87-619: The Grosvenor Picture Palace , later known as the Footage , is a former cinema and pub at the corner of Grosvenor Street and Oxford Road in Chorlton-on-Medlock , Manchester, United Kingdom. Built in 1913–15, it was the largest cinema outside London in its day. It was later a Stonegate pub which closed in 2024. The Grosvenor Picture Palace was designed in 1913 by Percy Hothersall (who later designed Manchester's first supercinema, The Piccadilly , off Piccadilly Gardens in 1922). It
174-468: A "satisfactory" school with aspects of "good teaching" and "good management". The Barlow RC High School is an average size secondary school, with about 1,000 pupils. It too is regularly over-subscribed. It was described in its October 2003 Ofsted report as "a successful and effective school that is providing a good education for its pupils". It is uncertain when the first chapel was built in Didsbury, but it
261-653: A Strategic Spatial Framework for the Oxford Road Corridor to guide future development and protect the area's unique innovation eco-system. The Oxford Road Corridor is home to a wide concentration of public, private, academic, and clinical institutions, generating 20% of Manchester's GVA and providing 79,000 jobs. It is home to 50% of Manchester's life sciences businesses, 74,000 students including 16,220 international students, with 42% of all students studying STEM related disciplines. Property companies Bruntwood and Bruntwood SciTech have invested significantly into assets in
348-462: A capacity of just under 1000 people, making it the largest cinema outside London in its day. A billiard hall was installed in the basement in the 1930s. It was operated by the H.D. Moorehouse chain, before being acquired by Star Cinema Group in the early 1960s, who used the building both for cinema and bingo . It showed features such as Steve Reeves in Hercules Unchained . It was never
435-506: A commercial success due to its distance from Manchester's city centre. The last films shown were The Passionate Demons and Attack of the Crab Monsters on 18 May 1968, after which the building was used exclusively for bingo. It was later used as a Riley's Snooker Club for several years; it was then boarded up for several years. In 1990, the building became a Firkin Brewery pub called
522-461: A feudal estate that also included the townships of Withington , Chorlton-cum-Hardy , Moss Side , Rusholme , Burnage , Denton and Haughton , ruled by the Hathersage, Longford and Tatton families, and within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire . Didsbury remained within the manor of Withington for several centuries. By 1764, Didsbury was described as a township in its own right. It
609-617: A fine theatre organ. Norman Cocker was a notable organist there. After its eventual closure in January 1974 it was converted into Rotters nightclub and operated under several names until its closure in 1990. It was demolished and replaced by a NCP car park. Other cinemas which have existed in Oxford Street, Oxford Road or Wilmslow Road are: Didsbury Didsbury is a suburb of Manchester , in Greater Manchester , England, on
696-475: A large municipal green space which borders on Withington and Burnage. The park, which features playing fields and ornamental gardens, was established in 1926 by the Manchester Corporation. The park also contains basketball courts, tennis courts, a skate park and a children's play area. Fog Lane takes its name from Yorkshire-fog , a type of wild grass. Between 1956 and 1969, the old Capitol Theatre at
783-566: A large part of what is now the south of Manchester. Didsbury was described during the 18th century as a township separate from outside influence. In 1745 a section of the Jacobite army including the Duke of Perth crossed the Mersey at Didsbury in the Jacobite march south from Manchester to Derby. Didsbury was largely rural until the mid-19th century, when it underwent development and urbanisation during
870-573: A non-selective education system, assessed by the SATs exam. There are seven primary schools and two state comprehensive secondary schools . The Barlow RC High School is one of those chosen by Manchester Council to benefit from funding made available in wave 4 of the government's Building Schools for the Future programme, a national scheme for the refurbishment and remodelling of every secondary school in England. It
957-512: A pair of gate lodges at its Wilmslow Road entrance and the Ball Brook ran through its large garden. Other members of the family, Charles (or Carl) and Adelaide (or Adelheid) Souchay, lived nearby at Withington House on Wilmslow Road (the present site of the telephone exchange at Old Broadway). The Souchays were related to Cécile Mendelssohn Bartholdy, wife of the German composer Felix Mendelssohn . In
