Wythenshawe
Encyclopedia
Wythenshawe is a district in the south of the city of Manchester
, England.
Formerly part of the administrative county
of Cheshire
, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the 1920s to resolve the problem of its inner city slums. With an area of approximately 11 square miles (28.5 km²), Wythenshawe has often been referred to as one of the largest council housing estates in Europe, although a significant proportion of the estate is now privately owned housing.
The district comprises nine areas: Baguley
, Benchill
, Peel Hall, Newall Green
, Woodhouse Park
, Moss Nook, Sharston
, Northenden
and Northern Moor
. The boundaries of these areas have changed throughout the district's history, and previously known areas such as Brownley Green and Crossacres have since been assimilated into one of the areas listed above, though many residents still refer to them by name.
The name of Wythenshawe seems to come from the Old English
wiðign = "withy
tree" and sceaga = "wood" (compare dialectal word shaw
). The three ancient townships of Northenden
, Baguley
, and Northen Etchells
formally became the present-day Wythenshawe when they were merged with Manchester in 1931. Until then, the name had referred only to Wythenshawe Hall and its grounds.
For many centuries the Tatton family owned Wythenshawe Hall
and much land in what is now Wythenshawe. Manchester Corporation, which was in desperate need of land to house the city's rapidly increasing population, pressured Mr Tatton to part with the land in 1926. What was once farmland was transformed into one of the largest housing estates in Europe.
Immediately south of Wythenshawe is Manchester Airport, formerly called Ringway Airport.
Before Manchester's Barton and Ringway airports were laid out, three farm fields between Rackhouse Road and Wythenshawe Road in what is now the north edge of Wythenshawe were used as Manchester (Wythenshawe) Aerodrome
. This was the UK's first municipal airfield, and operated between April 1929 and early 1930. A barn was converted to act as the hangar and a farmhouse as the administration building. Temporary fuel pumps were installed.
" where an overspill population could be rehoused away from the slums and squalor of industrial Manchester.
Part of Benchill (not the area southwest of Gladeside Road) was built before WWII and called the Wythenshawe Ward of the City of Manchester. The rest was built starting around 1960.
The estate was built initially without shops, amenities or services, and there was very little employment directly to hand: people wanting to buy household supplies had to "wait until the mobile shop came round, or go to Northenden
". Various residents' associations were set up to address these problems, but progress was very slow. Wythenshawe eventually expanded, and businesses were attracted to the area with the creation of the Sharston
Industrial Estate and, later, the Moss Nook and Roundthorn industrial complexes. Wythenshawe gradually acquired all the amenities and facilities that the original planners had neglected to include, such as schools, shops, pubs and churches. The area also got its own hospital, and Wythenshawe Hospital
grew out of the earlier Baguley Hospital after the Second World War in 1948. The largest shopping area was constructed in the 1960s in the town centre (known locally as the Wythenshawe Civic Centre), which has been expanded further since its initial construction. In 1971, the Wythenshawe Forum was opened, which included a library, a swimming pool and a theatre.
Many houses previously owned by the council are now under the control of local housing association
s, such as Willow Park in Benchill
and Parkway Green in Baguley
.
Wythenshawe has 12 parks and 18 woodland areas including Wythenshawe Park which covers over 270 acres (1.1 km²) of green space and is home to Manchester's only community farm. At the centre of the park is the historic Wythenshawe Hall with its Civil War
and Tatton heritage. The park also has riding stables, a horticulture centre, tea rooms, children's play area, athletics track, football pitches, tennis courts, bowls and golfing facilities. Other parks include Hollyhedge Park, Peel Hall Park, Painswick Park and Baguley Park. Northenden's Riverside Park is the first new park to be established in the city this century.
.
The area used to be its own parliamentary constituency, having been Manchester Wythenshawe since the 1960s and represented by Alf Morris
of the Labour Party
. Before the 1997 election, the boundaries were redrawn and part of the neighbouring area of Sale included in the seat. The constituency is now called Wythenshawe and Sale East
. In the same year, Alf Morris stepped down and was replaced by Paul Goggins
. It is still considered a safe Labour seat, with Labour securing over 50% of the vote (and more than twice as many votes as its nearest rival) in the 1997, 2001 and 2005 elections. Labour kept the seat in the 2010 elections, though their share of the vote was decreased to 44.1%.
At the time of the 2001 UK Census
Wythenshawe was divided into five local government wards: Baguley
, Benchill
, Northenden
, Sharston
, and Woodhouse Park
. Each ward was represented by three local councillors, giving Wythenshawe 18 of the 99 seats on Manchester City Council. Following a review by the Boundary Committee for England published in 2003, the ward of Benchill was abolished, and its former territory was divided between the wards of Northenden, Sharston, and Woodhouse Park.
