Baguley ( ) is an area and
electoral ward of the city of
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, in
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...
, England. The population at the
2011 census was 14,794.
The name ''Baguley'' is derived from the
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
words ''bagga'' (badger, or possibly referring simply to any woodland or hill-inhabiting wild animal) and ''lēah'' (clearing or meadow).
Historically in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, Baguley is mentioned in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086. It was incorporated into Manchester in 1931.
History
Baguley is recorded in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
with 1.5 ploughlands
(one ploughland being the amount of land that can be ploughed by a team of eight oxen). In 1086, the tenants in chief were Gilbert (the hunter) and
Hamon de Masci.
The Barons de Masci also had control over the manors of
Dunham,
Bowdon,
Hale,
Partington
Partington is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is sited south-west of Manchester city centre. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Ches ...
and
Timperley
Timperley is a suburban village in the borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Cheshire, it is approximately six miles southwest of central Manchester. T ...
.
In the 13th century, the Massey Family (Baron Hamon deMascy) was the main landlord in
Northenden
Northenden is a suburb of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 15,064 at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census. It lies on the south side of the River Mersey, west of Stockport and south of Manchest ...
. Through marriage, the Massey family's land in Baguley passed to the Baguley Family, who built
Baguley Hall in the 14th century.
Baguley Hall is a 14th-century timber-framed manor house that may have replaced an 11th- or 12th-century house.
The ownership of Baguley can be mapped through the ownership of
Baguley Hall and its manor lands.
Most of Baguley was developed for housing after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
as part of the Wythenshawe Estate, including many
council house
A council house, corporation house or council flat is a form of British Public housing in the United Kingdom, public housing built by Local government in the United Kingdom, local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing ...
s and later
tower block
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdiction. ...
s (a typical one shown at right is Brookway Court); Manchester City Council publications refer to Baguley as "one of Europe's biggest housing estates."
However, much of the
social housing
Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...
has been sold off under the ''Right To Buy'' scheme and there are also several private housing developments in the area; parkland was provided from the start under the development plan.
[
]
Administrative history
Baguley was a township
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
and chapelry
A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century.
Status
A chapelry had a similar status to a Township (England), township, but was so named as it had a chapel of ease ...
of Bowdon, one of the ancient parishes of the Bucklow Hundred
The hundred of Bucklow was an ancient division of the historic county of Cheshire, in northern England. It was known to have been in existence at least as early as 1260, and it was formed from the earlier Domesday hundreds of Bochelau and Tun ...
of Cheshire. Under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1886, the township became a civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in its own right. On 1 April 1931, Manchester extended its boundaries south of the Mersey in to form Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe () is an area of Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a large housing estate there in the 1920s. With an area of approximately , ...
; Baguley was incorporated into the civil parish and County Borough of Manchester, along with neighbouring Northenden
Northenden is a suburb of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 15,064 at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census. It lies on the south side of the River Mersey, west of Stockport and south of Manchest ...
and Northen Etchells
Northen Etchells was a civil parish in Cheshire, England. It was abolished in 1931 when the area was absorbed into the County Borough of Manchester.
Toponymy
"Northen" is an old name for Northenden and "Etchells" came from Anglo-Saxon ''ēcels'' ...
. In 1921, the parish had a population of 1325.
Governance
Baguley is part of the Wythenshawe and Sale East parliamentary constituency, which is currently represented at Westminster
Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
by Mike Kane
Michael Joseph Patrick Kane (born 9 January 1969) is a British politician who has served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, Kane has served as Member of Pa ...
MP.
indicates seat up for re-election.
indicates seat won in by-election.
Commerce
Baguley also includes the Roundthorn Industrial Estate, where several factories and businesses are located. This included a Habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
store which opened in the 1970s, but closed in 2011 when the company downsized and closed all of its stores outside London. In 1990, a large Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...
superstore opened in the area. Across the road from this is Brookway Retail Park, which is home to several stores including Aldi
Aldi (German pronunciation: ), stylised as ALDI, is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and ...
, B & M, Matalan
Matalan Retail Ltd is a British clothing and homewares retailer based in Knowsley, Merseyside, founded by John Hargreaves in 1985.
In August 1988, its operations director at the time, Duncan Sullivan, transformed Matalan into an out-of-town wa ...
, Pets at Home
Pets at Home Group PLC (sometimes shortened to Pets) is a British retailer selling pets (not limited to rabbits, rodents and fish), pet food, toys, bedding and medication.
Founded in 1991, the company operates 453 stores across the UK, as wel ...
and Wickes.
Transport
Baguley railway station was opened on 1 February 1866 and closed on 30 November 1964 during the Beeching cuts
The Beeching cuts, also colloquially referred to as the Beeching Axe, were a major series of route closures and service changes made as part of the restructuring of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain in the 1960s. They are named ...
. It was served mostly by local trains operating between Stockport Tiviot Dale and Liverpool Central, and on a separate line from Stockport to Altrincham
Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...
.
The line through the former station site is still used by Northern Trains
Northern Trains, Trade name, trading as Northern, is a British train operating company that operates Commuter rail, commuter and Inter-city rail, medium-distance intercity services in the North of England. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Dep ...
' passenger services between , , Altrincham, and .
Public services
See also South Manchester University Hospital
Baguley is covered by the South Manchester Division of Greater Manchester Police.
References
{{Wikivoyage, Baguley
Areas of Manchester
Manchester City Council Wards
Former civil parishes in Greater Manchester
Wythenshawe