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#17328483846651044-576: A relatively larger education sector than other nearby wards, perhaps explained by the high density of schools in the area. A significant number of people (12%) commute to areas outside Didsbury; at the 2001 census there were 6,555 jobs in Didsbury, compared with the 7,417 employed residents. Siemens ' UK head office is in West Didsbury, occupying Sir William Siemens House and the Turing building, employing around 800 people here. The head office of BA CityFlyer
1131-585: A small section of West Didsbury was incorporated into the new ward of Chorlton Park . Didsbury East is represented by Labour councillors Linda Foley, James Wilson and Andrew Simcock. Didsbury West is represented by Labour councillors Debbie Hilal and Greg Stanton, and Liberal Democrat councillor John Leech . All wards within Manchester elect in thirds on a four yearly cycle . Didsbury, at 53°24′59″N 2°13′51″W / 53.41639°N 2.23083°W / 53.41639; -2.23083 (53.4166, −2.2311),
1218-462: A wedding present for them next to their family home. Marie Louise died of peritonitis in 1891, and her father died the following year. The grieving Josephine Silkenstadt created a 5-acre (20,000 m ) public botanical garden opposite their house, named Marie Louise Gardens in memory of her late daughter, and bequeathed it to Withington Urban District Council. The gardens and the Lodge were designed by
1305-518: A winner of the Green Flag Award in 2008. The park is used for dog walking, recreational play, picnics, and hosts events like the Didsbury Festival and Classic Car show. 'Didsbury Good Neighbours', a charity, is based in the park's refurbished pavilion, and operates an on-site cafe. The upkeep of the park is managed by the volunteer group, The Friends of Didsbury Park . Marie Louise Gardens
1392-533: Is a key centre for business, culture and higher education. Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road and Oxford Street are part of an 18th-century route from Manchester to Oxford , and from there to Southampton , which can be traced on modern maps by locating roads which are called (or used to be called) the A34 . Wilmslow Road was designated the A34 until 1967. Many sections of the route have been re-designated when motorways and bypasses took
1479-401: Is a relatively small park to the west of the centre of Didsbury, opened in 1903 in memory of Marie Louise Silkenstadt. The gardens are planted out with a number of rare and unusual tree species. The park was at the centre of controversy in 2007 after Manchester City Council proposed to sell a portion of it to a private property developer. In the northern part of Didsbury lies Fog Lane Park,
1566-641: Is a square mile in the south of Manchester's city centre where two of the UK's largest universities, the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University , are based alongside Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust . These organisations oversee the area in a partnership incorporated in 2007 alongside Manchester City Council and Bruntwood . In 2015, The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) invited consortia, formed around geographic and technological themes, to apply to be involved in
1653-487: Is in Didsbury. British Airways has an office with 300 employees in Pioneer House on the 292,000 square feet (27,100 m2), Dutch-owned Towers Business Park. In 2005, other tenants of the business park included Cisco , IWG , Logica , Trinity Integrated Systems and Thorn Lighting . Didsbury is considered to form a 'stockbroker belt', as it is Manchester's most affluent suburb. The original site of Didsbury Village
1740-551: Is in the parliamentary constituency of Manchester Withington , and is represented by Jeff Smith MP , a member of the Labour Party . Until 2004, most of the area formed the Didsbury ward of Manchester City Council with a section of West Didsbury contained within the Barlow Moor ward. However, boundary changes in 2004 resulted in Didsbury being split mainly between the two new wards of Didsbury East and Didsbury West while
1827-538: Is in the conservation area now known as Didsbury St James, about half a mile (1 km) to the south of what is today's village centre. The old village green is now the beer garden of The Didsbury pub. The traditional independent retailers are gradually being replaced by multi-national firms, raising fears that Didsbury may lose its individual identity and become a "clone town". However, independent traders continue to thrive, especially along Burton Road in West Didsbury, which celebrates its independent spirit each year with
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#17328483846651914-469: Is located at the corner of Grosvenor Street and Oxford Road in Chorlton-on-Medlock . The cinema opened on 19 May 1915, featuring Blanche Forsythe in Jane Shore ; it was described at the time as "Roman-Corinthian of the later Renaissance influence". It dates from the period when the first permanent cinemas were being built, with the distinctive design acting as "ostentatious advertising". The cinema had
