Wardle
Encyclopedia
Wardle is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
, in Greater Manchester
, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the South Pennines
, 1.8 miles (2.9 km) east-southeast of Whitworth
, 2.5 miles (4 km) north-northwest of Rochdale
and 12 miles (19 km) north-northeast of the city of Manchester
.
Historically
a part of Lancashire
, Wardle and its surroundings have provided archaeological evidence of Mesolithic
activity in the area. The name Wardle is said to be derived from "Ward Hill", implying "fortified place". Brown Wardle Hill
overlooks the village from the north, its name being derived from the Celtic
word bron meaning "round". During the Middle Ages
Wardle was a small centre of domestic flannel
and woollen cloth production, and many of the original weavers' cottage
s survive today as listed buildings.
Wardle, the most northerly settlement in Greater Manchester, encompasses small parts of Smallbridge
and Dearnley — urban areas contiguous with Rochdale — but "retains a rural character". Watergrove Reservoir
, which is situated on the northern outskirts of Wardle, is the largest of a series of reservoirs in the Borough of Rochdale, with a storage capacity of 720 million gallons. Wardle comprises 17th- and 18th-century stone churches, farmhouses and cottages by the hills. The village square is preserved as a place of historic interest.
of Lancashire
since the early 12th century
, Wardle was anciently linked with Wuerdle, and lay within the township
of Hundersfield
and parish of Rochdale
. Wuerdle and Wardle would later split from Hundersfield to form a township of itself, still within the parish of Rochdale and in the hundred of Salford
.
Wardle's first local authority was a Local board of health
established in 1874; Wuerdle and Wardle Local Board of Health was a regulatory body responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation in the township. In 1879 part of the neighbouring township of Butterworth
was included in the area of the Local Board. Under the Local Government Act 1894
, the area of the local board broadly became the Wardle Urban District, a local government district in the Rochdale Poor Law Union
and administrative county
of Lancashire. Part of the Milnrow Urban District
was added to it in the same year.
Under the Local Government Act 1972
, the Wardle Urban District was abolished, and Wardle has, since 1 April 1974, formed an unparished area
of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
, within the Metropolitan county
of Greater Manchester
.
At 53°38′52"N 2°7′56"W (53.6478°, -2.1323°), and 170 miles (274 km) north-northwest of London, Wardle lies at the foothills of the Pennines
, at the northeastern fringe of the Greater Manchester Urban Area
, the United Kingdom's third largest conurbation. Wardle is the most northerly settlement in Greater Manchester.
Wardle is south of the Watergrove Reservoir
and west of Littleborough.
is a secondary school located in Wardle.
Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after its largest town, Rochdale, but spans a far larger area which includes the towns of Middleton, Heywood, Littleborough and Milnrow, and the village of Wardle.The borough was...
, 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 lies amongst the foothills of the South Pennines
South Pennines
South Pennines is a region of moorland and hill country in northern England lying towards the southern end of the Pennines. It is bounded to the west by the Forest of Rossendale and the Yorkshire Dales to the north...
, 1.8 miles (2.9 km) east-southeast of Whitworth
Whitworth, Lancashire
Whitworth is a town and civil parish within the Borough of Rossendale in Lancashire, England. It is set amongst the foothills of the Pennines, between the towns of Bacup, to the north, and Rochdale, to the south. It has a population of 7,263....
, 2.5 miles (4 km) north-northwest of Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
and 12 miles (19 km) north-northeast of 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...
.
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...
, Wardle and its surroundings have provided archaeological evidence of Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
activity in the area. The name Wardle is said to be derived from "Ward Hill", implying "fortified place". Brown Wardle Hill
Brown Wardle Hill
Brown Wardle is a hill between Wardle, Greater Manchester and Whitworth, Lancashire. The summit is on the border of two counties....
overlooks the village from the north, its name being derived from the Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
word bron meaning "round". During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Wardle was a small centre of domestic flannel
Flannel
Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fibre. Flannel may be brushed to create extra softness or remain unbrushed. The brushing process is a mechanical process...
and woollen cloth production, and many of the original weavers' cottage
Weavers' cottage
A weavers' cottage was a type of house used by weavers for cloth production in the Domestic system.Weavers' cottages were common in Great Britain, particularly in Yorkshire, usually with dwelling quarters on the lower floors and loom-shops on the top floor...
s survive today as listed buildings.
