Ordsall, Greater Manchester
Encyclopedia
Ordsall is an inner city
area of Salford, in Greater Manchester
, England. It is situated chiefly to the south of the A57 road
and close to the River Irwell
, the main boundary with the city of Manchester
. Ordsall is bound to south by Salford Quays
and the Manchester Ship Canal
, which divides it from Stretford
and the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford
.
Historically
a part of Lancashire
, Ordsall was the birthplace of the bush roller chain
and is home to Ordsall Hall
. As of 2007, the area is being extensively re-developed in a joint urban regeneration scheme between Salford City Council
and property developer LPC Living.
or nook, which has become the modern dialect
word ‘haugh’. This, indeed, describes the position of the manor of Ordsall, for its boundary on the south side is a large bend in the River Irwell
which later became the site of the docks for the Manchester Ship Canal
. Ordsall first appears in records in 1177 when ‘Ordeshala’ paid two marks towards an aid, a feudal due or tax
.
Antiquarian
and Geologist, Samuel Hibbert-Ware
gave a different etymology for the name; 'ord' is a Saxon word for 'primeval' or 'very old' and 'hal' meaning 'den' - hence the name 'Ordeshal' could mean 'very old den'. His reasoning for this was the location in the area of the cave know as 'Woden's Den'.
Regeneration project
As of 2007, the area is undergoing urban regeneration under a joint venture agreement between Salford City Council
and property developer LPC Living. The "Heart of Ordsall" framework, agreed in 2005, means that over the next five years extensive environmental and infrastructure improvements will be made to the Ordsall estate at a cost of around £150 million.
The regeneration is very much community led and has already delivered a new £6.5 million primary school and children's centre. The school accommodates 315 pupils and also incorporates an 83 place children's centre providing education, health, social care and day care facilities for the local community. A dedicated street sweeper, designed by local children, cleans around Ordsall three times a week in addition to the council services as a result of local concern over litter.
Between 800 and new homes for local families and first-time buyers will be delivered, a new community hub will cover the whole of Ordsall including Salford Quays
; improvements to Ordsall Park and plans for other play areas and small open spaces are also in the pipeline for 2008.
The estate will be opened up to shoppers, with the former Radclyffe School site on Trafford Road, earmarked as a new retail centre, replacing the existing district centre. There will be new pedestrian routes and cycle lanes, visibility across the area will be improved to reduce the fear of crime, and there will be improved access to nearby Metrolink
stations for the Quays and the city centre
.
Over £40 million has already been privately invested into the area, with the creation of hundreds of homes aimed toward first-time buyers and local residents, including Gresham Mill situated on the River Irwell, Radclyffe Mews on Taylorson Street and Quay 5, a £24 million scheme of 231 flats which sold out in just six weeks.
and Salford Quays
has led to a regeneration boom. Average house prices have risen over 100% in the past 5 years, with the area in the centre of key regeneration visions such as the Irwell City Park scheme. A study commissioned by insurers More Than, published in June 2007, revealed that Ordsall had become one of the United Kingdom's property hot spots, ranking 17th out of the 35 identified. The study rated areas by looking at homes occupied by young, affluent professionals.
Ordsall Hall
is a Tudor
mansion that was for over 300 years the home of the Radclyffe family. In more recent times it has been a working men’s club
and a school for clergy, the forerunner of the Manchester Theological College, amongst other uses. Like many old buildings, Ordsall Hall is said to be haunted, in particular by "the White Lady", who it is said threw herself off the balcony overlooking the Great Hall. An episode of the TV programme Most Haunted
was filmed at the hall in 2002.
Salford Lads Club
Ordsall is home to Salford Lads Club
, which is featured on the inside cover of the album The Queen Is Dead
by the pop
band the Smiths
. The club is on the corner of St Ignatius Walk and Coronation Street.
St Clement's Church
St Clement's Church
is the Anglican parish church of Ordsall. The church was opened in 1877 and is now a Grade II listed building.
St Joseph's Church
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church is one of the few buildings to have survived the Ordsall slum clearances. The church was designed by W. Randolph and cost £5,000 to build, equivalent to £ today. It was opened on Sunday 20 April 1902. The building was severely damaged during the Manchester Blitz
of Christmas 1940. The interior has been largely reconstructed and modernised since then.
report, and one of the 100 top performing schools in the UK. Notable developments include a new primary school for the area, Primrose Hill, as well as an inner-city academy to be affiliated with the nearby Media City at Salford Quays
.
got an idea of a drama set on the streets of Ordsall, which ended up into the longest running soap opera in UK history Coronation Street
, the whole area since then has been demolished and the only picture of it has been the photo in the background of the original credits.
