industries as well as retail parks located locally.
Localities in Whitefield include Lily Hill, Park Lane, Hillock and Besses o' th' Barn.
There are at least two theories for the origin of the placename. One is that the name comes from the Flemish weavers who used to lay out their fabrics to bleach in the sun; the other relies on the fact that historically Whitefield has been a farming community of open fields and that the name is a corruption of "Wheatfields". The village is dominated by the Stand Church, (All Saints CofE Church), which was a so-called 'Waterloo Church', having been built to celebrate Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The old district of Stand is also located in Whitefield, and used to be evidenced not only by All Saints, but by Stand Grammar School for Boys (which was briefly part of Bury College; the College has now been demolished), Stand Grammar School for Girls (now Philips High School), Stand Cricket Club and Stand Lane.
Whitefield has experienced several new commercial developments in 2005 with the old shopping precict demolished, making way for a new gym, Total Fitness, and several new outlets, some of which have been leased out. Planning application for a new Morrisons supermarket has been submitted, being built on land currently taken up by the disused Brand Centre (formerly Safeway) along with a Methodist church and numerous residential houses.
One local newspaper that covers the area of Whitefield (as well as neighbouring Prestwich and Radcliffe) is The Advertiser, (one of the GWN Greater Manchester Weekly News newspapers) a weekly freesheet based in Salford. The other local paper (not distributed freely, door to door) is the Prestwich and Whitefield Guide. Although strictly in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Whitefield is often more affiliated with Manchester due to its Manchester postcode and the large number of residents who use the Metrolink service to travel to work in Manchester. Many residents also have a distinctly more "Mancunian" accent than the accent associated with the town of Bury.
[edit] Restaurants
- Thai Lounge - top Thai restaurant. The owner has a tuk-tuk - expect to see it on the streets of Whitefield shortly.
- Forts of India - friendly service and reasonable prices make this restaurant a firm favourite wth the locals.
- China Lounge - considered by some to be the best Chinese restaurant in north Manchester. Popular with office parties from the city centre. Booking a must on any night.
- Mogul - an Indian restaurant in an old church, which has been tastefully converted and offers a fine curry.
- Khan Saab - closed a couple of years ago by Environmental Health for cockroaches, but now reopened.
- Slattery's - ever expanding cake empire. Now located in the former Masons Arms pub.
- Pepe's - run Pepe, this tiny (seats 16) restaurant right by the Metrolink serves top quality pizzas.
- Treasure City - a small Chinese takeaway owned by the Ho family.
[edit] Winebars / Cafes / Pubs
Roma is a small Italian delicatessen - and looks likely to be incorporated into the new Morrisons.
Eagle and Child (Joseph Holts)- possibly the best pub in Whitefield, with crown green bowling at the rear.
Goat's Gate (Joseph Holts) - has a no smoking room, the public bar is popular with younger drinkers and the lounge bar with the older generation.
New Grove Inn - another down-market pub, which is well worth avoiding.
The Bull's Head - a younger persons' pub.
The Derby Hotel -
Cross Keys - nice little pub, tucked away behind the Thai Lounge near the Metrolink station.
Bluebell (Joseph Holts) - recently re-furbished to a high standard, popular with younger drinkers.
Beehive - pleasant pub with an interesting collection of brass plaques.
The Parkfield Inn - Live Jazz on a Sunday afternoon
[edit] Places of interest
- The Nature Trail - the summer hangout for the local teenagers where many a barbeque has been had.
- Red Rose Forest - purchased from a local farmer, this field is being returned to forest.
- Irwell Valley Way - the old railway track from Radcliffe to Clifton. Includes the 13-Arches Viaduct (no access)
- Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal.
