Heaton Chapel - History

History

Before 1758, Heaton Chapel did not exist but was part of Heaton Norris. The need for a chapel was identified in Parliamentary Commission "Lancashire and Cheshire church surveys" (1649–1655) but it was a further hundred years before Mr A. Colier raised money by public subscription and Mr Sidebotham petitioned the bishop of Chester for a license to worship in 1758. It was dedicated 28 October 1758. It is speculated that the need for the chapel was stimulated by the preaching of Charles Wesley who visited Stockport in 1745. The Church was built on a field known as Yarn Croft of 1,712 square yards. The building was plain brick, with three rounded windows on the North side and three on the South side, and a small projecting chancel, which served as a place for the communion table, which was lit by means of a long round-headed window, with two long rectangular windows on each side. The church is 'miswent'; that is not built on a true east–west axis.

The principal road from Manchester to Stockport and the south ran through Heaton Chapel along the line of the present Manchester Road. It was turnpiked in 1724. There was a toll gate opposite the church. It entered Stockport down Lancashire Hill. In 1826 a new turnpike was built.

In 1837 Parliamentary approval was given for the railway to be built by the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, and the first section from Heaton Norris to Manchester Travis Street opened in 1841, but a viaduct needed to be built at Stockport. The London and North Western Railway completed the Crewe to Manchester Line from Manchester, London Road to Crewe, the rector, Mr Jackson used personal influence, to have a station built in 1851, close to the rectory in Heaton Moor Road. The Station was built in a cutting. There was already a Heaton Norris station(on Georges Road),so the new station was named Heaton Chapel. The subsequent growth of the Heaton Moor area led to a temporary change of the railway station name, Heaton Chapel for Heaton Moor, then Heaton Chapel AND Heaton Moor - but it has again returned to Heaton Chapel. This line was electrified in 1959. A second line passes though Heaton Chapel but there is no station.

In the inter-war years there was a tram service along Wellington Road operated jointly by Manchester and Stockport corporation. Stockport used 460v DC and Manchester 400 volts so the Manchester trams would need another resistance in the circuit. The Stockport trams would probably have been able to manage without swapping, they would just be on a slightly lower voltage. The trams stopped at the Levenshulme/ Heaton Chapel border so the resistances could be changed and the collectors manually changed from one set of wires to the others.