2001-557: Is much larger than the average, and is regularly over-subscribed in Year 7. In its 2007 inspection report by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) the school was criticised for "failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education", and for providing "unsatisfactory" value for money. However, in 2012 it came out of special measures and Ofsted deemed it
2088-655: Is planned to replace all the current buildings, which date back to 1951. Parrs Wood and The Barlow were two of only six schools in Manchester to achieve the Manchester Inclusion Standard in 2007, awarded by Manchester Council to those schools doing innovative work to ensure that all their pupils are able to participate fully in the school's activities. There is one centre of further and higher education in Didsbury: The Manchester College , (formerly City College Manchester ) Fielden Campus, which
2175-456: Is rectangular, and is on a corner site with a 3-bay chamfered entrance corner with a pavilion on top. Its facade features green and cream faience and terracotta tiles, and it has 4 bays facing Gosvenor street and 6 bays facing Oxford road. The centre of the Oxford road facade is marked with a raised torch in white terracotta. It has a small attic and a slate roof. It originally had a canopy, which
2262-635: Is served additionally by regional trains to destinations including Liverpool Lime Street , Crewe , Chester and Llandudno . Until the 1960s, the suburb was also served by two stations on the South District Line from Manchester Central : Withington and West Didsbury station on Lapwing Lane (closed in 1961) and Didsbury station (closed in 1967, during the Beeching Axe ). Both stations have since been demolished, although new stops on Manchester's Metrolink have since risen in their place. The area
2349-572: Is served by the Manchester Metrolink light rail / tram with three tram stops at Didsbury Village , East Didsbury and West Didsbury . The tram route uses a reopened section of the former Midland Railway line. Proposals were first announced in 1984 to reopen the disused line as part of the Project Light Rail scheme and the former Didsbury station was to reopen under the name of Didsbury Central or Didsbury Village. The first phase of
2436-518: Is south of the midpoint of the Greater Manchester Urban Area , 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (7 kilometres) south of Manchester city centre. To the north, Didsbury is bordered by Withington , Chorlton-cum-Hardy and Burnage , to the west by Northenden , to the east and south-east by Heaton Mersey and Cheadle , and by Gatley to the south. The River Mersey forms Didsbury's southern and southwestern boundaries and certain stretches of
2523-561: Is thought to have been before the middle of the 13th century. When the plague reached the village in 1352 the chapel yard was consecrated to provide a cemetery for the victims, it being "inconvenient to carry the dead all the way to Manchester". The BBC Radio 4 Daily Service programme of Christian worship – the world's oldest continuous radio programme – is often broadcast from Emmanuel Church, on Barlow Moor Road. Two of Didsbury's religious buildings are Grade II listed : Didsbury Methodist Church of St Paul (now an office building), and
2610-651: The A6010 , the whole of the B5093, part of the A5145 and the whole of the B5095. In 1753, the Manchester and Wilmslow Turnpike Trust was created by Act of Parliament , with powers to build, maintain, and improve the most northerly stretch of the Manchester to Oxford route, funded by the collection of tolls . In 1755 the trust built the first stone bridge over the Mersey . This collapsed in 1756 and
2697-613: The English Civil War , in which Manchester was on the Parliamentarian side. The Royalist commander, Prince Rupert , stationed himself at Didsbury Ees, to the south of Barlow Moor . A section of the Jacobite army including the Duke of Perth crossed the Mersey at Didsbury in 1745 in the Jacobite march south from Manchester to Derby. Bonnie Prince Charlie crossed at Stockport. Jewish immigrants started to arrive in Manchester from
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2784-581: The Flea and Firkin , described in the Rough Guide as a "predominantly student-filled beer-hall-style pub with brewery on site." The public house was renamed to the Footage and Firkin before the site was sold and became a Scream pub called the Footage. It was refurbished by owners Stonegate Pub Company at a cost of £360,000, and was relaunched on 13 September 2014 with a capacity of 620 people. The two-storey building
2871-634: The Industrial Revolution . It became part of Manchester in 1904. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was formed in Didsbury in 1889. Didsbury derives its name from the Anglo-Saxon Dyddi's burg , probably referring to a man known as Dyddi whose stronghold or township it was on a low cliff overlooking a place where the River Mersey could be forded. In the 13th century Didsbury
