Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, named after the River Tame, which flows through it. It includes the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Mossley and Stalybridge. Tameside is bordered by the metropolitan boroughs of Stockport to the south, Oldham to the north and northeast, Manchester to the west, and to the east by the Borough of High Peak in Derbyshire. , the population of Tameside was , making it the 8th-most populous borough of Greater Manchester.
There are over 300 listed buildings in Tameside and three Scheduled Ancient Monuments, including Buckton Castle. Its townships were agricultural until the Industrial Revolution when they grew with the cotton industry. The borough was created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972.
History The history of the area stretches back up to 10,000 years; there are 22 Mesolithic sites in Tameside, the oldest dating to around 8000 BC; 21 of the 22 sites are in the hilly uplands in the north east of the borough.Nevell (1992), pp. 21, 25. Evidence of NeolithicNevell (1992), pp. 29–31. and Bronze Age activity is more limited in the borough, although the Bronze Age Stalybridge Cairn is the most complete prehistoric funerary monument in the borough.Nevell (1992), pp. 40–41. The people in the area changed from hunter-gatherers to farmers around 2500 BC–1500 BC due to climate change.Nevell (1992), p. 34. Werneth Low is the most likely Iron Age farmstead site in the borough, probably dating to the late 1st millennium BC.Nevell (1992), p. 51. Before the Roman conquest of Britain in the 1st century AD, the area was probably part of the territory of the Brigantes, the Celtic tribe controlling most of what is now north west England.Nevell (1992), p. 55.
The area came under control of the Roman Empire in the second half of the 1st century. Roads through the area were established from Ardotalia fort in Derbyshire to Mamucium (Manchester) west of Tameside and Castleshaw Roman fort in the north.Nevell (1992), pp. 56–59. Romano-British finds in the borough include a bog body in Ashton Moss, occupation sites at Werneth Low, Harridge Pike, Roe Cross, and Mottram.Nevell (1992), p. 60. A 4th-century coin hoard was found in Denton and is one of only four hoards from the 4th century in the Mersey basin.Nevell (1992), p. 75. A Byzantine coin from the 6th or 7th centuries, also found in Denton, indicates continued or renewed occupation once the Romans left Britain in the early 5th century.Nevell (1992), p. 76.
Nico Ditch, an earthwork stretching from Stretford to Ashton-under-Lyne, is evidence of Anglo-Saxon activity in Tameside. It was probably dug between the 7th and 9th centuries and may have been used as a boundary between the kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria.Nevell (1992), pp. 77–83. Further evidence of Anglo-Saxon era activity in Tameside comes from the derivation of settlement names from Old English such as -tun, meaning farmstead, and leah meaning clearing.Nevell (1992), p. 85.
According to the Domesday Survey of 1086, Tameside was divided into four manors, those of Tintwistle, Hollingworth, Werneth, and Mottram. The land east of the River Tame was in the Hundred of Hamestan in Cheshire and held by the Earl of Chester while to the west of the river was in the Hundred of Salford under Roger de Poitevin.Nevell (1991), pp. 7–9. These manors were divided to create further manors, so that by the 13th century most of them were owned by local families and remained in the hands of the same families until the 16th century.Nevell (1991), pp. 46–47. Manorialism continued as the main form of administration and governance until the mid-19th century.Nevell (1993), p. 13.
The Industrial Revolution had a significant impact on Tameside; the area, whose main towns had previously been Ashton-under-Lyne and Mottram-in-Longdendale, was transformed from a collection of the rural, farming communities into mill towns. The towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Dukinfield, Hyde, Mossley and Stalybridge have been described as "amongst the most famous mills towns in the North West".McNiel and Nevell (2005), p. 54. With only a brief interruption for the Lancashire Cotton Famine of 1861 to 1865, factories producing and processing textiles were the main industry in Tameside from the late-18th century until the mid-20th century.Nevell (1993), p. 170.
In 1964, Dukinfield Borough Council convened a meeting of neighbouring local authorities with the aim of formulating a policy of cross-authority social improvement for the districts in the Tame Valley. Following deindustrialisation, the area had suffered "gross-neglect" and had large areas of housing unsuitable for human habitation.. This joint enterprise comprised the nine districts that would become Tameside ten years later, plus the County Borough of Stockport. This collective agreed on creating "a linear park in the valley [of the River Tame] for the use of the townspeople and as a major recreational resource within the Manchester metropolis".
Tameside was created on 1 April 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 as one of the ten metropolitan districts of Greater Manchester. The new district covered the territory of nine former districts which were abolished at the same time:
Dukinfield, Hyde, Longdendale and Stalybridge had been in the administrative county of Cheshire prior to the 1974 reforms, whilst the other five districts had been in the administrative county of Lancashire.
A name for the metropolitan borough proved problematic. The Redcliffe-Maud Report had used the name Ashton-Hyde, but double-barrelled names were prohibited for the new districts. Had Ashton-under-Lyne been a county borough, or had had a less common name, "it might have been chosen as the new name" for the new district. The eight other towns objected, adamant that "a new name should be found". Thirty suggestions were put forward, including Brigantia, Clarendon, Hartshead, Kayborough, Tame, Ninetowns, and West Pennine, with Hartshead (with reference to Hartshead Pike) being the most popular throughout most of the consultation period. However, the name Tameside (with reference to the River Tame, but a concocted name with no historical basis) won 15 votes to Hartshead's 10 in a final stage of voting.. The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chairman of the council to take the title of mayor. In 1986 Tameside effectively became a unitary authority with the abolition of the Greater Manchester County Council.
Geography
Tameside borders High Peak in Derbyshire to the east, the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham to the north, the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport to the south, and the City of Manchester to the west. Tameside features flat lowlands in the west and highlands in the east where the western edge of the Pennines encroaches on the borough.Nevell (1992), p. 8. The hills in the east include Hartshead Pike and Werneth Low which is also a country park. As well as coal measures running north–south through the centre of the borough, there are areas of peat in the north east and there are large areas of boulder clay all over Tameside.Nevell (1992), p. 10. Ashton Moss is a peat bog covering about and Denton Moor is an area of about of peat.Nevell (1992), p. 11.
Waterways in Tameside include the rivers Medlock and Etherow, which form parts of Tameside's western and eastern boundaries respectively, and the River Tame crosses the borough north to south, giving Tameside its name. The Ashton Canal, the Hollinwood Branch Canal, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, and the Peak Forest Canal all run through the borough. There are also several reservoirs, including the Audenshaw Reservoirs. Greenspace accounts for 63.5% of the Tameside's total area, domestic buildings and gardens comprise 17.4%, and the rest is made up of roads and non-domestic buildings.
Localities within the boundaries of Tameside include: Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Broadbottom, Carrbrook, Copley, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Flowery Field, Gee Cross, Godley, Godley Green, Guide Bridge, Hartshead Green, Hattersley, Haughton Green, Hazelhurst, Heyrod, Hollingworth, Hyde, Landslow Green, Luzley, Millbrook, Micklehurst, Mossley, Mottram in Longdendale, Newton, Park Bridge, Roe Cross, Stalybridge, Warhill, and Woolley Bridge.
Governance
Parliamentary constituencies The residents of the Tameside are represented in the United Kingdom Parliament by Members of Parliament (MPs) for three constituencies. Ashton-under-Lyne, which also includes parts of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, is represented by Angela Rayner (Labour). Gorton and Denton, which also covers parts of Manchester, is represented by Hannah Spencer (Green). Stalybridge and Hyde, which is entirely within Tameside, is represented by Jonathan Reynolds (Labour).
Council
In 2007, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council was assessed by the Audit Commission and judged to be "improving strongly" in providing services for local people. Overall the council was awarded "four star" status meaning it was "performing strongly" and "well above minimum requirements", putting it in the top 38% of all local authorities.; retrieved 8 September 2008.
Civil parishes form the bottom tier of local government; the parish councils are involved in planning, management of town and parish centres, and promoting tourism. Mossley is the only civil parish in Tameside. In 2001 9,856 people lived there, 4.6% of the borough's population.
Before becoming a civil parish, Mossley was a municipal borough. The unparished areas are: Ashton-under-Lyne (municipal borough), Audenshaw (urban district), Denton (urban district), Droylsden (urban district), Dukinfield (municipal borough), Hyde (municipal borough), Longdendale (urban district), and Stalybridge (municipal borough). The status of each area before 1974 is shown in brackets. An urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area. Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, and Mossley were previously in Lancashire. Dukinfield, Hyde, Longdendale, and Stalybridge were in Cheshire.
Demography
Ethnicity Ethnic GroupYear2001 census2021 censusNumber%Number%White: Total201,46894.6%197,67685.6%White: British197,48792.7%190,30582.4%White: Irish1,9431,5360.7White: Roma100<0.05White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller112<0.1White: Other2,0385,6232.4Asian or Asian British: Total9,0974.3%21,1989.1%Asian or Asian British: Indian3,0873,7371.6Asian or Asian British: Pakistani2,5968,9663.9Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi2,4935,8422.5Asian or Asian British: Chinese6301,4020.6Asian or Asian British: Other Asian2911,2510.5Black or Black British: Total5725,2752.3%Black or Black British: African1604,1151.8Black or Black British: Caribbean3486120.3Other Black645480.2Mixed or British Mixed: Total1,6810.8%4,9632.2%Mixed: White and Black Caribbean6701,8540.8Mixed: White and Black African2388590.4Mixed: White and Asian5061,3440.6Mixed: Other Mixed2679060.4Other: Total2251,9580.8%Other: Arab5400.2Other: Any other ethnic group1,4180.6Non-White: Total14.4%Total213,043100%231,071100%
At the 2011 UK census, the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside had a total population of 219,324. Of the 94,953 households in Tameside, 30.8% were married couples living together, 32.7% were one-person households, 11.5% were co-habiting couples and 12.8% were lone parents.
The population density was and for every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. Of those aged 16 and over in Tameside, 28.1% had no academic qualifications, significantly higher than 22.5% in all of England. 7% of Tameside's residents were born outside the United Kingdom, significantly lower than the national average of 13.8%. The largest minority group was Asian, at 6.6% of the population.