Editing Ardwick

{{Short description|District of Manchester, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| map_type                 = Greater Manchester
| official_name            = Ardwick
| coordinates              = {{coord|53|28|20|N|02|12|58|W|display=inline,title}}
| population               = 19,250
| population_ref           = ([[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 Census]]
| metropolitan_borough     = [[City of Manchester|Manchester]]
| metropolitan_county      = [[Greater Manchester]]
| region                   = North West England
| constituency_westminster = [[Manchester Central (UK Parliament constituency)|Manchester Central]]
| councillor1              = Mavis Smitheman
| party1                   = Labour
| councillor2              = Bernard Priest
| party2                   = Labour
| councillor3              = Tina Hewitson
| party3                   = Labour
| post_town                = MANCHESTER
| postcode_area            = M
| postcode_district        = M12 M13
| dial_code                = 0161
| os_grid_reference        = SJ856975
| static_image_name        = Ardwick Green Park - geograph.org.uk - 48134.jpg
| static_image_caption     = Ardwick Green Park
}}
'''Ardwick''' is an area of [[Manchester]], England, {{convert|1|mi|km|round=0.5|abbr=off|spell=in}} southeast of the [[Manchester city centre|city centre]]. The population at the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]] was 19,250.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13689195&c=Ardwick&d=14&e=62&g=6342154&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1451917829266&enc=1 |title=City of Manchester Ward 2011 |access-date=4 January 2016}}</ref>

[[Historic counties of England|Historically]] in [[Lancashire]], by the mid-nineteenth century Ardwick had grown from being a village into a pleasant and wealthy suburb of Manchester, but by the end of that century became heavily industrialised.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lewis |first=Samuel |title=Appleford – Ardwick |work=A Topographical Dictionary of England |publisher=British History Online |year=1848 |pages=66–69 |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=50758 |access-date=4 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070606224226/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=50758|archive-date=6 June 2007 <!--DASHBot-->|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Ardwick">{{cite web |title=Ardwick |work=Districts & Suburbs of Manchester |publisher=Manchester 2002 |year=2002 |url=http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/districts/ardwick.html |access-date=4 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030402085352/http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/districts/ardwick.html |archive-date=2 April 2003 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>  When its industries fell into decline so did Ardwick, becoming one of the city's most deprived areas. Substantial development has since taken place, including the construction of facilities for the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]] at the nearby [[City of Manchester Stadium]].

In the late nineteenth century, Ardwick had many places of entertainment, but the only remnant of that today is the [[Art Deco]]-style [[Manchester Apollo]], a venue for pop and rock music concerts.<ref name="Ardwick" />

==History==
Before the [[Industrial Revolution]], Ardwick was a small village just outside Manchester in open countryside. The principal residents were the Birch family, one of whom was a major general when [[Oliver Cromwell]] (briefly) instituted direct military rule.

One Samuel Birch was instrumental in providing a small [[chapel of ease]], dedicated to St. Thomas, and consecrated in 1741. This soon expanded into a Georgian church, to which a brick [[campanile]] was added in 1836.<ref name=lan-opc>{{cite web |url=https://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Manchester/Ardwick/stthomas/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112232403/https://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Manchester/Ardwick/stthomas/index.html |archive-date=12 January 2018 |url-status=live |title=The Church of St Thomas, Ardwick |publisher=Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks}}</ref> It contained a very rare [[Samuel Green (organ builder)|Samuel Green]] organ, installed in 1787 or 1788, the first in which the sharp keys were distinguished in black. When the building ceased to be used as a church in 1978, the organ was rescued by an organ builder called George Sixsmith, and installed in St Paul's Church, [[Pendleton, Greater Manchester|Pendleton]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stthomascentre.org.uk/history-ardwick-and-st-thomas-centre |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220160518/https://www.stthomascentre.org.uk/history-ardwick-and-st-thomas-centre |archive-date=20 February 2020 |url-status=live |title=The History of Ardwick and St Thomas Centre |website=stthomascentre.org.uk}}</ref>{{sfn |Wickens |1987 |p=130}} There was also a memorial chapel to the dead of the [[First World War]], chiefly men of the local territorial unit.<ref name=lan-opc/> These have been removed, and the building has been used as offices for voluntary organisations. The structure is now [[Grade II Listed]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stthomascentre.org.uk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311014628/http://www.stthomascentre.org.uk/ |archive-date=11 March 2018 |url-status=live |title=St Thomas Centre |website=stthomascentre.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE |num=1197828 |desc=Former Church of St Thomas |access-date=20 February 2020}}</ref>

Grand terraces of [[Regency architecture|regency houses]] (some of which still survive) were built either side of the church, and these were fronted by [[Ardwick Green]], a private park for the residents, containing a pond. Similar housing developments to those around the Green took place along Higher Ardwick and the area known as the Polygon.

Early inhabitants included members of [[Robert Peel| Sir Robert Peel’s]] family. [[Charles Dickens]] drew many of his characters from life, and was a frequent visitor to Manchester. It is said that Dickens based the character of the crippled [[Tiny Tim (A Christmas Carol)|Tiny Tim]] in [[A Christmas Carol]] on the invalid son of a friend who owned a cotton mill in Ardwick.<ref>{{cite web |last=Peacock |first=Doug |title=Charles Dickens – writing from life |publisher=Cotton Times |url=http://www.cottontimes.co.uk/dickenso.html|access-date=5 May 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070720200459/http://www.cottontimes.co.uk/dickenso.html|archive-date=20 July 2007}}</ref>

'''Ardwick Cemetery''' was established in 1838 as a prestigious place for fashionable burials. By the time the cemetery closed in 1950, around 80,000 people had been buried there. [[John Dalton]], the chemist and physicist best known for his advocacy of atomic theory, was amongst them. It was reported that some 100 coaches followed the funeral cortege to the cemetery on the day of his burial in 1844. Other notable interments, recorded on a plaque when the grounds were turned into a sports field in 1966, included [[Thomas Potter (mayor)|Sir Thomas Potter]], the first mayor of Manchester, who died in 1845, the Chartist [[Ernest Charles Jones]], who died in 1869, and Buglar Robert Hawthorne, of the 52nd Light Infantry, who was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]] in 1857. Following the closure, the granite top of Dalton's tomb was relocated to the John Dalton building of Manchester Metropolitan University, where it lies beside a statue of the man.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://manchesterhistory.net/manchester/gone/ardwickcemetery.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012210409/https://manchesterhistory.net/manchester/gone/ardwickcemetery.html |archive-date=12 October 2017 |url-status=live |title=The Ardwick Cemetery |website=manchesterhistory.net |access-date=20 February 2020}}</ref>

The [[Listed building#Categories|Grade II*]] listed  [[Church of St Benedict, Ardwick|Church of St Benedict]] on Bennet Street was erected in 1880 by the noted [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival architect]] [[J. S. Crowther]]. Although no longer in use as a place of worship, it still stands today and its tall red brick tower is visible for miles around.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1207939|desc=Anglican Church of St Benedict|accessdate=5 October 2021}}</ref>

Ardwick once had its own football team, Ardwick AFC, but following a meeting at the Hyde Road Hotel in 1894, it became [[Manchester City F.C.]] The Hyde Road ground, close to the maze of railway tracks extending outwards from [[Manchester Piccadilly station]], was extended in a piecemeal fashion until it could hold crowds of 40,000, but the main stand was destroyed by a fire in 1923, and the club moved to a new stadium on Maine Road, [[Moss Side]].{{sfn |Fletcher |2013 |pp=43-44}}

===Industrial Revolution===
During the nineteenth century, Ardwick became heavily industrialised and it was characterised by factories, railways and rows of [[Back-to-back houses|back-to-back]] terraced houses being juxtaposed. Large numbers of [[Irish people|Irish]] immigrants settled here, as they did throughout Manchester. [[Ardwick railway station]] is at a junction where the [[Manchester and Birmingham Railway]], later the [[London and North Western Railway]] diverged from the line to [[Sheffield]] that became the [[Great Central Railway]]. [[Nicholls Hospital]], a neo-gothic building that was later a school, was constructed on [[A57 road|Hyde Road]] in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. More recently it has become the Nicholls Campus of [[the Manchester College]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aidan.co.uk/data_sheetManArdwkHydeRdNicholls3223.jpg.htm |title=Nicholls Hospital |last=O'Rourke |first=Adrian|access-date=27 September 2010}}</ref>

The railway bridge across Hyde Road was known by older residents as the "Fenian Arch".{{sfn |Fletcher |2013 |p=44}} On 18 September 1867 it was the scene of an attack upon a prison van carrying two [[Fenian]] prisoners to the former [[Belle Vue, Greater Manchester|Belle Vue]] gaol (jail). One police officer was shot dead. Three Irishmen involved in the affray were caught, tried and executed. <!-- use "executed" because two of the hangings were not successful; one was shot dead while the other took an hour to die -->The men are referred to by their supporters as the "[[Manchester Martyrs]]".{{sfn |Nicholls |2004 |p=58}}

Close to the bridge, which has been replaced by a modern concrete structure, is a family-run business called Hyde Road Wheels and Tyres. In 2005 they abandoned their premises in the railway arches, which had become run down, and completed the construction of a new glass-fronted building in November 2005. The project was an unexpected recipient of a "Built in Quality" award in February 2006. Twelve awards are given annually, and the garage was awarded the recognition, despite there being over 2,600 other construction projects in Manchester which were considered.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/top-building-award-goes-to-1021169 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221173612/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/top-building-award-goes-to-1021169 |archive-date=21 February 2020 |url-status=live |title=Top building award goes to... a garage! |work=Manchester Evening News |date=21 February 2006}}</ref>

===20th Century===
[[File:Ardwick Empire postcard.jpg|thumb|The Ardwick Empire Theatre, 1904]]
In 1904, a new [[variety theatre]], the Ardwick Empire, opened on the corner of Hyde Road and Higher Ardwick overlooking Ardwick Green. It was an opulent building designed by the noted theatre architect [[Frank Matcham]] for [[Oswald Stoll]]. It became established as a centre of variety entertainment and billed performers such as [[Fred Karno]], [[Dan Leno]], [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[Buster Keaton]] and [[Harry Lauder]]. Occasional [[Bioscope show]]s proved popular, and in 1930 it became a cinema, but continued to present variety acts on its stage. Stoll also owned another theatre in Manchester, the Manchester Hippodrome on [[Oxford Street, Manchester|Oxford Street]]. When this was demolished in 1935 to make way for a new [[Gaumont Film Company|Gaumont cinema]], Stoll refurbished the Ardwick Empire and renamed it the New Manchester Hippodrome Theatre. Variety stars continued to appear on the stage, including [[Larry Adler]], [[Max Wall]] and [[Joe Loss]], and [[musical theatre]] shows such as ''[[The White Horse Inn (operetta)|The White Horse Inn ]]'' and ''[[The Student Prince]]'' were staged. After 57 of popular entertainment, the New Hippodrome closed in 1961. There was a plan to concert it into a bowling allay, but the building was destroyed by fire in 1964 and subsequently demolished. Today, the site of the former Ardwick Empire remains empty and is used as a car park.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baker |first1=Richard Anthony |title=British Music Hall: An Illustrated History |date=31 May 2014 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1-78383-118-0 |page=71 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=New Manchester Hippodrome Theatre in Manchester, GB - Cinema Treasures |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/38081 |website=cinematreasures.org |access-date=12 October 2021 |archive-date=17 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017190603/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/38081 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Ardwick Empire Theatre, Higher Ardwick and Hyde Road, Ardwick Green, Manchester |url=http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/ManchesterTheatres/ArdwickEmpireTheatreManchester.htm |website=www.arthurlloyd.co.uk |access-date=12 October 2021 |archive-date=16 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816072818/http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/ManchesterTheatres/ArdwickEmpireTheatreManchester.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

<gallery caption="Historic architecture of Ardwick" mode="packed">
File:St Thomas Centre, Ardwick.jpg|The Italianate St Thomas's, Ardwick
File:St Benedict’s Church, Gorton.jpeg|The Gothic Revival St Benedict's Church
File:Fenton House, Ardwick.jpg|The Regency-style Fenton House on Higher Ardwick
File:Former Nicholls Hospital.jpg|Nicholls Hospital on Hyde Road
File:Manor Street, Ardwick.jpg|Regency houses on Manor Street
</gallery>