2958-412: The Manchester Metrolink light rail / tram system opened in 1992 but, due to funding problems, the old trackbed through Didsbury remained derelict for over 20 years until it was reopened in 2013. Rather than reopening at the site of the old Midland Railway station on Wilmslow Road, it was decided instead to locate the new Didsbury Village tram stop further down the line at School Lane. Didsbury has
3045-631: The Manchester South District Line by the Midland Railway in 1880 contributed greatly to the rapid growth in the population of Didsbury. Easy rail connections to Manchester Central were now provided from Didsbury railway station in Didsbury Village, and from Withington and West Didsbury railway station on Palatine Road. Didsbury station was also served by Express trains from Manchester to London St Pancras . Further expansion of
3132-610: The Oxford Road . The name of the road changes again to Oxford Street when it crosses the River Medlock before reaching Manchester city centre . The road runs through the centres of Didsbury , Withington and Fallowfield , including the major student residential campus of Owens Park , to Rusholme . Oxford Road passes through the University of Manchester campus, the Institute for Contemporary Theatre campus of BIMM University and
3219-582: The 1840s, Mendelssohn made several visits to Britain and stayed with the Souchays; he wrote a number of letter to friends with "Eltville House, Withington" as the return address. The Souchays were members of St Paul's Church, Withington ; Mendelssohn gave a recital on the newly installed pipe organ there in 1847, and the first wedding to take place there was that of John Souchay's eldest daughter in 1850. The Souchays are buried in St Paul's churchyard. Eltville House
3306-571: The 1930s near the site of his landing, is marked by a blue plaque to commemorate his achievement. In 1921, a war memorial was erected outside Didsbury Library, on the opposite side of the road to the Midland Railway station. Dedicated to the memory of the 174 local servicemen who fell in World War I , it was unveiled by Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby . After World War II , a further 67 names were added. Further transport enhancements came in
3393-444: The 19th century, although most of the stonework visible today dates from the 17th century. A parsonage was built next to one of the two public houses that flanked the nearby village green, Ye Olde Cock Inn, so-called because of the cockfighting that used to take place there. The parsonage soon gained a reputation for being haunted; servants refused to sleep on the premises, and it was abandoned in 1850. Local alderman Fletcher Moss bought
3480-554: The A34 away from its original route and they took names such as the A3400 and A44. The ancient route goes via Cheadle , Cheadle Hulme , Wilmslow , Congleton , Newcastle-under-Lyme , Stafford , Birmingham , Stratford-upon-Avon and Woodstock . Oxford Road and Oxford Street are the continuation of Wilmslow Road into the centre of Manchester . Oxford Street begins at St Peter's Square 53°28′40″N 2°14′39″W / 53.4778°N 2.2441°W / 53.4778; -2.2441 and
3567-587: The All Saints campus of the Manchester Metropolitan University . Several hospitals including the Christie Hospital and Manchester Royal Infirmary have been built along the road. It also features several parks and gardens such as Fletcher Moss Gardens , Platt Fields and Whitworth Park . The road is part of a major bus corridor with bus movements of over one a minute at peak times and
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3654-503: The Mersey lie within the river's flood plain, and so have historically been prone to flooding after heavy rainfall. The last major flooding was in the late 1960s. In the 1970s extensive flood mitigation work carried out along the Mersey Valley through Manchester has helped to speed up the passage of floodwater. Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden also acts as an emergency flood basin, storing floodwater until it can be safely released back into
3741-538: The Trans Pennine Trail ( National Cycle Route 62). It was sited along a disused railway track, as part of a nationwide initiative to promote cycling. Didsbury's built environment has developed around the areas of East Didsbury, West Didsbury, and Didsbury Village, which separates the two. The Albert Park conservation area, covering much of West Didsbury, places planning restrictions on development, alterations to buildings, and pruning of trees. The areas adjacent to
3828-513: The ancient county boundary into Cheshire . It crosses the River Mersey over the Cheadle Bridge into Cheadle . Its route is then called Manchester Road for a short time but there is a Wilmslow Road on the other side of Cheadle. Oxford Street and a section of Oxford Road together form part of the A34 . The B5117 consists of part of Oxford Road and part of Wilmslow Road. Though a continuous thoroughfare, part of Wilmslow Road also contains part of
