Wilmslow
| Wilmslow | |
| Cheshire | |
|---|---|
 The River Bollin at Wilmslow | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SJ840810 |
| Location: | 53°19’30"N, 2°14’20"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 30,326 (2001) |
| Post town: | Wilmslow |
| Postcode: | SK9 |
| Dialling code: | 01625 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Cheshire East |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Tatton |
Wilmslow is a wealthy town in Cheshire. It lies to the south of the city of Manchester between, Alderley Edge and Handforth. At the 2001, the population of the town was 30,326.[1]
Wilmslow, like its neighbour Alderley Edge, is famous for its affluence and expensive houses.[2] It has a selection of expensive designer shops, cafes and restaurants that attract people living the true "Cheshire lifestyle", such as the numerous Premiership footballers, actors and multi-millionaire North-West businessmen who live in and around the Wilmslow area.[3] It is one of the most expensive and sought-after places to live in the UK after central London.[4]
Wilmslow falls within the political constituency of Tatton, currently represented by George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is reckoned the most affluent constituency in the kingdom after Kensington and Chelsea and the Cities of London and Westminster.
Name of the town
Wilmslow derives its name from the Old English Wighelmes hlaw meaning "Wighelm's hill".
Economy
Wilmslow is well known, like Alderley Edge, for having many famous residents, notably footballers, stars of Coronation Street and rich Lancastrian businessmen. The town is part of the so-called Cheshire Golden Triangle in the northwest together with Alderley Edge and Prestbury. It has seen a consistent year-on-year growth in its property value thanks to transport improvements and its iconic Cheshire image.
Wilmslow is the founding location of clothing giant Umbro who have their headquarters in the area.[5]
The town is the centre of operations of the financial firm, Royal London Mutual Insurance. The Information Commissioner's Office, one of the government's executive agencies, is also based in Wilmslow.
The town's Aston Martin dealership sells the highest number of Aston Martins in the United Kingdom; a high demand stimulated largely by the high level of affluence in the town.[3] Large SUVs are occasionally known as "Wilmslow panzers" due to their ubiquity in the town.
History
Much about the local Iron Age history of Wilmslow was uncovered with the discovery of Lindow Man, in Lindow Moss. Preserved in the peat bogs for 2000 years, Lindow Man is one of the most important Iron Age finds in the country. Despite a campaign to keep Lindow Man in the area, he was transferred to the British Museum and is a central feature of the Iron Age exhibition. Lindow Man returned to Manchester Museum in April 2008 for a year long exhibition.
Before the railway came in 1842, Wilmslow comprised only a few farms and a church. The town grew in popularity in the Victorian era as a most desirable area for wealthy Lancashire businessmen to move out to once the railways arrived and connected the towns.
Wilmslow was in the international media in March 1997, when an IRA bomb exploded at the railway station destroying a signal box. The original IRA message was confusing and led to the evacuation of nearby houses around the Wilmslow Police Station to the local leisure centre not far from the explosion. Nobody was hurt.[6]
Scarecrow Festival
Wilmslow held its first Scarecrow Festival in July 2010 with 85 local businesses taking part and 93 different scarecrows. Organised by the Rotary Club of Wilmslow Dean and the members of the Wilmslow Business Group, the week long festival has transformed the town centre and received a tremendous response.
Churches
- Church of England:
- St. Bartholomew's: a 16th-century church, modified in the 19th century, with a turreted bell tower
- St Anne's
- St John's
- Unitarian: Dean Row Chapel, 2 miles east of the town centre, a Grade II* listed building built around the end of the 17th century as a Presbyterian chapel
Outside links
References
- ↑ "Wilmslow's official 2001 Census profile". Macclesfield Borough Council. http://www.macclesfield.gov.uk/censusprofiles/Wilmslow%20Town.doc.
- ↑ Town's millionaires make postcode a money magnet | Wilmslow Express - menmedia.co.uk
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 whatsin-wilmslow :: wilmslow, cheshire
- ↑ Millionaires road is streets ahead on price
- ↑ "Umbro – History". http://www.umbroplc.com/standard_1.aspx?id=6:113&id=6:105. Retrieved 7 January 2007.
- ↑ Fiona Ryan (Unknown). "After the last ceasefire ended". Irish News Online (Irishnews.com). http://www.irishnews.com/ceasefire/cf10.html.