==Governance==
[[File:Ardwick (Manchester City Council ward) 2018.png|thumb|right|Ardwick electoral ward within [[Manchester City Council]]]]
Ardwick [[Ward (politics)|ward]] is represented by three [[councillor]]s, Amna Abdullatif (Ind),<ref>{{cite web |title=Amna Abdullatif |url=https://democracy.manchester.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=1127 |publisher=[[Manchester City Council]] |access-date=20 February 2020 |archive-date=17 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017190646/https://democracy.manchester.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=1127 |url-status=live }}</ref> Abdigafar Muse (Lab),<ref>{{cite web |title=Abdigafar Muse |url=https://democracy.manchester.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=5044 |publisher=[[Manchester City Council]] |access-date=6 December 2023 }}</ref> and Tina Hewitson (Lab).<ref>{{cite web |title=Tina Hewitson |url=https://democracy.manchester.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=223 |publisher=[[Manchester City Council]] |access-date=16 May 2018 |archive-date=28 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928192823/https://democracy.manchester.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=223 |url-status=live }}</ref> Former councillor Mavis Smitheman (2008–09) served as Lord Mayor of Manchester.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Lord Mayor's Office: Former Lord Mayors of Manchester (1892-Present) |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/200033/councillors_and_decision-making/1158/the_lord_mayors_office/3 |website=manchester.gov.uk |publisher=[[Manchester City Council]] |access-date=24 March 2017 |archive-date=1 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501115302/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/200033/councillors_and_decision-making/1158/the_lord_mayors_office/3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Election!!colspan="2"|Councillor!!colspan="2"|Councillor!!colspan="2"|Councillor
|-
|[[2004 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2004]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Tom O'Callaghan ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2006 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2006]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Tom O'Callaghan ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2007 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2007]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Tom O'Callaghan ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2008 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2008]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Tom O'Callaghan ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2010 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2010]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Tom O'Callaghan ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2011 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2011]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Tom O'Callaghan ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2012 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2012]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Tom O'Callaghan ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2012 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick: 15 November 2012|By-election<br />15 November 2012]]<ref name="MEN_051012">{{cite news |last=Staff writer |title=Tributes after former Lord Mayor Tom O'Callaghan dies |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/tributes-after-former-lord-mayor-799796 |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |publisher=[[Trinity Mirror]] |date=5 October 2012 |access-date=30 April 2017 |archive-date=17 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017190608/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/tributes-after-former-lord-mayor-799796 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="MCC_151112">{{cite web |title=Ardwick ward local by-election - Thursday 15 November 2012 |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/224169/ardwick_ward_local_by-election_-_thursday_15_november_2012/category/1393/local_by-elections |website=manchester.gov.uk |publisher=[[Manchester City Council]] |date=15 November 2012 |access-date=30 April 2017 |archive-date=17 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017190605/https://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/224169/ardwick_ward_local_by-election_-_thursday_15_november_2012/category/1393/local_by-elections |url-status=live }}</ref>
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Tina Hewitson ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2014 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2014]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Tina Hewitson([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2015 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2015]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Tina Hewitson([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2016 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2016]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Tina Hewitson ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2018 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2018]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Mavis Smitheman ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Bernard Priest ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|style="background-color: {{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
|bgcolor="#99CCFF"|Tina Hewitson ([[Labour Party (UK)|Lab]])
|-
|[[2019 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2019]]
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Amna Abdullatif|bgcolor=#99CCFF}}
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Bernard Priest}}
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Tina Hewitson}}
|-
|[[2021 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2021]]
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Amna Abdullatif}}
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Bernard Priest |bgcolor=#99CCFF}}
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Tina Hewitson}}
|-
|[[2022 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2022]]
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Amna Abdullatif}}
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Bernard Priest}}
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Tina Hewitson |bgcolor=#99CCFF}}
|-
|[[2023 Manchester City Council election#Ardwick|2023]]
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Amna Abdullatif |bgcolor=#99CCFF}}
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Abdiafgar Muse |bgcolor=#c0c0c0}}
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Tina Hewitson}}
|-
|Oct 2023
{{Elected official with party link||party=Independent politician|name=Amna Abdullatif |bgcolor=#ffbf00}}
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Abdiafgar Muse}}
{{Elected official with party link||party=Labour Party (UK)|name=Tina Hewitson}}
|}
{{Color box|#99CCFF|border=darkgray}} indicates seat up for re-election.
{{Color box|#C0C0C0|border=darkgray}} indicates seat won in by-election.
{{Color box|#FFBF00|border=darkgray}} indicates councillor changed party.