3915-565: The area such as 2021's Corridor of Light. Sorted from north to south, although there is some overlap. Prince's Theatre was a theatre in Oxford Street from 1864 to 1940. It was built on a site on the corner of Lower Mosley Street by the architect Edward Salomons for the theatrical manager Charles Alexander Calvert . The theatre was the scene of a series of public-spirited dramatic enterprises, including those remarkable Shakespearean revivals organised successively by John Knowles and Charles Calvert. Later it became known for its pantomimes, from
4002-516: The area, acquiring the Manchester Technology Centre in 2003 and developing Manchester Science Park, and Citylabs both of which have designated Life Sciences Enterprise Zone status, and Circle Square which is home to over 35 digital tech businesses including Hewlett Packard Enterprise , Northcoders, Blair Project and Tootoot. The Oxford Road Corridor partnership shapes the direction of Oxford Road, using cultural activity to animate
4089-544: The borders of Withington , Burnage and Didsbury, at the end of the first flight from London to Manchester in under 24 hours , with one short overnight stop at Lichfield . Arriving at 5:30 am, Paulhan beat the British contender, Claude Grahame-White , winning a £10,000 prize offered by the Daily Mail . This was the first powered flight into Manchester from any point outside the city. Two special trains were chartered to
4176-591: The busiest bus corridor in Europe. There are frequent bus services into Manchester city centre, The Trafford Centre , Northenden and other destinations. Services include: The nearest commuter railway stations to Didsbury are East Didsbury and Burnage on the Styal Line , which runs between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport . The stations were opened in 1909 by the London and North Western Railway . East Didsbury
4263-449: The city, redesigned in the 1920s to include recreational features for residents, such as bowling greens. Located within the St. James’ Conservation Area, it features preservation-order trees, grassland, woodland, and flora. An old air-raid shelter is rumoured to be beneath the football pitch. The park includes a children's playground, a football pitch, and bowling greens. Didsbury Park was also
4350-517: The civil engineer Joshua Cartwright , and were formally opened in June 1903 by James Kenyon . During the Victorian expansion of Manchester, Didsbury developed as a prosperous settlement; a few mansions from the period still exist on Wilmslow Road between Didsbury village and Parrs Wood to the east and Withington to the north, but they have now been converted to nursing homes and offices. The opening of
4437-456: The community and used as exhibition rooms for various forms of art. The gardens are still open to the public. The area around St James' Church has the highest concentration of listed buildings in Manchester, outside the city centre. Didsbury was one of the few places between Stretford and Stockport where the River Mersey could be forded , which made it significant for troop movements during
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#17328483846654524-494: The corridor, competing for the large numbers of passengers who use the route. The main operators are Stagecoach Manchester (along with its low cost brand Magic Bus ) and First Greater Manchester . Other buses along sections of route are provided by companies including Arriva North West and Bullocks Coaches . The number of competing companies has reduced in recent years, as since bus deregulation in 1986 it had been common for four or five different operators to run services along
4611-477: The death rate was falling in the area. The Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden is a 21-acre (8-hectare) recreational park south of the village centre. It is named after local Alderman Fletcher Moss, who donated the park to the city of Manchester in 1919. In 2008, it won the Green Flag Award , the national standard for parks and green spaces in England, an award it has held since 2000. Alderman Fletcher Moss
4698-470: The form of two new arterial roads which were constructed at the peripheral edges of Didsbury 1928–1930: Kingsway (named after King George V ) through East Didsbury; and Princess Road through West Didsbury. Both were laid out as dual carriageways for motor vehicles with a segregated tram track along the central reservation . Manchester Corporation Tramways operated a tram line from Parrs Wood via Burnage into Manchester city centre until 1949, when
4785-402: The house in 1865, and lived in it for more than 40 years. In 1902, he installed a gateway complete with wrought iron gates which he purchased from the soon to be demolished Spread Eagle Hotel in central Manchester which he once owned, at the entrance to the parsonage's garden, which, because of the building's reputation, became known locally as "the gates to Hell". The parsonage is now open to
