Bramhall

Village in Greater Manchester, England

For others, see Bramhall (disambiguation).

Human settlement in England

Bramhall

Bramall Hall is a Tudor mansion and local landmark.

Bramhall

Location within Greater Manchester

Population| 17,195 (Built-up area, 2021)[1]
OS grid reference| SJ890845
Metropolitan borough|

* Stockport

Metropolitan county|

* Greater Manchester

Region|

* North West

Country| England
Sovereign state| United Kingdom
Post town| STOCKPORT
Postcode district| SK7
Dialling code| 0161
Police| Greater Manchester
Fire| Greater Manchester
Ambulance| North West
UK Parliament|

* Cheadle

List of places

England
Greater Manchester

53°21′25″N 2°09′50″W﻿ / ﻿53.357°N 2.164°W﻿ / 53.357; -2.164

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

[edit]

In 1066 the Anglo-Saxon manor of Bramall was held as separate estates by two freemen, Brun and Hakon.[2][3] 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.[4] 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.[5]

## Governance

[edit]

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,[6] represented by Liberal Democrat Tom Morrison since 2024.

### Administrative history

[edit]

Bramhall was historically a township in the ancient parish of Stockport, which formed part of the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire.[7] 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.[8]

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.[9]

When elected parish and district councils were created in 1894, Bramhall was given a parish council and included in the Stockport Rural District.[7] 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.[10] 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.[7][11]

In 1891 (the last census before the abolition of the parish), Bramhall had a population of 3,365.[12]

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,[13] then at Torkington Lodge from 1937.[14]

Hazel Grove and Bramhall was abolished in 1974 to become part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester.[15]

## Landmarks

[edit]

Bramhall War Memorial

Bramall Hall, set in 26 hectares (64 acres) 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.[16] It commemorates the 90 men of Bramhall who fell in the two world wars.[17][18]

## Churches

[edit]

St Michael and All Angels' Church

The Church of England parish church of St Michael and All Angels[19] 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.[20]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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.[21]

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.[22]

* v
* t
* e

Neighbouring districts and places.

| Cheadle | Stockport | Great Moor

|
|

|  |
Cheadle Hulme |

Bramhall

| Hazel Grove
|  |
Handforth | Woodford | Poynton

## Housing

[edit]

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.[23] 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

[edit]

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

## Notable people

[edit]

Notable local residents have included:

* Ronnie Barker, actor and comedian, worked in a repertory company in Bramhall early in his career.[24]
* Peter Barkworth, actor
* George Best, former Manchester United football player[25]
* Steve Bruce, football manager and former Manchester United footballer, lived off Robins Lane
* Peter Butterworth, comedy actor and comedian
* Sacha Dhawan, actor, born in Bramhall
* Lauren Drummond, actress, attended Bramhall High School
* David Ellis, composer
* Keith Fielding, former England and Great Britain international rugby player[26]
* Yvette Fielding, actress and Blue Peter presenter
* Phil Foden, Manchester City footballer[citation needed]
* 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[27]
* Paul Ince, former Manchester United footballer[28]
* 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[29]
* Kasper Schmeichel, former Leicester City and Manchester City footballer[30]
* Peter Schmeichel, former Manchester United and Manchester City footballer[31]
* 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

[edit]

* Greater Manchester portal

* Listed buildings in Hazel Grove and Bramhall
* Ladybrook Valley

## External links

[edit]

* Bramhall United Reformed Church

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales". Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
2. ^ "Bramhall Hall, Cheshire". bramhill.net. Archived from the original on 26 January 2015.
3. ^ "Bramhall". opendomesday.org. Open Domesday.
4. ^ "Bramhall Park (2005)". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014.
5. ^ Dean, E. Barbara (1977). Bramall Hall: The Story of an Elizabethan Manor House. Stockport: Recreation & Culture Division, Metropolitan Borough Council of Stockport. p. 14\. ISBN 0-905164-06-7.
6. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
7. ^ a b c "Bramhall Township / Civil Parish". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
8. ^ Youngs, Frederic (1991). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II, Northern England. London: Royal Historical Society. p. xv. ISBN 0861931270.
9. ^ "Cheshire Sheet XIX". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. 1882. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
10. ^ "Proposed new urban council". Manchester Courier. 12 January 1900. p. 10. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
11. ^ Annual Report of the Local Government Board. 1901. p. 340. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
12. ^ "Population statistics Bramhall CP/Tn through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
13. ^ Kelly's Directory of Cheshire. 1914. p. 358. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
14. ^ "Councillors - Hazel Grove". Stockport Image Archive. Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
15. ^ "Local Government Act 1972: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70 (sch. 1), retrieved 15 January 2025
16. ^ "Bramhall War Memorial". Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser. 23 December 1921. p. 2.
17. ^ "The Men of the Bramhall War Memorial" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
18. ^ "Bramhall". www.iwm.org.uk. Imperial War Museums, War Memorials Register.
19. ^ "St Michael & All Angels Parish Church".
20. ^ "Bramhall, St Michael and All Angels". The National Archives. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
21. ^ "Timetables and engineering information for travel with Northern". Northern Trains. May 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
22. ^ "Stops in Bramhall". Bus Times. 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
23. ^ "Listed Buildings in Bramhall South and Woodford Ward, Stockport". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
24. ^ McCabe, Bob (2005). Ronnie Barker: the authorized biography. London: BBC Books. pp. 30–31\. ISBN 9780563522461.30-31&rft.pub=BBC+Books&rft.date=2005&rft.isbn=9780563522461&rft.aulast=McCabe&rft.aufirst=Bob&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=CJTfeICgTtMC&pg;=PA30&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Bramhall" class="Z3988">
25. ^ "Inside the late British football star George Best's house". House and Garden. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
26. ^ "Bramhall named friendliest spot". Manchester Evening News. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
27. ^ "Dame Wendy Hiller | British actress". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
28. ^ "At Home with Paul Ince". Independent. 30 September 1995. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
29. ^ Viner, Brian (23 October 2011). "'Cancer did not change me. I still have the same hunger for my profession". Independent. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
30. ^ "Schmeichel and Bruce are back in action". Mirror. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
31. ^ Spackman, Anne (29 September 1995). "The 11 footballers on the right are hot property. But do they live in one?". Independent. Retrieved 29 January 2020.

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