Description
Altrincham (formerly Altringham), a market-town, a township, and the head of a poor law union in Cheshire. The town is in the parish of Bowdon, at an intersection of railways, adjacent to the Bridgewater Canal, 8 miles SSW of Manchester. It has three stations, Altrincham and Bowdon, on the Manchester, South Junction, and Altrincham railway; Peel Causeway, on the Cheshire lines; and Broadheath, on the L. & N.W.R. It is a clean and pleasant town, with good streets and some handsome villas; is a seat of petty sessions and county court; publishes three weekly newspapers; carries on iron-founding, cabinet-making, and timber-sawing; has much trade from neighbouring market-gardens and traffic transit, and a head post office and three banks. The town obtained many privileges from Hamon de Massey in the reign of Edward I. The chief public buildings are the town-hall, erected in 1849, the market-hall, the literary institution, with library and reading rooms, Lloyd's Hospital and Dispensary, the general hospital, and the eye institution. The workhouse is at Knutsford. The town is governed by a local board. There is a market on Tuesdays, and three annual fairs for cattle, &c. There are two ecclesiastical parishes, that of St George's and that of St John the Evangelist. The livings are vicarages in the diocese of Chester. Patron of St George's, the Vicar of Bowdon; value, £397. Patron of St John's, the Bishop of Chester; value, £400. St George's Church is a plain brick building, erected in 1799, and St John's is a stone edifice with tower and spire, erected in 1866. St Peter's (Peel Causeway), All Saints, St Elizabeth's Mission Church, and St Albans are other churches in the town. There are chapels for Roman Catholics, Wesleyans, Primitive and New Connexion Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists, and Unitarians. A public park, called Stamford Park, of 16 acres, was opened in 1880, the land being the gift of the late Earl of Stamford and Warrington. The township comprises 662 acres; population, 12,440.
Altrincham Parliamentary Division of Cheshire was formed under the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885, and returns one member to the House of Commons. Population, 63,392. The division includes the following:—Altrincham —Agden, Altrincham, Ashley, Ashton-upon-Mersey, Baguley, Bollington, Bowdon, Carrington, Dunham Massey, Hale, High Legh, Lymm, Millington, Partington, Rostheme, Sale, Thelwall, Timperley, Warburton; Stockport (part of)— Bramall, Brinnington (the part included in the borough of Stockport), Cheadle Bulkeley, Cheadle Moseley, Etchells-in-Northen, Etchells-in-Stockport, Handforth, Norbury, Nor-then ; Stockport, municipal borough (the part in Cheshire).