4872-415: The important streets were given impressive names, Oxford Street, Cambridge Street and Grosvenor Street being three of these. Over the next fifty years residential development spread southwards as far as High Street (the old name of Hathersage Road). The very few remaining dwellings of that period include Waterloo Place, 323, 325, 327 and 333 Oxford Road and Grove House (316–324). In 1861 the turnpike trust
4959-491: The junction of Parrs Wood Road and School Lane served as the northern studios of ITV station ABC Weekend Television . Programmes such as Opportunity Knocks and Police Surgeon were made in the studios. ABC ceased to use the site in 1968 when it lost its ITV franchise, on its merger with fellow ITV company Rediffusion . The site was then used briefly by Yorkshire Television until its own facilities in Leeds were ready. In 1971,
5046-452: The late 18th century, initially settling mainly in the suburbs to the north of the city. From the 1890s onwards, many of them moved to what were seen as the more "sophisticated" suburbs in the south, such as Withington and Didsbury. The influx of Jewish immigrants led to West Didsbury being nicknamed "Yidsbury" and Palatine Road, a main road through West Didsbury, "Palestine Road". A growing population of German merchants and industrialists in
5133-481: The length of the route at any one time. The bus corridor is popular with passengers for its frequent bus services, relatively low fares, and services that run at any hour of the day. Other factors responsible for the high patronage include the high density of students and the notable public facilities that can be found along the route. Wilmslow Road is designated a Quality Bus Corridor by Transport for Greater Manchester . The Oxford Road Corridor innovation district
5220-423: The mid-1890s until 1914. By the 1930s, it was in some financial difficulty and closed in 1940. After demolition and many years of delay the office block of Peter House was built on the site. The Palace Theatre on the junction of Whitworth Street opened in 1891. The Hippodrome, designed by Frank Matcham for Sir Oswald Stoll , was a 3,000-seat theatre built on the corner of Great Bridgewater Street, on part of
5307-455: The mid-19th century earned Manchester the nickname of "the German city". In the Didsbury area, the Souchays were a well-known merchant family of Huguenot descent with connections to Germany. John D. Souchay built Eltville House, a large residence on the corner of Fog Lane and Wilmslow Road (a site bounded today by Clayton Avenue and Clothorn Road). The house, named after Eltville in Germany, had
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#17328483846655394-595: The name changes from Oxford Street to Oxford Road as the road crosses the River Medlock 53°28′25″N 2°14′24″W / 53.4737°N 2.2401°W / 53.4737; -2.2401 , placing Oxford Road railway station closer to Oxford Street than Oxford Road. Wilmslow Road starts at the junction with Hathersage Road 53°27′33″N 2°13′39″W / 53.4591°N 2.2274°W / 53.4591; -2.2274 and continues to Parrs Wood 53°24′21″N 2°13′06″W / 53.4058°N 2.2184°W / 53.4058; -2.2184 where it crosses
5481-514: The newly built but unopened Burnage railway station to take spectators to the landing, many of whom had stood throughout the night. Paulhan's progress was followed throughout by a special train carrying his wife, Henri Farman and his mechanics. Afterwards, his train took the party to a civic reception given by the Lord Mayor of Manchester in the town hall . A house in Paulhan Road, constructed in
5568-455: The north bank of the River Mersey , 5 miles (8 kilometres) south of Manchester city centre . The population at the 2011 census was 26,788. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire , there are records of Didsbury existing as a small hamlet as early as the 13th century. Its early history was dominated by being part of the Manor of Withington , a feudal estate that covered
5655-529: The old township border of the River Medlock . The Chorlton-on-Medlock section became Oxford Road and from Rusholme to Parrs Wood remained Wilmslow Road. Horse-drawn omnibuses operated along Wilmslow Road from before 1850. In 1877 the Rusholme Board of Health gained Parliamentary approval to lay tramlines. The trams were horse drawn and operated by the Manchester Carriage Company. Rusholme
5742-790: The population, and the over-65s for 15%. The population density in 2001 was 5,276/square mile (2,037/km ). In May 2021 a claim published by the Daily Mail that Didsbury was among a number of " no-go areas for white people" attracted media criticism. As of the UK's 2001 census , Didsbury had an estimated workforce of 10,755 or 75% of the population. Economic status in Didsbury was: 48% in full-time employment, 11% retired, 10% self-employed, 8% in part-time employment, 4% full-time student (without job), 4% housewife/husband or carer, 4% permanently sick or disabled, 4% unemployed and 2% economically inactive for unstated reasons. Didsbury's 48% rate of full-time employment compares with 33% in Manchester and 41% across