The BAFTA award-winning British comedy film East is East
, released in 1999, was set in Monmouth Street, now demolished.
, best known for his role as Wally Batty in the BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine
, was born and brought up in Ordsall. He attended Mount Carmel RC School.
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...
area of Salford, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. It is situated chiefly to the south of the A57 road
A57 road
The A57 is a major road in England. It runs east from Liverpool to Lincoln, via Warrington, Cadishead, Irlam, Patricroft, Eccles, Salford and Manchester, then through the Pennines over the Snake Pass , around the Ladybower Reservoir, through Sheffield and past Worksop...
and close to the River Irwell
River Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
, the main boundary with the city 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...
. Ordsall is bound to south by Salford Quays
Salford Quays
Salford Quays is an area of Salford in Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom following the closure of the dockyards in...
and the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
, which divides it from Stretford
Stretford
Stretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, it is to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
and the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford
Trafford
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800, covers , and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston...
.
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...
, Ordsall was the birthplace of the bush roller chain
Roller chain
Roller chain or bush roller chain is the type of chain drive most commonly used for transmission of mechanical power on many kinds of domestic, industrial and agricultural machinery, including conveyors, wire and tube drawing machines, printing presses, cars, motorcycles, and simple machines like...
and is home to Ordsall Hall
Ordsall Hall
Ordsall Hall is a historic house and a former stately home in Ordsall, an area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It dates back over 750 years, although the oldest surviving parts of the present hall were built in the 15th century. The most important period of Ordsall Hall's life was as...
. As of 2007, the area is being extensively re-developed in a joint urban regeneration scheme between Salford City Council
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
and property developer LPC Living.
History
The name Ordsall has Old English origins being the personal name ‘Ord’ and the word ‘halh’, meaning a cornerCorner
A corner is the place where two lines meet at an angle, and a concave corner of intersecting walls is generally thought to be the least beneficial position to be in a life-or-death situation. From this notion was born the verb to corner, which is used to mean "to back into a corner" and usually...
or nook, which has become the modern dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
word ‘haugh’. This, indeed, describes the position of the manor of Ordsall, for its boundary on the south side is a large bend in the River Irwell
River Irwell
The River Irwell is a long river which flows through the Irwell Valley in the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester in North West England. The river's source is at Irwell Springs on Deerplay Moor, approximately north of Bacup, in the parish of Cliviger, Lancashire...
which later became the site of the docks for the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
. Ordsall first appears in records in 1177 when ‘Ordeshala’ paid two marks towards an aid, a feudal due or tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
.
Antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
and Geologist, Samuel Hibbert-Ware
Samuel Hibbert-Ware
Samuel Hibbert-Ware was an English geologist and antiquarian. Born in St Ann's Square, Manchester, he was the eldest son of Samuel Hibbert, a linen yarn merchant, and his wife Sarah....
gave a different etymology for the name; 'ord' is a Saxon word for 'primeval' or 'very old' and 'hal' meaning 'den' - hence the name 'Ordeshal' could mean 'very old den'. His reasoning for this was the location in the area of the cave know as 'Woden's Den'.
Regeneration project
As of 2007, the area is undergoing urban regeneration under a joint venture agreement between Salford City Council
City of Salford
The City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
and property developer LPC Living. The "Heart of Ordsall" framework, agreed in 2005, means that over the next five years extensive environmental and infrastructure improvements will be made to the Ordsall estate at a cost of around £150 million.
The regeneration is very much community led and has already delivered a new £6.5 million primary school and children's centre. The school accommodates 315 pupils and also incorporates an 83 place children's centre providing education, health, social care and day care facilities for the local community. A dedicated street sweeper, designed by local children, cleans around Ordsall three times a week in addition to the council services as a result of local concern over litter.
Between 800 and new homes for local families and first-time buyers will be delivered, a new community hub will cover the whole of Ordsall including Salford Quays
Salford Quays
Salford Quays is an area of Salford in Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom following the closure of the dockyards in...
; improvements to Ordsall Park and plans for other play areas and small open spaces are also in the pipeline for 2008.
The estate will be opened up to shoppers, with the former Radclyffe School site on Trafford Road, earmarked as a new retail centre, replacing the existing district centre. There will be new pedestrian routes and cycle lanes, visibility across the area will be improved to reduce the fear of crime, and there will be improved access to nearby Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
stations for the Quays and the 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...
.
Over £40 million has already been privately invested into the area, with the creation of hundreds of homes aimed toward first-time buyers and local residents, including Gresham Mill situated on the River Irwell, Radclyffe Mews on Taylorson Street and Quay 5, a £24 million scheme of 231 flats which sold out in just six weeks.
