The neighbouring districts of Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme are pleasant places to live, perfectly located between the city lights and quieter countryside WORDS BY MIKE SMITH
MAIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN COCKS

During the Second World War, Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme were sufficiently detached from Manchester and Stockport to offer a safe haven for evacuees. Although both places are now thoroughly absorbed into the conurbation’s smart southern suburbs, they have managed to retain a distinctive village feel.

Unlike most villages, Cheadle Hulme did not develop around a church, but it does have a hub in the form of Oak Meadow Park, which is looked after by a ‘focus group’. Explaining why she joined the group, Joyce Buxton said: ‘After our 18-year-old son Karl and his friend James were killed in a car accident, we placed a memorial bench in the park. When I realised that the grounds were in urgent need of improvement, I put in a lot of time to help the focus group to raise funds.’

Having raised a staggering �50,000 since 2002, the group has been able to install new benches and walkways, a seating area set around a millstone, a mini-beast trail for children and a sculpture of an oak tree by Kerry Morrison. Annual events include a summer party, a bulb-planting session, a Halloween party and ‘Carols in the Park’. As Joyce says: ‘Tragedy has been turned into something positive.’

Cheadle Hulme’s main street dips under a railway bridge, as if bowing to the importance of the commuter line. It has a wide range of eating places and shops, including a butcher’s managed by Richard Pimlott and founded five generations ago by Joseph Pimlott. Richard said: ‘We have ten people working in the shop and my 73-year-old father still takes the morning deliveries. The coming of Waitrose to the centre of the village has helped keep us busy, because local people tend to shop locally.’

Another long-standing business is a newsagent’s established 26 years ago in the village’s shopping precinct by Steve Pimlott, who shares a surname with Richard but is not related to him. Explaining the shop’s longevity, he said: ‘Seven years ago, I decided to respond to increasing competition from supermarkets by expanding and diversifying: we now sell CDs, gifts, toys, candles, stationery and books, as well as sweets, tobacco and newspapers.’

The King’s Hall public house stands close to the entrance to the shopping precinct. Its Art Deco frontage and the panelled balcony of its interior betray the building’s origins as a concert and dance hall. Manager Nathan Henderson told me: ‘There was a grand ballroom on the first floor and some of the well-known bands from Liverpool played here in the sixties.’

Lovers of vintage popular music are well catered for at the Victory on Cheadle Road, where regular ‘tribute nights’ are held. The Victory is part of ‘The Village’, a complex that includes the Verve Grill, Starbucks, a leisure club and a 117-room hotel. Accounting for The Village’s popularity with business people and visitors taking weekend breaks, reception manager Sam Surridge said: ‘Our secret is to offer four-star facilities without charging four-star prices.’

Cheadle Road has plenty of other leisure opportunities, including a swimming pool and fitness centre and a large recreation area known as Bruntwood Park, which is home to the Bowmen of Bruntwood and has pitch and putt, play areas and a restaurant. The Players’ Theatre also stands close to the road. Along with Chads Theatre in Cheadle Hulme, it represents a thriving amateur theatre scene in the area.

The arts scene is not confined to theatricals. 23-year-old David Schofield, a pianist from nearby Heald Green, won a clutch of prizes while he was a pupil at Chetham’s School, Manchester, went on to study at the Chicago School of Performing Arts, played at the prestigious Carnegie Hall at the age of 19, and appeared recently on Dragons’ Den. He has now used his income from playing on cruise ships to launch his own record label and a CD called ‘Arrangements and Transcripts’, which he describes as a ‘youthful take on the classics’.

Cheadle Road evolves into Wilmslow Road and heads for the White Hart Tavern and St Mary’s Church, which make a photogenic set piece at the heart of Cheadle Village. Church warden Steve Whitaker showed me around St Mary’s, which dates from the 16th century and is Grade I-listed. Its eight bells are prized by campanologists and its beautiful interior has 400-year-old screens and a fabulous roof with gilded bosses.

Emphasising the vitality of the church, Steve said: ‘Along with our sister church of St Cuthbert’s, we have 550 members of all ages.’

Cheadle’s busy main street has a variety of retail outlets, as well as several coffee shops, and is given a splash of colour by the pavement display of Wilson’s fruit and flower shop. Abney Park, a short distance from the shopping area, features in a number of Agatha Christie’s mysteries because the writer was a frequent guest of her brother-in-law, James Watts, who lived at Abney Hall.

The grounds are now used by Bioticfit, which provides outdoor fitness sessions tailored to individual needs. It was established by 24-year-old James Clark, who told me: ‘I wasn’t naturally fit at all, but I managed to get myself in good shape before I joined the Territorial Army. I’m now helping people of all levels of fitness to get in condition through a variety of outdoor activities.’

Aside from fitness training, educational opportunities in the area are extensive and of the highest quality, in both the public and private sectors. For example, Cheadle Hulme High School was recently judged ’outstanding’ in every category by OFSTED and its headteacher, Linda Magrath, was described as ‘exceptional’. The school is bidding to start an open sixth form in September 2013. There should be no shortage of applicants.

As well as enjoying superb educational provision, Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme have excellent transport links. The M60 runs alongside Abney Park, train services are good and Manchester Airport is nearby. Not surprisingly, the two villages are some of the most favoured places of residence in Cheshire.