5829-594: The railways ensued when the London & North Western Railway 's Styal Line from Manchester London Road to Wilmslow opened in 1909, introducing two new stations to the area, East Didsbury & Parrs Wood and Burnage . In 1910, A stone clock tower and water fountain was erected outside Didsbury Midland Railway station in memory of local doctor and campaigner for the poor, Dr John Milson Rhodes . On 28 April 1910, French pilot Louis Paulhan landed his Farman biplane in Barcicroft Fields, Pytha Fold Farm, on
5916-477: The river also demarcate the boundaries of the City of Manchester . The area is generally considered to be roughly enclosed by Princess Parkway to the west, Kingsway to the east and the Ball Brook, just north of Lapwing Lane/Fog Lane to the north. This northern boundary is marked by a boundary stone in the front garden wall of a house on the west side of Wilmslow Road. A "country trail" passes from West Didsbury to East, named
6003-666: The river. Parts of the local flood plain, much of Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden, the whole of nearby Didsbury Park and many of the listed buildings in the area are grouped into the St. James' Conservation area, which is centred on Wilmslow Road, just south of Didsbury Village. The United Kingdom Census 2001 recorded Didsbury as having a population of 14,292, of whom 87% were born in the United Kingdom. A large majority of residents, 88%, identified themselves as white , 8% as Asian , 2% as mixed ethnicity, 1% black and 1% Chinese or other ethnic group. The under-16s accounted for 17% of
6090-565: The science and innovation audit (SIA) process. The Greater Manchester and East Cheshire SIA highlighted that 50% of the City Region's science and innovation assets were located in the Oxford Road Corridor. Recognising the region's ‘Core Strengths’ in Health Innovation and Advanced Materials, and ‘Fast Growth Opportunities’ focused on the future potential of Digital, Energy, and Industrial Biotechnology. In 2018, Manchester City Council adopted
6177-418: The service was closed. In the postwar years, passenger train services on the South District Line (now part of British Rail ) were gradually reduced, and in 1967 the line was closed as part of the Beeching cuts . For some years the old station building was in use as Station Hardware and DIY store, before it was demolished in 1982. In the early 13th century, Didsbury lay within the manor of Withington,
6264-618: The site of Hengler's Grand Cirque, and opened in December 1904. In 1934, it started showing films but the theatre was sold to Granada Theatres and closed in February 1935. The Hippodrome was demolished and replaced in October 1935 by the Theodore Komisarjevsky -designed 2,300-seat Gaumont , who acquired it from Granada shortly before opening. It was the grandest of Manchester's cinemas with
6351-402: The studios were acquired by Manchester Polytechnic , who used it for cinema, television studies and theatre. The building was demolished in the late 1990s to make way for a residential development, but the name lives on in the form of a new theatre space in the heart of the M.M.U. campus in the All Saints area along Oxford Road, just to the south of Manchester city centre. Until 2009 Didsbury
6438-493: The two-day Westfest festival. The 200-year-old Peacock's Funeral Parlour, one of the few pre-Victorian buildings in the village and regarded by some as the centrepiece of the village, was demolished in the summer of 2005 to make way for a new branch of Boots the Chemists . The owner, United Co-op , blamed changing demographics for the closure of the funeral parlour; with more and more homes being occupied by young professional people,
6525-442: The west. It was named after King George V and was originally numbered A5079. It was one of the earliest purpose-built roads especially for motor vehicles, and built as a dual carriageway. In 1959, it was extended south across the River Mersey to bypass Cheadle and later renumbered to become the A34 in 1967. Wilmslow Road is reputed to be the busiest bus corridor in Europe. Several bus companies operate services along all or part of
6612-583: The whole of England. The area's 4% unemployment rate is in contrast to Manchester's rate of 9% and broadly in line with the 5% rate of unemployment for England. In 2001, the main industries of employment in Didsbury were 20% property and business services, 15% education, 15% health and social work, 10% retail and wholesale, 9% manufacturing, 6% transport and communications, 5% financial services, 4% hotels and restaurants, 4% construction, 4% public administration and defence, and 8% other. These figures were similar to those from surrounding areas, but Didsbury did have