Wardle, the most northerly settlement in Greater Manchester, encompasses small parts of Smallbridge
Smallbridge, Greater Manchester
Smallbridge is a district of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. It lies at the foothills of the Pennines, in the northeast of Rochdale, contiguous with Buckley, and to the south of the village of Wardle.-External links:...
and Dearnley — urban areas contiguous with Rochdale — but "retains a rural character". Watergrove Reservoir
Watergrove Reservoir
Watergrove Reservoir is a reservoir close to Wardle in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, within Greater Manchester, England.Rochdale Corporation chose Watergrove as a suitable site to build a large reservoir largely to a prolonged drought in the 1930s, resulting in water regularly being bought...
, which is situated on the northern outskirts of Wardle, is the largest of a series of reservoirs in the Borough of Rochdale, with a storage capacity of 720 million gallons. Wardle comprises 17th- and 18th-century stone churches, farmhouses and cottages by the hills. The village square is preserved as a place of historic interest.
Governance
Lying within the historic county boundariesHistoric 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...
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...
since the early 12th century
History of Lancashire
The History of Lancashire begins with its establishment as a county of England in 1182, making it one of the youngest of the historic counties of England.-Early history:In the Domesday Book, some of its lands had been treated as part of Yorkshire...
, Wardle was anciently linked with Wuerdle, and lay within 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 Hundersfield
Hundersfield
Hundersfield was a manor, parish and, from 1746, township, within the parish of Rochdale, in the hundred of Salford, England. It straddled the historic county boundary between Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire...
and parish of Rochdale
Rochdale (ancient parish)
Rochdale was an ecclesiastical parish of early-medieval origin in northern England, administered from the Church of St Chad, Rochdale. At its zenith, it occupied of land amongst the South Pennines, and straddled the historic county boundary between Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire...
. Wuerdle and Wardle would later split from Hundersfield to form a township of itself, still within the parish of Rochdale and in the hundred of Salford
Salford (hundred)
The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. It was sometimes known as Salfordshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of Salford...
.
Wardle's first local authority was a Local board of health
Local board of health
Local Boards or Local Boards of Health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate slaughterhouses and ensure the proper supply of water to their...
established in 1874; Wuerdle and Wardle Local Board of Health was a regulatory body responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation in the township. In 1879 part of the neighbouring township of Butterworth
Butterworth (ancient township)
Butterworth was a township occupying the southeastern part of the parish of Rochdale, in the hundred of Salford, Lancashire, England. It encompassed of land by the South Pennines which spanned the settlements of Belfield, Bleaked-gate-cum-Roughbank, Butterworth Hall, Clegg, Firgrove, Haughs,...
was included in the area of the Local Board. Under the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
, the area of the local board broadly became the Wardle Urban District, a local government district in the Rochdale Poor Law Union
Poor Law Union
A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...
and administrative county
Administrative counties of England
Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974. They were created by the Local Government Act 1888 as the areas for which county councils were elected. Some large counties were divided into several administrative...
of Lancashire. Part of the Milnrow Urban District
Milnrow Urban District
Milnrow Urban District was, from 1894 to 1974, a local government district of the administrative county of Lancashire, in northwest England. It covered an area to the east and southeast of the County Borough of Rochdale, and included the town of Milnrow, the village of New Hey, and the Piethorne...
was added to it in the same year.
Under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, the Wardle Urban District was abolished, and Wardle has, since 1 April 1974, formed an unparished area
Unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish. Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparished. Many towns and some cities in otherwise rural districts are also unparished areas and therefore no longer have a town council or city...
of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale
The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England. It is named after its largest town, Rochdale, but spans a far larger area which includes the towns of Middleton, Heywood, Littleborough and Milnrow, and the village of Wardle.The borough was...
, within the Metropolitan county
Metropolitan county
The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level administrative division of England. There are six metropolitan counties, which each cover large urban areas, typically with populations of 1.2 to 2.8 million...
of 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...
.
Geography
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
, at the northeastern fringe of the Greater Manchester Urban Area
Greater Manchester Urban Area
The Greater Manchester Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the large conurbation that encompasses the city of Manchester and the continuous metropolitan area that spreads outwards from it, forming much of Greater Manchester in North West England...
, the United Kingdom's third largest conurbation. Wardle is the most northerly settlement in Greater Manchester.
Wardle is south of the Watergrove Reservoir
Watergrove Reservoir
Watergrove Reservoir is a reservoir close to Wardle in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, within Greater Manchester, England.Rochdale Corporation chose Watergrove as a suitable site to build a large reservoir largely to a prolonged drought in the 1930s, resulting in water regularly being bought...
and west of Littleborough.
Education
Wardle High SchoolWardle High School
Wardle High School is a high school founded in September 1977. It caters to boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 18 and is located in Wardle, Greater Manchester, England. The school is ranked above satisfactory, and has several merits, including its music and arts departments...
is a secondary school located in Wardle.
External links
- Wardle and Smallbridge History Group Home page of the local history group