Bramhall

Bramhall is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area as defined by the Office for National Statistics had a population of 17,195. Bramhall was formerly a civil parish in Cheshire. The parish was abolished in 1900 to become part of Hazel Grove and Bramhall, which was in turn abolished in 1974 to become part of the metropolitan borough of Stockport.

History

In 1066 the Anglo-Saxon manor of Bramall was held as separate estates by two freemen, Brun and Hakon. In 1070, William the Conqueror subdued the north-west of England, and divided the land among his followers. The manor was given to Hamon de Massey, who eventually became the first Baron of Dunham Massey. The earliest reference to Bramall was recorded in the Domesday Book as "Bramale", a name derived from the Old English words ''brom'' meaning broom, both indigenous to the area, and ''halh'' meaning nook or secret place, probably by water. De Massey received the manor as wasteland, since it had been devastated in the ''Harrying of the North''. By the time of the Domesday survey, the land was recovering and cultivated again.

Governance

There is one main tier of local government covering Bramhall, at metropolitan borough level: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. The council is a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which is led by the directly-elected Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Bramhall is part of the parliamentary constituency of Cheadle, represented by Liberal Democrat Tom Morrison since 2024.

Administrative history

Bramhall was historically a township in the ancient parish of Stockport, which formed part of the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire. From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the poor laws, in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Stockport, the civil functions were exercised by each township rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so Bramhall became a civil parish.

As well as the village of Bramhall, the township included surrounding rural areas and extended to include the south-western side of the village of Hazel Grove, which straddled four townships: Bosden, Bramhall, Norbury, and Torkington.

When elected parish and district councils were created in 1894, Bramhall was given a parish council and included in the Stockport Rural District. Shortly afterwards, Stockport Borough Council began campaigning to have the various small parishes just outside its southern boundaries (most of which had formerly been townships in the parish of Stockport) incorporated into the County Borough of Stockport. The five parish councils of Bramhall, Bosden, Norbury, Offerton and Torkington collectively decided that they wished to resist being brought into Stockport, and therefore petitioned Cheshire County Council to create an urban district covering the combined area of their five parishes. The county council agreed, and the parish of Bramhall was therefore abolished in September 1900, with the area becoming part of the new civil parish and urban district of Hazel Grove and Bramhall.

In 1891 (the last census before the abolition of the parish), Bramhall had a population of 3,365.

Although Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District included Bramhall in its name, the council was always based in Hazel Grove, initially at offices on London Road, then at Torkington Lodge from 1937.

Hazel Grove and Bramhall was abolished in 1974 to become part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester.

Landmarks

Bramall Hall, set in of parkland, is an example of a 14th-century Cheshire building. In 2016 an extensive programme of restoration work was completed. The Ladybrook flows westward through the park, joining the River Mersey at Cheadle.

Bramhall War Memorial is in Mayfield Place. It was unveiled by Sir Henry de Beauvoir De Lisle on 18 December 1921. It commemorates the 90 men of Bramhall who fell in the two world wars.

Churches

The Church of England parish church of St Michael and All Angels in Robins Lane was consecrated in 1911 when Bramhall ecclesiastical parish was created, although the building was not completed until 1963. It replaced an earlier mission church opened in 1890.

Other churches in Bramhall include the Methodist Church near the centre of the village, the United Reformed Church located on Bramhall Lane South, the Baptist Church located on Woodford Road, the Roman Catholic Church of St. Vincent de Paul on Handley Road and Ford's Lane Evangelical Church.

Recreation

Bramhall has a cricket club and there are three lawn tennis clubs (LTC): Bramhall Queensgate LTC, to the north; Bramhall Lane LTC, close to the village; and Bramhall Park LTC, close to the park. There are also two golf clubs in Bramhall, each with 18-hole courses: Bramhall Golf Club and Bramall Park Golf Club. Stockport RUFC in Bramhall has been host to Headlander Festival. There is a recreation centre linked with Bramhall High School with indoor and outdoor facilities.

Transport

Bramhall railway station is on a spur of the West Coast Main Line between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston, via Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent. Local trains stop every hour Monday-Saturday on their way to/from Manchester Piccadilly and Stoke-on-Trent; there is a much reduced service on Sundays.

Bus services link Bramhall with Manchester (42B), Stockport (378/9), Cheadle Hulme (42B,307/8), Woodford (42B), Parrs Wood (42B) and Hazel Grove (307/8). Routes are predominantly operated by Stagecoach Manchester.

Housing

Bramhall has a high number of Edwardian and some Victorian houses, particularly around the village centre and along the main roads (and side roads) leading towards Bramhall Park, Cheadle Hulme and Woodford. In addition, there are several older listed buildings in the area. These contribute to the historic character of the village. There are also several 1930s-1950s houses in the area. The 1960s and early 1970s saw a growth in Bramhall's housing stock. New developments included the Parkside and New House Farm areas in the north of Bramhall nearer to the park. Closer to the village centre lies the Dairyground estate and the Little Australia estate, so called as many roads are named after locations in Australia. Newer infill housing of a similar period exists in pockets around Bramhall, as well as some more recent additions.

Education

Bramhall has five primary schools: Ladybrook, Moss Hey, Nevill Road, Pownall Green and Queensgate. Bramhall High School is the local secondary school.

Notable people

Notable local residents have included:
* Ronnie Barker, actor and comedian, worked in a repertory company in Bramhall early in his career.
* Peter Barkworth, actor
* George Best, former Manchester United football player
* Steve Bruce, football manager and former Manchester United footballer, lived off Robins Lane
* Peter Butterworth, actor, born in Bramhall
* Lauren Drummond, actress, attended Bramhall High School
* David Ellis, composer
* Keith Fielding, former England and Great Britain international rugby player
* Yvette Fielding, actress and ''Blue Peter'' presenter
* Phil Foden, Manchester City footballer
* Martin Fry, lead singer of the band ABC
* Mark Hadfield, actor, born in Bramhall
* Sarah Harding, singer in the girl group Girls Aloud
* Dame Wendy Hiller, actress, born in Bramhall
* Paul Ince, former Manchester United footballer
* Jason Manford, comedian, singer, television presenter, radio presenter and actor.
* Anne Reid, actress, lived in Bramhall for many years.
* Uwe Rosler, former Manchester City footballer
* Kasper Schmeichel, former Leicester City and Manchester City footballer
* Peter Schmeichel, former Manchester United and Manchester City footballer
* Ole Gunnar Solskjær, former Manchester United player and former manager, lived in Bramhall whilst a player.
* Ryan Thomas, actor
* Bert Trautmann, German former goalkeeper for Manchester City
* Aimee Lou Wood, actress

See also

* Listed buildings in Hazel Grove and Bramhall
* Ladybrook Valley

External links

Bramhall United Reformed Church

References

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Areas of Greater Manchester
Villages in Greater Manchester
Former civil parishes in Greater Manchester
Geography of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport