Miles Platting
Encyclopedia
Miles Platting is an inner city
district of Manchester
, England
. It is 1.4 miles (2.3 km) east-northeast of Manchester city centre
, along the course of the Rochdale Canal
and A62 road
. It is bound by the localities of Monsall, Collyhurst
, Newton Heath
, Bradford and Ancoats
.
Historically
a part of Lancashire
, and formerly a part of the township
of Newton Heath
, Miles Platting began to appear on maps in the 1820s, when it had begun to expand into a factory district
as a result of the Industrial Revolution
. That industrial growth resulted in a population that became very large for the size of the district, resulting in densely packed back-to-back housing that had degenerated into slums by 1950.
Today, Miles Platting is part of the East Manchester Regeneration Scheme and is undergoing extensive redevelopment and regeneration as some of the last vestiges of the Industrial Revolution are removed.
No early records have been found of Miles Platting, and indeed the area seems not to have appeared on maps until the 1820s. Therefore the origin of the name remains uncertain, but one suggestion is that it may derive from the word platt, meaning a small piece of ground, with miles being a corruption of mills. Hence Miles Platting may mean "mills on a small piece of ground".
Miles Platting certainly did have many mills by the middle of the 19th century; Holland Mill, Victoria Mill and Ducie Mill being amongst the largest. By the 1870s a chemical works, timber yard, gas works and a tannery were also operating in the area alongside the many mills. This volume of industry in such a relatively small area inevitably led to the construction of densely packed back-to-back housing to provide homes for the necessary workforce. By the middle of the 20th century, with the decline in manufacturing industry and the closure of its local industries, Miles Platting had become a slum area inhabited by a deprived, largely white, community. Today, Miles Platting contains just under 2,000 housing units, many of them managed by Manchester City Council
, including 12 multi-storey blocks. The area, once recognised as being amongst the most deprived in the UK, has benefited greatly from the very substantial urban regeneration scheme for east Manchester initiated in the late 1990s.
Miles Platting railway station
lay at the junction of the lines from Manchester Victoria to Oldham and Stalybridge, but this closed in 1995, and the station was subsequently demolished. The railway line, which remains open for passenger traffic, separates Miles Platting from Collyhurst
and Monsall.
Between 1839 and 1844, the area was also the location of Oldham Road railway station, the original terminus for the Manchester and Leeds Railway
until the line was extended to Manchester Victoria station
in the latter year. The station was then converted to become a major railway goods depot by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
, remaining in use until the 1960s.
which looms over the district and now houses offices and apartments. Its restoration was directed by Fr Dominic Kirkham of Corpus Christi.
on Varley Street. The basilica
has been served since 1889 by the Norbertine (Premonstratensian) Order, becoming an independent canonry of the order in 2004. Due to falling numbers and mounting repair and maintenance costs the basilica is now closed, the final Mass being celebrated by the Bishop of Salford on 27 April 2007.
The basilica has now been converted to the Usmania Banqueting Hall.
From 1880, until the slum clearances of the 1970s, a Salvation Army
corps existed here in Cash Street.
Miles Platting is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford, and the Anglican Diocese of Manchester
.
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
district of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is 1.4 miles (2.3 km) east-northeast of Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, along the course of the Rochdale Canal
Rochdale Canal
The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" canal in northern England, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. The "Rochdale" in its name refers to the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, through which the canal passes....
and A62 road
A62 road
The A62 is a major road in Northern England that runs between the two major cities of Manchester and Leeds.The road is approximately 40 miles long. It runs north east from Manchester through Failsworth and Oldham then Saddleworth before crossing the Pennines at Standedge into West Yorkshire...
. It is bound by the localities of Monsall, Collyhurst
Collyhurst
Collyhurst is a locality in Manchester. It is 1½ miles northeast of Manchester city centre, on Rochdale Road and Oldham Road. The River Irk passes through the area...
, Newton Heath
Newton Heath
Newton Heath is an urban area of the city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It is east north east of Manchester city centre and has a population of 9,883....
, Bradford and Ancoats
Ancoats
Ancoats is an inner city area of Manchester, in North West England, next to the Northern Quarter and the northern part of Manchester's commercial centre....
.
Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, and formerly a part of the township
Township (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
of Newton Heath
Newton Heath
Newton Heath is an urban area of the city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It is east north east of Manchester city centre and has a population of 9,883....
, Miles Platting began to appear on maps in the 1820s, when it had begun to expand into a factory district
Industrial district
Industrial district was initially introduced as a term to describe an area where workers of a monolithic heavy industry live within walking-distance of their places of work...
as a result of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. That industrial growth resulted in a population that became very large for the size of the district, resulting in densely packed back-to-back housing that had degenerated into slums by 1950.
Today, Miles Platting is part of the East Manchester Regeneration Scheme and is undergoing extensive redevelopment and regeneration as some of the last vestiges of the Industrial Revolution are removed.
History
Miles Platting certainly did have many mills by the middle of the 19th century; Holland Mill, Victoria Mill and Ducie Mill being amongst the largest. By the 1870s a chemical works, timber yard, gas works and a tannery were also operating in the area alongside the many mills. This volume of industry in such a relatively small area inevitably led to the construction of densely packed back-to-back housing to provide homes for the necessary workforce. By the middle of the 20th century, with the decline in manufacturing industry and the closure of its local industries, Miles Platting had become a slum area inhabited by a deprived, largely white, community. Today, Miles Platting contains just under 2,000 housing units, many of them managed by Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...
, including 12 multi-storey blocks. The area, once recognised as being amongst the most deprived in the UK, has benefited greatly from the very substantial urban regeneration scheme for east Manchester initiated in the late 1990s.
Miles Platting railway station
Miles Platting railway station
Miles Platting railway station served the district of Miles Platting in Manchester from 1844 until closure on 27 May 1995. The station was opened on 1 January 1844 by the Manchester and Leeds Railway; after amalgamating with other railways, this became the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1847...
lay at the junction of the lines from Manchester Victoria to Oldham and Stalybridge, but this closed in 1995, and the station was subsequently demolished. The railway line, which remains open for passenger traffic, separates Miles Platting from Collyhurst
Collyhurst
Collyhurst is a locality in Manchester. It is 1½ miles northeast of Manchester city centre, on Rochdale Road and Oldham Road. The River Irk passes through the area...
and Monsall.
Between 1839 and 1844, the area was also the location of Oldham Road railway station, the original terminus for the Manchester and Leeds Railway
Manchester and Leeds Railway
The Manchester and Leeds Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which opened in 1839, connecting Manchester with Leeds via the North Midland Railway which it joined at Normanton....
until the line was extended to Manchester Victoria station
Manchester Victoria station
Manchester Victoria station in Manchester, England is the city's second largest mainline railway station. It is also a Metrolink station, one of eight within the City Zone...
in the latter year. The station was then converted to become a major railway goods depot by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
, remaining in use until the 1960s.
Governance
Miles Platting was incorporated into the City of Manchester in 1838.Geography
Landmarks
A prominent building of Miles Platting is Victoria Mill, a huge former cotton millCotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
which looms over the district and now houses offices and apartments. Its restoration was directed by Fr Dominic Kirkham of Corpus Christi.
Religion
Historically, much of the population of Miles Platting was of Irish Catholic or Italian descent , as evidenced by the large Corpus Christi PrioryCorpus Christi Priory
Corpus Christi Priory was a Roman Catholic Premonstratensian priory in Manchester, England. Norbertine Canons Regular first came to Manchester in 1889 from the Belgian Abbey of Tongerlo and in the Miles Platting area of Manchester built Corpus Christi Basilica which they served until 2007 when...
on Varley Street. The basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
has been served since 1889 by the Norbertine (Premonstratensian) Order, becoming an independent canonry of the order in 2004. Due to falling numbers and mounting repair and maintenance costs the basilica is now closed, the final Mass being celebrated by the Bishop of Salford on 27 April 2007.
The basilica has now been converted to the Usmania Banqueting Hall.
From 1880, until the slum clearances of the 1970s, a Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
corps existed here in Cash Street.
Miles Platting is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford, and the Anglican Diocese of Manchester
Anglican Diocese of Manchester
The Diocese of Manchester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, England. Based in the city of Manchester, the diocese covers much of the county of Greater Manchester and small areas of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.-History:...
.