Longsight
| Longsight | |
| Lancashire | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SJ865965 |
| Location: | 53°27’22"N, 2°12’0"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 15,429 (2011) |
| Post town: | Manchester |
| Postcode: | M13, M12 |
| Dialling code: | 0161 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Manchester |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Manchester Gorton |
Longsight is an inner city-area of Manchester, in southern Lancashire, about three miles south-east of the city centre. It had a population of 15,429 at the 2011 census.
History
Longsight has a poor reputation, with high levels of poverty, deprivation and crime. It is one of Manchester's more ethnically diverse areas.
For many years, Longsight was plagued by gang-related violence, similar to that of nearby Moss Side.[1] Most of the violence came from tensions between two rival gangs which fought "turf wars" with each other since the 1990s, resulting in many shootings and several deaths. The Gooch Gang, from neighbouring Moss Side, were jailed in 2009,[2] Consequently, gun crime in Greater Manchester as a whole has fallen dramatically, from a high of 120 gang-related shootings in 2006 to just 16 in 2011.[3]
About the town
The area was previously known as Grindlow Marsh, and was incorporated into the City of Manchester's civic jurisdiction in 1890, after which it was developed with that city. It is bordered by Ardwick to the north, Rusholme to the west, Levenshulme to the south, and Gorton to the east. The old Roman road to Buxton (the A6, Stockport Road) roughly bisects the area.
The main shopping centre is near the corner of Stockport Road and Dickenson Road, and contains a library and supermarkets as well as many smaller shops. Longsight Market, one of the busiest markets in the county, is located on Dickenson Road. It can be easily spotted by its brightly coloured profiled roofs. The market hosts a general market every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and a second-hand market every Tuesday and Thursday. There are a large number of takeaway food shops and restaurants and a very wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables and other supplies to cater for the interests of the various immigrant communities in the area.
Many notable buildings are still found in Longsight notwithstanding generations of neglect. In Daisy Bank Road is an unusual example of a Grade I listed Christian Scientists' church, by Edgar Wood and the Edwardian art nouveau Chadlington House. Here too are the residences of Charles Hallé and Emmeline Pankhurst: Pankhurst's family house is also to be found on the edge of Longsight, at Plymouth Grove.
Larger Victorian period properties are predominantly clustered around the leafy western parts of Longsight, an area informally known as Westpoint. Many a grand Victorian villa can also be found overlooking Crowcroft Park in the most southern part of Longsight.
The Apollo Theatre, Longsight Market, Crowcroft Park and new Longsight Library are in the Longsight area.
Transport
The railway line from Manchester to Stockport — the West Coast Main Line – passes through the area, though Longsight railway station closed in 1958. The nearest stations are now at Ardwick and Levenshulme. Longsight is the site of Longsight Electric TMD and Longsight Diesel TMD which service trains for Virgin Trains, Northern and TransPennine Express. A plan to house Eurostar trains at Manchester International Depot was abandoned.
The earliest railway works was set up in 1842 by the Manchester and Birmingham Railway (M&BR). Little is known about its early history, except that it produced fifteen single wheeler passenger engines to a design by Sharp Stewart and Company. In 1846 the M&BR was amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) under John Ramsbottom. One 0-6-0 was produced in 1858 but then the works closed down as the LNWR transferred its operations to Crewe. The Longsight steam locomotive depot provided engines for express trains to London and elsewhere, and for local passenger trains.
Cultural references
Longsight has not attracted any great literature. It has appeared though in songs by local singer Ian Brown, formerly of the Stone Roses: a track called "Longsight M13" (M13 is the postcode) and in the Stone Roses song "Daybreak", which contains the line "From Atlanta, Georgia, to Longsight, Manchester".
Outside links
- Longsight Local Directory
- Longsight Memories on Our Manchester
References
- ↑ Thompson, Tony (28 July 2002). "Gang warfare in Games city". The Observer (London). https://www.theguardian.com/Archive/Article/0,4273,4470088,00.html. Retrieved 26 November 2007.
- ↑ "Gooch Gang members will be sentenced for bringing 'murder and mayhem' to Manchester". The Telegraph. 7 April 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/5117015/Gooch-Gang-members-will-be-sentenced-for-bringing-murder-and-mayhem-to-Manchester.html. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
- ↑ "Manchester gang-related shootings decline". BBC News. 22 December 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-16301463. Retrieved 2012-08-21.