6699-553: Was also a chapelry in Manchester parish. It became a civil parish in 1866, and in 1876 was incorporated into the Withington Urban Sanitary District, superseded in 1894 by the creation of Withington Urban District. Withington Urban District was a subdivision of the administrative county of Lancashire, created as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1894 . In 1904, Withington Urban District
6786-471: Was also responsible for restoring the gardens surrounding the old parsonage of St James's Church. Today, the Parsonage Gardens are open to the public, and the former parsonage house is now in use as an art gallery and community building. Didsbury Park is a community park located close to the centre of Didsbury village, surrounded by residential housing. It is one of the first municipal planned parks in
6873-424: Was amalgamated into the city and county borough of Manchester, and so Didsbury was absorbed into Manchester, although it remained a civil parish until 1 October 1910 when it was abolished and merged with South Manchester . In 1901 the parish had a population of 9234. Following the Local Government Act 1972 , Manchester became a metropolitan borough of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester . Didsbury
6960-514: Was incorporated into the City of Manchester in 1885. The city electrified the route in December 1902 and operated the new trams. The Tram Sheds, a feature of Wilmslow Road at the time were no longer needed and became a riding school and later the Rusholme Theatre. Kingsway was constructed in stages, from 1928, and completed in 1930. It was built as relief road to ease congestion on Wilmslow Road to
7047-513: Was later removed. Much of the original interior, including plasterwork, the balcony and the vaulted ceiling, is still present in the building. The inside balcony originally had multi-coloured inlaid panels. The building was listed by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building on 3 October 1974. Wilmslow Road Wilmslow Road is a major road in Manchester , England, running from Parrs Wood northwards to Rusholme where it becomes
7134-495: Was opened in 1972 by Margaret Thatcher , offers a variety of courses including communication and technology. Manchester Metropolitan University 's Didsbury Campus, the former Didsbury School of Education , was home to the faculties of health, social care, and education, along with the Broomhurst Hall of Residence. The University closed the campus and sold the land in 2014. Parrs Wood, with about 2,000 pupils on its register,
7221-639: Was purchased by Jame Clayton Chorlton in 1888 and he renamed it Didsbury Priory. The Chorltons often opened their private garden to the public during springtime. Among the other German industrialists in Didsbury was Johann Georg Silkenstadt, a cotton merchant who moved to the area from Bremen in 1865. He and his wife Josephine Helene built Rose Bank on Palatine Road in West Didsbury in 1872. Their only daughter, Marie Louise, married William Murray Caldwell Greaves Bagshawe of Ford Hall in Chapel-en-le-Frith , Derbyshire. The Silkenstadts built for Greystoke Hall as
7308-414: Was rebuilt in 1758. The bridge was replaced in 1780 and again in 1861. The improved transport links spurred the development of villages such as Rusholme and Withington along the route. These villages eventually merged and became part of the city of Manchester . Chorlton-on-Medlock , the district nearest the town centre, was developed as a residential suburb in 1793–94 by the three landowners. Most of
7395-631: Was the base for one of the Manchester Evening News subsidiaries, the South Manchester Reporter . Didsbury is close to junction 5 of Manchester's ring road , the M60 motorway . Manchester Airport , the busiest airport in the UK outside London, is situated about 4 miles (6.5 km) to the south. Didsbury is served by bus routes on the Wilmslow Road bus corridor , said to be
7482-415: Was threatened with abolition but survived by offering to build Palatine Road from Withington to West Didsbury. All turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were abolished by 1881. Until some time in the 1880s all of Oxford Road and Oxford Street was called Oxford Street (as far south as High Street). The present street and road with different series of house numbers were introduced so that Oxford Street ended at
7569-425: Was variously referred to as Dydesbyre, Dydesbiri, Didsbury or Dodesbury. A charter granted in about 1260 shows that a corn-grinding mill was operating in Didsbury, along the River Mersey, but the earliest reference to Didsbury is in a document dating from 1235, recording a grant of land for the building of a chapel. The church was named St James Church in 1855. It underwent major refurbishment in 1620 and again in
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