Wythenshawe typically returns all Labour councillors in local elections, although in the 2008 elections
the Liberal Democrats
gained a seat in Northenden
and a second seat (in the same area) in the 2010 elections
.
and is the southernmost district within the Manchester boundary.
. The Wythenshawe Neighbourhood Policing Team, which covers Sharston
, Benchill
and Woodhouse Park
is situated on Poundswick Lane.
Wythenshawe's fire and rescue services are the responsibility of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
, and are based at a fire station on Brownley Road.
, which shows various shots of the local tower-blocks, housing estates and other architecture unique to this area. Wythenshawe also housed the outdoor sets for the show, which were built on private property. Production moved from West Gorton (in East Manchester) in early 2007, following disruption to filming caused by local youths.
In 2009, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
(former wife of Prince Andrew
) went to Wythenshawe to make a television documentary for ITV1
entitled The Duchess On The Estate. In it, she visited the Northern Moor
area of Wythenshawe to meet locals and discuss their way of life, and to open a new local community centre. Both before and after its transmission, the documentary was widely criticised for being a self-serving publicity stunt by Ferguson, and she was also criticised for her patronising attitude towards the local people.
About 43,000 people work in Wythenshawe. There are four areas of industrial activity (estates) - Moss Nook, Ringway (Airport Cargo Centre), Roundthorn and Sharston. It is home to Manchester Airport and UHSM Wythenshawe Hospital which are two of the largest employers in the area, and various national companies also have premises situated in Wythenshawe, including Virgin Media, F. Duerr and Sons Ltd.
, and Wylex / Electrium (now under Siemens ownership) amongst others.
Several greenfield
and greyfield
sites have been opened up to developers and there are several new housing developments within the area.
The town centre, originally built in the 1960s, was renovated between 1999 and 2002, to include new stores and other new features. The main shopping area now features gates that are locked at night to prevent the vandalism that was seen in previous years. The Forum centre, which houses a library, leisure centre, cafe and other amenities, has also been renovated in a more modern style. In 2007, Asda
opened a new superstore with multi-storey car park
ing on the site of the old Co-operative store that was originally built in the 1970s. A walkway going between the multi-storey car park and the large supermarket building now features a wall mosaic depicting various aspects of the town. After the demolition of two 1960s blocks of multi-storey flats in 2007, a new local authority services hub is currently being constructed by Manchester City Council that will provide a new frontage for the town centre from its north-facing aspect.
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.
Formerly part of the 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 Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the 1920s to resolve the problem of its inner city slums. With an area of approximately 11 square miles (28.5 km²), Wythenshawe has often been referred to as one of the largest council housing estates in Europe, although a significant proportion of the estate is now privately owned housing.
The district comprises nine areas: Baguley
Baguley
Baguley is a locality in Wythenshawe, and an electoral ward of the city of Manchester in North West England.Historically within Cheshire, the town is mentioned as Bagelei in the Domesday Book of 1086.-History:...
, Benchill
Benchill
Benchill is a district of the city of Manchester, England, part of the massive Wythenshawe council estate, approximately eight miles south of Manchester City Centre....
, Peel Hall, Newall Green
Newall Green
Newall Green is an area in the Wythenshawe district of Manchester, England. It is situated on the west side of the M56 motorway, approximately 1 mile from Wythenshawe Town Centre....
, Woodhouse Park
Woodhouse Park
Woodhouse Park is a locality in the south of the area of Wythenshawe, in the city of Manchester in North West England.The area incorporates Wythenshawe town centre and borders onto Newall Green but is separated by the M56 motorway from which it is served by Junctions 4 and 5...
, Moss Nook, Sharston
Sharston
Sharston is an area within the Wythenshawe district of South Manchester, in the North West of England. The area was initially mostly industrial, with the Sharston Industrial Estate taking up a large part of the area which contains a post office , a dairy, and a Bisto factory, and various other...
, Northenden
Northenden
Northenden is a suburban area and electoral ward of the city of Manchester in North West England. It lies on the south side of both the River Mersey and the M60 motorway, west of Stockport and south of Manchester city centre. Northenden is bounded by the districts of Didsbury, Gatley and...
and Northern Moor
Northern Moor
Northern Moor is an area of northern Wythenshawe in south Manchester in England, west of Northenden, north of Wythenshawe Park. Its name was formerly spelt "Northen Moor", i.e. "the moor area belonging to Northenden"....
