Bowdon, Greater Manchester

History

Both Bowdon and Dunham Massey are mentioned in the Domesday Book, citing the existence of a church and a mill in Bowdon, and Dunham Massey is identified as Doneham: Hamo de Mascy.

The name Bowdon came from Anglo-Saxon Boga-dūn = "bow (weapon)-hill" or "curved hill".

Both areas came under Hamo de Masci in Norman times. His base was a wooden castle at Dunham. Watch Hill Castle was built on the border between Bowdon and Dunham Massey between the Norman Conquest and the 13th century. The timber castle most likely belonged to Hamo de Mascy; the castle had fallen out of use by the 13th century. The last Hamo de Masci died in 1342. The Black Death came to the area in 1348. Before 1494 the ruins of the castle at Dunham were acquired by Sir Robert Booth. In 1750, this and the other Booth estates passed to the Earl of Stamford by his marriage to Lady Mary Booth. The 10th and last Earl of Stamford died in 1976, who bequeathed Dunham Massey and his Carrington estates to the National Trust.

The development of Bowdon as a residential area began apace in the 1840s, when the landowners of the area sold off parcels of land. The opening of Bowdon railway station in 1849 provided a commuter route to the centre of Manchester, making the clean air and tranquility of the Bowdon Downs more attractive to developers. Initially, terraces and semi-detached houses were built, but by the 1860s and 1870s, the 'merchant princes' had built the large houses on Green Walk which are still a defining feature of the ward. By 1878 Kelly's Directory was describing Bowdon as "studded with handsome villas and mansions", and around 60% of the residents were business owners. Mains water appeared in 1864, and gas lighting by 1865.

The Altrincham History Society Tour highlights historical facts about Bowdon:

Civic history

From 1894 to 1974, Bowdon formed an Urban District local government district in the administrative county of Cheshire.

Since 1 April 1974, Bowdon has formed an electoral ward and component area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford. Prior to this Bowdon formed:

The records of Bowdon Urban District Council are held at the Trafford Local Studies Centre.

Bowdon has formed part of two Poor Law Unions: Altrincham (1837 to 1895); Bucklow (1895 to 1930).

Political representation

Bowdon was in the parliamentary constituency of Altrincham and Sale from 1945 until 1997. Bowdon has been part of the parliamentary constituency of Altrincham and Sale West since 1997. Since its formation the constituency has been represented in the House of Commons by the Conservative MP, Graham Brady. This is one of only a small number of seats in the North West held by the Conservative Party, and one of only two in Greater Manchester.

Bowdon is in Trafford Metropolitan Borough; Trafford Council is responsible for the administration of local services, such as education, social services, town planning, waste collection and council housing. Bowdon is covered by the Bowdon electoral ward; this ward has 3 out of the 63 seats on the Trafford Council; as of the 2012 local elections all three seats were held by the Conservative Party. The councillors for the Bowdon ward are Sean Anstee, Karen Barclay, and Michael Hyman, all members of the Conservative Party.

Geography

Bowdon is located at the southwest edge of Greater Manchester. It is situated on a ridge which rises above the Cheshire Plain. Bowdon is the largest ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, and comprises several small, rural villages surrounded by open countryside, including Dunham Massey Country Park and other more densely populated residential areas.

It has been described as an affluent and attractive place to live.

The majority of the ward is owned by the National Trust as part of the Dunham Massey Estate, which serves as a significant communal asset for the residents of the local and wider areas. The estate includes Dunham Massey Hall and a deer park. Bowdon is a semi-rural ward and has a low population density.

Divisions and suburbs

There are four distinct neighbourhoods of Bowdon:

Demography

According to a Trafford Metropolitan Council report, the population of Bowdon in 2001 was 8,806. 1730 were under 16 and 1699 were 65 and over. In 2004, the majority of residents (8,343) described themselves as white. Out of 8414 wards of the United Kingdom, Bowdon ranks as 8,235th in terms of deprivation indicating that only 2.2% of UK wards suffer less deprivation

In 1931, 27.6% of Bowdon's population was middle class compared with 14% in England and Wales, and by 1971, this had increased to 58.9% compared with 24% nationally. Parallel to this doubling of the middle classes in Bowdon was the decline of the working class population. In 1931, 16.1% were working class compared with 36% in England and Wales; by 1971, this had decreased to 14.7% in Bowdon and 26% nationwide. The rest of the population was made up of clerical workers and skilled manual workers or other miscellaneous.

Education

Bowdon contains both state and independent schools.

State schools

Independent schools

Religion

Bowdon Parish is part of the Archdeaconry of Macclesfield within the Anglican Diocese of Chester. The parish covers a number of churches in the south west part of the Greater Manchester conurbation, including: Altrincham St George, Altrincham St John, Ashley, Ashton upon Mersey St Martin, Ashton upon Mersey St Mary Magdalene, Bowdon, Broadheath, Dunham Massey St Margaret, Dunham Massey St Mark, Hale, Oughtrington, Partington and Carrington, Ringway, Sale St Anne, Sale St Paul, Timperley and Warburton. The main parish church of St Mary the Virgin can be seen very clearly from the Cheshire Plain.

The registers of baptisms 1628–1964, marriages 1628–1964 and burials 1628–1973 have been deposited at the Cheshire Record Office.

Leisure and recreation

Notable people

Notable local residents have included: