Timperley

The name Timperley derives from Timber Leah, the Anglo-Saxon (Old English) for a "clearing in the forest". This can be used to roughly date the settlement of Timperley to between the 7th and 8th centuries. Timperley was a predominantly agricultural settlement before the Industrial Revolution, focusing mainly on arable crops.[3]

The Bridgewater Canal with Timperley Metrolink station in the background

The Bridgewater Canal branch from Stretford to Runcorn was built through Timperley and opened in 1776. This improvement in transport encouraged the development of market gardening in the area to serve the growing city of Manchester. The city also provided a source of night soil which was unloaded from the canal by Deansgate Lane to provide manure for farms and market gardens.

Up until the early 19th century Timperley was one of several townships in the parish of Bowdon. Timperley Parish Council was established in the 19th century. From the late 19th century Bucklow Rural District Council administered Timperley until 1936 when responsibility passed to Altrincham Urban District Council.

In 1974, Altrincham UD was merged into the new Trafford Metropolitan Borough of Greater Manchester. The ward of Timperley has three out of sixty three seats on Trafford Council, and at the 2019 local elections two seats were held by Liberal Democrats Jane Brophy and Meena Minnis, and one by the Conservative Nathan Evans.[5] Parts of Timperley are also in Village, Broadheath and Hale Barns wards.

Since 1997, Timperley has formed part of the Altrincham and Sale West Constituency, before that it was encompassed by the Altrincham and Sale constituency. It has been represented, since 1997, in the House of Commons by the Conservative MP, Graham Brady.

Timperley lies to the north east of Altrincham and is bounded by Fairywell Brook to the east, Hale Moss and Well Green to the south, Timperley Brook to the west and Baguley Brook to the north.

It has borders with the areas of Altrincham to the South, Sale to the North and the Manchester suburb of Wythenshawe to the East.

Areas of Timperley include :

• Village (Main focal point of Timperley at the junction of Stockport Road/Thorley Lane/Park Road)
• West Timperley (North West from Timperley Metrolink station towards Manchester Road)
• Timperley Heyes (to North of Timperley Village and covering Grange Estate, Heyes Lane and Riddings)
• Timperley Brook (West of Timperley Village, towards Altrincham)
• Higher Timperley (Area to South West of Timperley Village bounded by Thorley Lane/Wood Lane)
• Broomwood estate (Estate to the South of Timperley Village)

Timperley was struck by an F0/T1 tornado on 23 November 1981, as part of the record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak on that day.[6]

At the 2001 UK census, the village of Timperley had a total population of 11,049.[7] The population density was 37.4 persons per hectare and for every 100 females, there were 98.8 males.[7][8] Of those aged 16–74 in Timperley, 19.6% had no academic qualifications, lower than the 24.7% all of Trafford and 28.9% in England. Of the 4,473 households in Timperley, 46.8% were married couples living together, 24.9% were one-person households, 7.3% were co-habiting couples and 7.2% were lone parents.[9]

With 94.9% being born in United Kingdom there is a low proportion of foreign-born residents. There is also a low proportion of non-white people as 97.2% of residents were recorded as white. The largest minority group was recorded as Asian at 1.1% of the population.[7][10]

At the 2001 UK census, Timperley had a possible workforce of approximately 8,092 people. The town also has a low rate of unemployment (1.7%) compared with Trafford (2.7%) and England (3.3%).[11] The Office for National Statistics estimated that during the period of April 2001 to March 2002 the average gross weekly income of households in Timperley was £640 (£33,280 per year).[12]

According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents in Timperley was 17.8% property and business services, 16.2% retail and wholesale, 11.9% manufacturing, 11.2% health and social work, 8.6% education, 8.0% transport and communications, 6.4% finance, 6.0% construction, 4.3% public administration and defence, 3.6% hotels and restaurants, 0.9% energy and water supply, 0.6% agriculture, and 4.2% other.[13]

Primary schools in Timperley include Broomwood Primary School, Cloverlea Primary School, Heyes Lane Primary School, Park Road Primary School, St Hugh's Catholic Primary School and Willows Primary School. Secondary schools include Altrincham College and Wellington School.

Brentwood School and Pictor School are special schools in Timperley, while Forest School is an Independent school. Trafford College has a campus in West Timperley, offering further education to students from across Trafford.

According to the 2011 UK census, the religious make up of Trafford is 63.4% Christian, 5.70% Muslim, 1.0% Hindu, 1.10% Jewish and 0.3% Buddhist. 21.2% were recorded as having no religion, 0.2% had an alternative religion and 6.3% did not state their religion.[7] Timperley is in the Church of England Diocese of Chester with Christ Church as the parish church and Holy Cross Church as a second place of worship. Timperley is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury,[19]

Timperley Metrolink station

The Manchester Metrolink tram network passes about 3/4-mile west of the village centre; Timperley Metrolink station is on Park Road and lies on the route between Manchester city centre and Altrincham.[20]

Navigation Road station is located just outside Timperley in East Altrincham. It is a Northern-operated heavy rail station on the Mid-Cheshire Line with an adjoining light rail station served by the Altrincham line of the Manchester Metrolink tram network.

Today Timperley is a suburban area extending from the A56 road in the west to the main Stockport Road roundabout on the A560 in the east. Much of the housing stock dates from the 1930s and later. Typically houses are slightly larger than the traditional "northern terraces". Older houses tend to be in the red brick cottage style of north Cheshire.

The Frank Sidebottom statue in Timperley town centre

• Ian Brown and John Squire, founders of The Stone Roses
• Caroline Aherne, comedy writer and actress (The Royle Family, The Fast Show, The Mrs Merton Show), died 2016.
• Roger Ashton-Griffiths, film actor (Gangs of New York, Brazil, Young Sherlock Holmes), grew up in Timperley
• Paul Hanley, member of The Lovers and former member of The Fall
• John Noel Nichols, wholesaler of spices and medicines and inventor of Vimto, died 1966
• Louis Oosthuizen, professional golfer and winner of the 2010 British Open (one of Golf's "Majors") based in Timperley during the European season
• Benny Rothman, political activist, most famous for his leading role in the mass trespass of Kinder Scout in 1932, died 2002[21]
• Chris Sievey (more popularly known as his comic character Frank Sidebottom), comedian and musician, died 2010. A statue of Sievey in his Frank Sidebottom guise was unveiled in Timperley town centre on 20 October 2013.[22]
• Cyril Washbrook, cricketer Lancashire and England, died 1999
• Keith Skues, BBC radio presenter and producer, born 1939, Timperley Lodge.
• John Thompson, English-born, Canadian poet, born in Timperley, 1938, died in Sackville, New Brunswick, 1976.

• Listed buildings in Altrincham

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Timperley.

• Timperley Ward Profile
• Local records are kept in the Local Studies Archive of Trafford MBC
• South Trafford Archaeological Group
• Childminder Timperley
• Timperley village site