Flixton, Greater Manchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Flixton | |
|
|
|
  Flixton shown within Greater Manchester |
|
| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan borough | Trafford |
| Metropolitan county | Greater Manchester |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MANCHESTER |
| Postcode district | M41 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Stretford and Urmston |
| List of places: UK • England • Greater Manchester | |
Flixton is a village and electoral ward within the Urmston area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England.[1] It lies about six miles (9.7 km) to the southwest of Manchester City Centre, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.
Flixton's present day population is concentrated in the northern half of the area with the rest being generally open.
Contents |
[edit] History
Flixton has been recorded as Fluxton, Flyxton, Flyxeton, and Flixtone, amongst other spellings.[2] It has been suggested that Flixton derives its name from "Fleecetown" because of its 14th-century connection with the woollen industry.[1] Flixton first appears in historical records in 1177 however, making that toponymy seem unlikely.[3] The name is more probably of Scandinavian origin, perhaps deriving from the Viking called Flikke or Flikkr who is credited with bringing Christianity to the area. The Anglo-Saxon ton means dwelling place, hence Flikke's ton.[4]
Historically, Flixton was a more important site than its now larger neighbour Urmston.[4] The township centred around the parish church of St. Michael's, whilst Urmston was mostly open land.
During the 19th century, whilst the rest of Trafford was experiencing a period of growth, the township of Flixton experienced relatively slow growth; the population rose by only 22% between 1801 and 1851. This has been attributed to the migration of the people of Flixton to other towns as a result of industrialisation and an agricultural depression. Flixton was home to many handloom weavers, the advent of an industrialised production process priced handloom weavers out of the market. Due to disproportionate growth during this period, Urmston began to surpass Flixton in importance. In 1852, the Stott family built a cotton mill at the corner of Flixton Road and Shawe Road. At its peak it employed up to 300 people. The mill closed in 1935. Between 1871 and 1901, the population of Flixton increased from 1,512 to 3,656 as a result of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway opening a station in Flixton in 1873, linking the town to Manchester.[5]
Flixton Park and Gardens (218 acres (88 ha)) is the site of Flixton House, a Grade II listed building built in 1806. The history of the house includes one of the first footpath battles in England, when in 1826 the owner closed several footpaths across his estate. The court case against the owner was a success and a landmark in the establishment of footpaths in England.[6]
| Population growth in Flixton since 1891 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1951 |
| Population | 1,625 | 1,982 | 2,249 | 2,099 | 2,230 | 2,064 | 2,050 | 1,512 | 1,776 | 2,786 | 3,656 | 4,845 | 5,411 | 8,523 | 14,678 |
| Source: A Vision of Britain through Time[7] | |||||||||||||||
[edit] Governance
[edit] Civic history
 |
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] Political representation
Beverley Hughes, a member of the Labour Party, has been the MP for the constituency of Stretford and Urmston since its creation in 1997.
[edit] Geography
The River Mersey forms the southern boundary of Flixton. The Manchester Ship Canal, formerly the path of the River Irwell, was adopted as the western boundary in 1896.[3]
[edit] Landmarks
Abbotsfield Park, known locally as Chassen Park, was the unlikely venue for a 1963 Beatles' concert, booked before The Beatles became famous. The Urmston and District Model Engineering Society operates a miniature railway around the park, and runs a yearly May Day of Steam in conjunction with the Lancashire Traction Engine Club.[8]
[edit] Culture
The Flixton Band was originally formed in 1877, and played at the official opening of the Manchester Ship Canal performed by Queen Victoria, in 1894.[9] The band was disbanded in 1933, but reformed in 1967, since when it has broadcast on television and radio, and achieved many competition successes.
Canterbury Players is a local amateur dramatic society. Performances are given on stage at the Davyhulme (Wesley) Methodist Church located in Brook Road, Flixton.