. The boundaries of these areas have changed throughout the district's history, and previously known areas such as Brownley Green and Crossacres have since been assimilated into one of the areas listed above, though many residents still refer to them by name.
History
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
wiðign = "withy
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
tree" and sceaga = "wood" (compare dialectal word shaw
Shaw (woodland)
A shaw is a strip of woodland usually between 5 and 15 metres wide.Shaws commonly form boundaries between fields or line a road. They are usually composed of natural woodland and often have diverse woodland ground vegetation similar to other natural woodlands in the area...
). The three ancient townships of Northenden
Northenden
Northenden is a suburban area and electoral ward of the city of Manchester in North West England. It lies on the south side of both the River Mersey and the M60 motorway, west of Stockport and south of Manchester city centre. Northenden is bounded by the districts of Didsbury, Gatley and...
, Baguley
Baguley
Baguley is a locality in Wythenshawe, and an electoral ward of the city of Manchester in North West England.Historically within Cheshire, the town is mentioned as Bagelei in the Domesday Book of 1086.-History:...
, and Northen Etchells
Northen Etchells
Northen Etchells is a former township in Greater Manchester, England. It lay in the historic county of Cheshire....
formally became the present-day Wythenshawe when they were merged with Manchester in 1931. Until then, the name had referred only to Wythenshawe Hall and its grounds.
For many centuries the Tatton family owned Wythenshawe Hall
Wythenshawe Hall
Wythenshawe Hall is a 16th-century medieval timber-framed historic house and former stately home in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England. It is east of Altrincham and south of Stretford, five miles south of Manchester city centre, in Wythenshawe Park.-History:The half-timbered Tudor house was the home...
and much land in what is now Wythenshawe. Manchester Corporation, which was in desperate need of land to house the city's rapidly increasing population, pressured Mr Tatton to part with the land in 1926. What was once farmland was transformed into one of the largest housing estates in Europe.
Immediately south of Wythenshawe is Manchester Airport, formerly called Ringway Airport.
Before Manchester's Barton and Ringway airports were laid out, three farm fields between Rackhouse Road and Wythenshawe Road in what is now the north edge of Wythenshawe were used as Manchester (Wythenshawe) Aerodrome
Manchester (Wythenshawe) Aerodrome
Manchester Aerodrome also known locally as Rackhouse Aerodrome was the first airfield built to serve, temporarily, as Manchester's municipal aerodrome.-Construction and facilities:...
. This was the UK's first municipal airfield, and operated between April 1929 and early 1930. A barn was converted to act as the hangar and a farmhouse as the administration building. Temporary fuel pumps were installed.
Housing and social history
Wythenshawe is Manchester's largest district, a massive housing estate that was created in the 1920s intended as a "garden cityGarden city movement
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...
" where an overspill population could be rehoused away from the slums and squalor of industrial Manchester.
Part of Benchill (not the area southwest of Gladeside Road) was built before WWII and called the Wythenshawe Ward of the City of Manchester. The rest was built starting around 1960.
The estate was built initially without shops, amenities or services, and there was very little employment directly to hand: people wanting to buy household supplies had to "wait until the mobile shop came round, or go to Northenden
Northenden
Northenden is a suburban area and electoral ward of the city of Manchester in North West England. It lies on the south side of both the River Mersey and the M60 motorway, west of Stockport and south of Manchester city centre. Northenden is bounded by the districts of Didsbury, Gatley and...
". Various residents' associations were set up to address these problems, but progress was very slow. Wythenshawe eventually expanded, and businesses were attracted to the area with the creation of the Sharston
Sharston
Sharston is an area within the Wythenshawe district of South Manchester, in the North West of England. The area was initially mostly industrial, with the Sharston Industrial Estate taking up a large part of the area which contains a post office , a dairy, and a Bisto factory, and various other...
Industrial Estate and, later, the Moss Nook and Roundthorn industrial complexes. Wythenshawe gradually acquired all the amenities and facilities that the original planners had neglected to include, such as schools, shops, pubs and churches. The area also got its own hospital, and Wythenshawe Hospital
Wythenshawe Hospital
The University Hospital of South Manchester is a major acute teaching hospital in Wythenshawe, south Manchester, England. It provides services for adults and children at Wythenshawe Hospital and Withington Community Hospital...
grew out of the earlier Baguley Hospital after the Second World War in 1948. The largest shopping area was constructed in the 1960s in the town centre (known locally as the Wythenshawe Civic Centre), which has been expanded further since its initial construction. In 1971, the Wythenshawe Forum was opened, which included a library, a swimming pool and a theatre.
