Cheadle Hulme History Walk, Cheshire

If you choose to do this walk, responsibility for your walking safety in sensible shoes, clothing and road safety is entirely yours and not ours. We take no responsibility for how you undertake the walk. 

Cheadle Hulme is an amalgamation of several hamlets although each still has its own identity. These hamlets included Hursthead, Gillbent, Smithy Green , Hulme Hall. 

From the car park on Woods Lane,  walk down to Church Rd.  Where the High School stands, a Sports and Fireworks day was held in 1919 to celebrate the end of The Great War in 1918. A National School was built in 1873. A school stood on the site of this car park. 

Cross the road at the crossing and walk down to All Saint's Church pictured above. It was built approx 1862/3. Local tradition states that it was bad luck for a bride and groom to enter by this lych gate on their wedding day or one of them would die within the year. 

The churchyard is a Commonwealth war graves site. Look around and see what war graves you can find. 

The Church Inn, formerly known as the Knapsack was built towards the end of the 18^th Century approx.  1790s and acquired its original name after the landlord named John Brown (Nicknamed The Nap). Opposite The Church Inn is The Governor’s House which used to be a private residence called Ravenoak. It was built in 1882 and rebuilt in 1998. This is on the site of the old Pump House. There was a large pond by the road at this site.The road is called Ravenoak Road. 

Walking up  Ravenoak Rd, from the Church Inn on the left after Swann Lane, you will see a line of 16th C cottages. Swann Lane is named after the old Swann Acre and Swann Meadow. Crossing the road to the right-hand side, you will see at the brow of a bridge, a foundation stone saying how the bridge was widened in 1935. 

Walking down to the mini roundabout, The War Memorial is on the right ahead. It was built in 1919 and officially ‘opened’ in 1920. It is a Grade 11 listed monument. 

Turning left now up Station Road, on the left is the Old Police Station which was built in 1912. It is now a block of flats.

Cross Station Road. On the right is a Methodist Church. Cheadle Hulme is traditionally a strong Methodist area. Millington Hall further down on the right (now the John Millington pub) is a Grade II listed building.  It was constructed in 1683 and was part of the Lane End hamlet of Cheadle Hulme. It was built for Stockport alderman John Millington.

1964 saw a great tragedy in Cheadle Hulme when what was known as the "Lollipop Express " a train full of children on a day out crashed at Cheadle Hulme station . Several children were injured, maimed or died. The train was speeding through works along the track. 

Opposite the station, turn up the hill on Mellor  Road to Mellor Green. Cheadle Hulme Library on Mellor Road  above opened in October 1929.

Chad's theatre group opened after The Great War 1914-1918 and performed its first play in 1920 at the Parish Hall. 

Pass CHADS on the left and turn right along the path. Hesketh Park on the right was originally an orchard and part of Hill Top Farm on Hill Top Avenue. Walk to Hulme Hall Road.  

At the corner, opposite The Hesketh stands Prospect House built approx 1848. 

Hulme Hall dates back to the Plantagenet era. The Vernon family constructed it around 1419 and extended it in 1867.

1419 !  So approx. 73 years before Columbus set sail. 

The painting below shows Hulme Hall before it was renovated. 

The original Cheadle Hulme station was next to Hulme Hall on Hulme Hall Road and diagonally opposite The Hesketh. The bridge and platform are still in evidence.  Spring Bank Cottage on the right was the old station house. 

The Hesketh was originally called the Horse and Jockey.

Near the Hall on the left, before you reach a sharp bend in Hulme Hall Rd Rd, you will see a large doorway. This was the original Cheadle Hulme Fire Station. The new fire station opened in 1960.
Opposite the Old Fire Station, you will see Higham Street, which is a very old part of Cheadle Hulme. The Old Cottage on Higham Street was built during the mid-1500s, approx. Henry V111 time, and since then has been an inn called the Fox & Grapes, a farmhouse, the Reverend Joshua Brookes’ House and a cottage. The Market Square was situated here when Cheadle Hulme was called Cheadle Moseley.

The old Hulme Hall School, a private school, was on the left and has recently been demolished for a swish housing estate.  Further down on the right though is another private school. Cheadle Hulme School formerly Warehousemen's and Clerk's School.  Continue walking along Hulme Hall Road to the mini roundabout. At this roundabout, was one of Cheadle Hulme's blacksmith's forges. Another blacksmith's was further back along Hulme Hall Road and owned by the Brown family. It is on the left , a timber framed building near  the lights at Turves Road and has a plaque over the door. 

Cross over back to Woods Lane. You have now done a circular walk of Cheadle Hulme South. 

These are just a few photos of where I live. I hope you like them as much as I like living here.