Crumpsall
From Free net encyclopedia
Crumpsall is a suburb some 3 miles to the north of Manchester, in the United Kingdom. It is divided into Higher and Lower Crumpsall, although Lower Crumpsall to the East in the valley of the river Irk is now a much reduced community following large amounts of enforced local authority demolition of the small terraced streets in the 1970s. The folk singer, Mike Harding, was brought up on Waterloo Street and Hallworth Road in Lower Crumpsall. He was a schoolteacher in the 1960's at Cravenwood County Primary School in Crumpsall and performed with his band, "The Stylo's" who were also from Crumpsall.
Higher Crumpsall is largely composed of houses and schools with little commerce or industry. It is also the location of a large hospital now known as North Manchester General Hospital. This was previously three hospitals: Crumpsall Hospital, Spingfield Hospital and Delauneys Hospital.
The houses are largely Victorian in age ranging from Edwardian villas to more recent twentieth century houses. The main routes through the district are Crescent Road, Cravenwood Road, Delaunays Road, Cleveland Road, Crumpsall Lane, Lansdowne Road (the main shopping area with the Post Office) and Ash Tree Road (bounded on the east side by Crumpsall Park, a typical Victorian urban recreation ground, originally with a bandstand).
The district is served by the Metrolink, with a station on Crumpsall Lane.
The district is adjacent to the other North Manchester suburbs of Cheetham Hill, Blackley and Harpurhey.
The area came to unwanted national prominence in 2004 when Detective Stephen Oakes, a Greater Manchester Police officer was fatally stabbed whilst arresting a suspected terrorist in a house on Crumpsall Lane. PC Oakes therefore became the first British national to be killed by Islamic terrorists in the "War On terror" on UK soil, a tragic distinction.
Henry Normal was known as "The Bard of Crumpsall", and famously had his TV Series for Granada set in the mythical "Crumpsall Palladium". The Infamous Child Killer Myra Hindley was born at Crumpsall Hospital. Heaton Park on the borders of Crumpsall has been used as the Location for the "Red Rec'" on Granada's Coronation Street. Additionally, the UK TV drama 'Queer as Folk' was partially filmed in the terraced streets off Cravenwood Road.