Many houses previously owned by the council are now under the control of local housing association
Housing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
s, such as Willow Park in Benchill
Benchill
Benchill is a district of the city of Manchester, England, part of the massive Wythenshawe council estate, approximately eight miles south of Manchester City Centre....
and Parkway Green in Baguley
Baguley
Baguley is a locality in Wythenshawe, and an electoral ward of the city of Manchester in North West England.Historically within Cheshire, the town is mentioned as Bagelei in the Domesday Book of 1086.-History:...
.
Wythenshawe has 12 parks and 18 woodland areas including Wythenshawe Park which covers over 270 acres (1.1 km²) of green space and is home to Manchester's only community farm. At the centre of the park is the historic Wythenshawe Hall with its Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and Tatton heritage. The park also has riding stables, a horticulture centre, tea rooms, children's play area, athletics track, football pitches, tennis courts, bowls and golfing facilities. Other parks include Hollyhedge Park, Peel Hall Park, Painswick Park and Baguley Park. Northenden's Riverside Park is the first new park to be established in the city this century.
Governance
The district is under the authority of Manchester City CouncilManchester 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...
.
The area used to be its own parliamentary constituency, having been Manchester Wythenshawe since the 1960s and represented by Alf Morris
Alf Morris
Alfred Morris, Baron Morris of Manchester, AO, QSO, PC is a British Labour Co-operative politician and disability campaigner.-Political career:Morris served as Member of Parliament for Manchester Wythenshawe from 1964 until 1997...
of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Before the 1997 election, the boundaries were redrawn and part of the neighbouring area of Sale included in the seat. The constituency is now called Wythenshawe and Sale East
Wythenshawe and Sale East
Wythenshawe and Sale East is a parliamentary constituency in the city of Manchester. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.- Boundaries :...
. In the same year, Alf Morris stepped down and was replaced by Paul Goggins
Paul Goggins
Paul Gerard Goggins is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Wythenshawe and Sale East since 1997, and was a Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office.-Early life:...
. It is still considered a safe Labour seat, with Labour securing over 50% of the vote (and more than twice as many votes as its nearest rival) in the 1997, 2001 and 2005 elections. Labour kept the seat in the 2010 elections, though their share of the vote was decreased to 44.1%.
At the time of the 2001 UK Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
Wythenshawe was divided into five local government wards: Baguley
Baguley
Baguley is a locality in Wythenshawe, and an electoral ward of the city of Manchester in North West England.Historically within Cheshire, the town is mentioned as Bagelei in the Domesday Book of 1086.-History:...
, Benchill
Benchill
Benchill is a district of the city of Manchester, England, part of the massive Wythenshawe council estate, approximately eight miles south of Manchester City Centre....
, Northenden
Northenden
Northenden is a suburban area and electoral ward of the city of Manchester in North West England. It lies on the south side of both the River Mersey and the M60 motorway, west of Stockport and south of Manchester city centre. Northenden is bounded by the districts of Didsbury, Gatley and...
, Sharston
Sharston
Sharston is an area within the Wythenshawe district of South Manchester, in the North West of England. The area was initially mostly industrial, with the Sharston Industrial Estate taking up a large part of the area which contains a post office , a dairy, and a Bisto factory, and various other...
, and Woodhouse Park
Woodhouse Park
Woodhouse Park is a locality in the south of the area of Wythenshawe, in the city of Manchester in North West England.The area incorporates Wythenshawe town centre and borders onto Newall Green but is separated by the M56 motorway from which it is served by Junctions 4 and 5...
. Each ward was represented by three local councillors, giving Wythenshawe 18 of the 99 seats on Manchester City Council. Following a review by the Boundary Committee for England published in 2003, the ward of Benchill was abolished, and its former territory was divided between the wards of Northenden, Sharston, and Woodhouse Park.
Wythenshawe typically returns all Labour councillors in local elections, although in the 2008 elections
United Kingdom local elections, 2008
The 2008 United Kingdom local elections were held on 1 May 2008. These elections took place in 137 English Local Authorities and all Welsh Councils....
the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
gained a seat in Northenden
Northenden
Northenden is a suburban area and electoral ward of the city of Manchester in North West England. It lies on the south side of both the River Mersey and the M60 motorway, west of Stockport and south of Manchester city centre. Northenden is bounded by the districts of Didsbury, Gatley and...
and a second seat (in the same area) in the 2010 elections
United Kingdom local elections, 2010
The 2010 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 6 May 2010, when the 2010 general election also took place. Direct elections were held to all 32 London boroughs, all 36 metropolitan boroughs, 76 second-tier district authorities, 20 unitary authorities and various Mayoral posts, all in...