The Urmston Musical Theatre was formed as the Urmston Operatic Society in 1911. Its current president is the actor Matthew Kelly, who was born in Urmston. It performs an adult main show in October with rehearsals running from June to October and a pantomime in January/February with rehearsals running from November to the date of the show. Both shows are performed at the Poolside Theatre within the Urmston Leisure Centre. Its youth section performs a show in May at St Antony's Catholic College in Urmston.[10]
[edit] Transport
Flixton and Chassen Road railway stations lie on the Liverpool to Manchester train line. The main road through Flixton is the B5158 Flixton Road which crosses the River Mersey. The main road between Urmston and Flixton is Church Road.
Flixton Bridge (crossing the Mersey) was built in 1907 as an alternative crossing to the existing medieval structure approximately 0.3 miles to the south (this structure no longer exists). During the Second World War the inscription was removed from the bridge, as a measure to confuse invading forces.
Flixton Road between Flixton Bridge and the A6144 Carrington Lane is known locally as 'The Mile Road', however the actual length of the road between these two points is approximately 0.5 miles.
[edit] Education
- Further information: List of schools in Trafford
Along with the rest of Trafford, Flixton maintains a selective education system assessed by the Eleven Plus examination. The closest of Trafford's grammar schools to Flixton is Urmston Grammar School. The proportion of pupils leaving Urmston Grammar School with five or more GCSEs at grades A–C in 2006 was 96.8%, compared to an average of 66.7% for all secondary schools in Trafford and a national UK average of 61.3%.[11]
Flixton Girls' High School is a non-selective sports specialist community high school, taking girls aged 11–16 of all abilities. In Trafford, 40% of pupils are selected for grammar schools at the age of 11, so the level of attainment of pupils on entry to Flixton Girls' High School is below the national average, as is the proportion of higher attainers. The school was described in its 2004 Ofsted report as "an effective school which provides a good standard of education."[12]
[edit] Religion
Flixton is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford,[13] and the Church of England Diocese of Manchester.[14]
The Catholic Community of Flixton worship at St Monica's Church on Woodsend Road South. The parish was founded in 1950 and the attached school opened in 1959. The present church of St Monica was opened in 1969. The building underwent major renovations in 1993 and it was extended in 1999 with a new suite named The Jubilee Rooms[15].
[edit] Sports
Flixton F.C. was formed in 1960, playing in the Manchester and Wythenshawe League, then moved to the Lancashire and Cheshire League in 1963, winning its third division at the first attempt. They won promotion to Division One of the North West Counties League for the 2006-07 season. Trafford F.C. are a club that broke away from Flixton in 1990 and also currently play in the same division.
Flixton has two golf courses, the municipally owned William Wroe Golf Course and the privately owned Flixton Golf Course, reputedly the longest nine hole golf course in England.
The Urmston Leisure Centre is located within Flixton.
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Urmston Area. Trafford Council. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ Langton, A History of the Parish of Flixton, p. 13
- ^ a b Townships: Flixton. A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5 (1911), pp. 46-50. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ a b The Urmston Partnership. Retrieved on 2007-04-20.
- ^ Mike Nevell (1997). The Archaeology of Trafford. Trafford Metropolitan Borough with University of Manchester Archaeological Unit, 86-87, 89. ISBN 1-870695-25-9.
- ^ 2002 - 2006 Management & Improvement Plan (Working Document) (PDF). Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved on 2007-04-23.
- ^ Flixton UD: Total Population. A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ^ May Day of Steam. Retrieved on 2007-07-21.
- ^ History of the Band. Flixton Band. Retrieved on 2007-07-21.
- ^ The Urmston Musical Theatre. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
- ^ Urmston Ward Profile. Trafford Council. Retrieved on 2007-05-08.
- ^ Flixton Girls' High School (PDF). Inspection Report. Ofsted. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
- ^ Catholic Diocese of Salford. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
- ^ The Church of England Diocese of Manchester. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
- ^ History
[edit] Bibliography
- Langton, D. H. (1898, re-published 1991). A History of the Parish of Flixton. Trafford Metropolitan Borough. ISBN 1870695100.
[edit] External links