Economy
Despite its notorious past, Ordsall's location between Manchester city centreManchester 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...
and Salford Quays
Salford Quays
Salford Quays is an area of Salford in Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom following the closure of the dockyards in...
has led to a regeneration boom. Average house prices have risen over 100% in the past 5 years, with the area in the centre of key regeneration visions such as the Irwell City Park scheme. A study commissioned by insurers More Than, published in June 2007, revealed that Ordsall had become one of the United Kingdom's property hot spots, ranking 17th out of the 35 identified. The study rated areas by looking at homes occupied by young, affluent professionals.
Landmarks
Ordsall HallOrdsall Hall
Ordsall Hall is a historic house and a former stately home in Ordsall, an area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It dates back over 750 years, although the oldest surviving parts of the present hall were built in the 15th century. The most important period of Ordsall Hall's life was as...
is a Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
mansion that was for over 300 years the home of the Radclyffe family. In more recent times it has been a working men’s club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
and a school for clergy, the forerunner of the Manchester Theological College, amongst other uses. Like many old buildings, Ordsall Hall is said to be haunted, in particular by "the White Lady", who it is said threw herself off the balcony overlooking the Great Hall. An episode of the TV programme Most Haunted
Most Haunted
Most Haunted is a British paranormal documentary reality television series. The series was first shown on 25 May 2002 and ended on 21 July 2010. It was broadcast on Living and presented by Yvette Fielding. The programme was based on investigating purported paranormal activity...
was filmed at the hall in 2002.
Salford Lads Club
Ordsall is home to Salford Lads Club
Salford Lads Club
Salford Lads Club is a boys and girls recreational club located in the Ordsall area of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. The club was established in 1903 as a boys-only club, but today both boys and girls are welcome...
, which is featured on the inside cover of the album The Queen Is Dead
The Queen Is Dead
The Queen Is Dead is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band The Smiths. It was released on 16 June 1986 in the United Kingdom by Rough Trade Records and released in the United States on 23 June 1986 through Sire Records. The album reached #2 on the UK Albums Chart, maintaining...
by the pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band the Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
. The club is on the corner of St Ignatius Walk and Coronation Street.
St Clement's Church
St Clement's Church
St Clement's Church, Ordsall
St Clement's Church, Ordsall, is located in Hulton Street, Ordsall, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Salford, the archdeaconry of Salford and the diocese of Manchester...
is the Anglican parish church of Ordsall. The church was opened in 1877 and is now a Grade II listed building.
St Joseph's Church
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church is one of the few buildings to have survived the Ordsall slum clearances. The church was designed by W. Randolph and cost £5,000 to build, equivalent to £ today. It was opened on Sunday 20 April 1902. The building was severely damaged during the Manchester Blitz
Manchester Blitz
The Manchester Blitz was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the Nazi German Luftwaffe...
of Christmas 1940. The interior has been largely reconstructed and modernised since then.
Education
St. Joseph's RC Primary School was rated as outstanding in its 2007 OfstedOfsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
report, and one of the 100 top performing schools in the UK. Notable developments include a new primary school for the area, Primrose Hill, as well as an inner-city academy to be affiliated with the nearby Media City at Salford Quays
Salford Quays
Salford Quays is an area of Salford in Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom following the closure of the dockyards in...
.
Cultural references
In 1959 a young Tony WarrenTony Warren
Anthony McVay Simpson MBE , better known by his stage name Tony Warren, is an award-winning English television scriptwriter, best known for creating the soap opera Coronation Street...
got an idea of a drama set on the streets of Ordsall, which ended up into the longest running soap opera in UK history Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, the whole area since then has been demolished and the only picture of it has been the photo in the background of the original credits.
The BAFTA award-winning British comedy film East is East
East is East (film)
East Is East is a 1999 British black comedy/drama film, written by Ayub Khan-Din and directed by Damien O'Donnell. It is set in a British household of mixed-ethnicity, with a British Pakistani father and an English mother in Salford, Lancashire, in 1971...
, released in 1999, was set in Monmouth Street, now demolished.
Notable people
Television actor Joe GladwinJoe Gladwin
Joe Gladwin was a British actor born in the Ordsall district of Salford, Lancashire. He was baptised at Mount Carmel RC Church, Ordsall and educated at the parish school...
, best known for his role as Wally Batty in the BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that was broadcast on BBC One. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973 and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. From 1983 to 2010, Alan J. W. Bell produced and...
, was born and brought up in Ordsall. He attended Mount Carmel RC School.
External links
- www.salford.gov.uk - Ordsall housing regeneration
- www.newordsall.com - LPC Living's Ordsall Regeneration Website