.
Geography
Wythenshawe is approximately 8 miles (13 km) south of 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 is the southernmost district within the Manchester boundary.
Public services
Wythenshawe is policed by the South Manchester Division of Greater Manchester PoliceGreater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police is the police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England...
. The Wythenshawe Neighbourhood Policing Team, which covers Sharston
Sharston
Sharston is an area within the Wythenshawe district of South Manchester, in the North West of England. The area was initially mostly industrial, with the Sharston Industrial Estate taking up a large part of the area which contains a post office , a dairy, and a Bisto factory, and various other...
, Benchill
Benchill
Benchill is a district of the city of Manchester, England, part of the massive Wythenshawe council estate, approximately eight miles south of Manchester City Centre....
and Woodhouse Park
Woodhouse Park
Woodhouse Park is a locality in the south of the area of Wythenshawe, in the city of Manchester in North West England.The area incorporates Wythenshawe town centre and borders onto Newall Green but is separated by the M56 motorway from which it is served by Junctions 4 and 5...
is situated on Poundswick Lane.
Wythenshawe's fire and rescue services are the responsibility of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England.Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service covers an area of approximately...
, and are based at a fire station on Brownley Road.
In the media
Wythenshawe is the outdoor filming location for the Channel 4 series ShamelessShameless
Shameless is a British television drama series set in Manchester on the fictional Chatsworth council estate. Produced by Company Pictures for Channel 4, the first seven-episode series aired weekly on Tuesday nights at 10pm from 13 January 2004...
, which shows various shots of the local tower-blocks, housing estates and other architecture unique to this area. Wythenshawe also housed the outdoor sets for the show, which were built on private property. Production moved from West Gorton (in East Manchester) in early 2007, following disruption to filming caused by local youths.
In 2009, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York is a British charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, whom she married from 1986 to 1996...
(former wife of Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
) went to Wythenshawe to make a television documentary for ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
entitled The Duchess On The Estate. In it, she visited the Northern Moor
Northern Moor
Northern Moor is an area of northern Wythenshawe in south Manchester in England, west of Northenden, north of Wythenshawe Park. Its name was formerly spelt "Northen Moor", i.e. "the moor area belonging to Northenden"....
area of Wythenshawe to meet locals and discuss their way of life, and to open a new local community centre. Both before and after its transmission, the documentary was widely criticised for being a self-serving publicity stunt by Ferguson, and she was also criticised for her patronising attitude towards the local people.
Economy
F. Duerr and Sons Ltd.
F. Duerr & Sons Ltd. is an independent British manufacturer of jam, marmalade, peanut butter and preserves, based in Wythenshawe, Manchester.Founded in 1881 by Frederick Duerr, and originally based at his home in Heywood, Lancashire, the company expanded rapidly moving to new premises at Guide...
, and Wylex / Electrium (now under Siemens ownership) amongst others.
Several greenfield
Greenfield land
Greenfield land is a term used to describe undeveloped land in a city or rural area either used for agriculture, landscape design, or left to naturally evolve...
and greyfield
Greyfield land
Greyfield land is a term used in the United States and Canada to describe economically obsolescent, outdated, failing, moribund and/or underused real estate assets or land. The term was coined in the early 2000s as a way to describe the sea of empty asphalt that often accompanied these sites...
sites have been opened up to developers and there are several new housing developments within the area.
The town centre, originally built in the 1960s, was renovated between 1999 and 2002, to include new stores and other new features. The main shopping area now features gates that are locked at night to prevent the vandalism that was seen in previous years. The Forum centre, which houses a library, leisure centre, cafe and other amenities, has also been renovated in a more modern style. In 2007, Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
opened a new superstore with multi-storey car park
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
ing on the site of the old Co-operative store that was originally built in the 1970s. A walkway going between the multi-storey car park and the large supermarket building now features a wall mosaic depicting various aspects of the town. After the demolition of two 1960s blocks of multi-storey flats in 2007, a new local authority services hub is currently being constructed by Manchester City Council that will provide a new frontage for the town centre from its north-facing aspect.
External links
- http://www.realliveswythenshawe.com Local news, information and events
- http://www.manchester.gov.uk/a_to_z/service/1316/wythenshawe_park Wythenshawe Park
- http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/10/world/europe/10britain.html NY Times article about Wythenshawe youth
- http://www.wythit-heritagetrail.btik.com/ The Wythenshawe Heritage Trail
- http://www.wythenshawehistory.btik.com/p_TEST.ikml history of Wythenshawe
- http://www.wythenshaweworld.com Wythenshawe's Own Local Newspaper