==Geography and administration==
===Civic history===
The village of Ardwick can be traced back to 1282, when it was known as ''Atherdwic'' and the road between Manchester and [[Stockport]] runs through it. From mediaeval times Ardwick was an independent [[township (England)|township]] in the ancient parish of [[Manchester (ancient parish)|Manchester]] within the [[Salford (hundred)|Salford]] hundred of [[Lancashire]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20646|title=History of Ardwick, in Manchester and Lancashire|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=26 October 2024}}</ref> It became part of the Borough of Manchester on the borough's creation in 1838. The historic boundary between Ardwick and Manchester was the [[River Medlock]]. In 1866 Ardwick became a separate [[civil parish]], on 26 March 1896 the parish was abolished to form [[South Manchester]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10332023|title=Relationships and changes Ardwick CP/Ch/Tn through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=26 October 2024}}</ref> In 1891 the parish had a population of 35,021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10332023/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Ardwick CP/Ch/Tn through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=25 October 2024}}</ref>

==Transport==

===Railway===
[[Ardwick railway station]] is on the [[Hope Valley line]] and is served by only one service every weekday from [[Manchester Piccadilly station|Manchester Piccadilly]] to [[Rose Hill Marple railway station|Rose Hill Marple]]. 

The station opened in 1842 and was operated by a number of railway companies over the years. There were plans to close it in the 1980s and its future looked bleak for a long period after that, but closure plans were finally scrapped in 2006. The current service is operated by [[Northern Trains|Northern]]. The station consists of a waiting shelter on a single island platform between the tracks, access to which requires the use of steps.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thetrainline.com/stations/ardwick |title=Trains to Ardwick |publisher=Trainline |access-date=20 February 2020 |archive-date=20 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220170118/https://www.thetrainline.com/stations/ardwick |url-status=live }}</ref> The station is the site of a memorial to Paul McLaughlin, who died there on 13 December 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~owend/interests/rail/stnpages/ardwick.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119183219/http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~owend/interests/rail/stnpages/ardwick.html |archive-date=19 November 2017 |url-status=live |title=Ardwick |website=chiark.greenend.org.uk |access-date=20 February 2020}}</ref>

[[Ardwick train depot|Ardwick railway depot]] is a passenger multiple unit [[traction maintenance depot]], located on the [[Hope Valley line]]. It was opened in 2006 for the servicing of [[Siemens Mobility|Siemens]]-built Class 185 [[diesel multiple units|DMUs]], which are used on the TransPennine Express franchise. It was electrified in 2012–13 to allow the servicing of Siemens Class 350/4 [[electric multiple units|EMUs]].

===Buses===
Bus services in the area are provided by [[Stagecoach Manchester]]. The following routes serve Ardwick:

*192: Manchester – Longsight – Levenshulme – Stockport – Stepping Hill Hospital – Hazel Grove
*201: Manchester – Gorton – Denton – Hyde – Hattersley
*202: Manchester – Gorton – Denton – Haughton Green – Hyde – Gee Cross
*203: Manchester – Reddish – Belle Vue – Stockport
*205: Manchester – Ardwick – West Gorton – Gorton – Dane Bank
*219: Manchester – Openshaw – Guide Bridge – Ashton-under-Lyne – Stalybridge
*220: Manchester – Openshaw – Audenshaw – Dukinfield – Stalybridge
*221: Manchester – Openshaw – Audenshaw – Dukinfield

==Present day==
Ardwick Green Park has recently been refurbished, and though the pond is no more, it still contains an interesting [[glacial erratic]] in the form of a boulder.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/894061 |title=Geograph:: Glacial erratic at Ardwick Green |work=geograph.org.uk |access-date=9 December 2017 |archive-date=19 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019020035/http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/894061 |url-status=live }}</ref> There is also a [[cenotaph]] commemorating the Eighth Ardwicks, once a [[Territorial Army (United Kingdom)|Territorial Army]] unit of the [[Manchester Regiment]]. [[Ardwick Green Barracks]] is a fine Victorian castellated structure bearing the old volunteer motto "Defence Not Defiance". It is still in military use today.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://manchesterhistory.net/manchester/tours/tour8/area8page37.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306141313/http://manchesterhistory.net/manchester/tours/tour8/area8page37.html |archive-date=6 March 2016 |url-status=dead |title=Territorial Army Barracks - Ardwick Green |work=manchesterhistory.net}}</ref>

The [[Manchester Apollo]], a 1930s [[Art Deco]] theatre, is one of Ardwick's most famous landmarks: it was in use as a cinema from 1943 and was renamed the ABC Ardwick in 1962.  An independent operator took over in 1977 and staged pop concerts interspersed with the occasional film, until dropping films entirely.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1238 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121042554/http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1238 |archive-date=21 January 2020 |url-status=live |title=O2 Apollo Manchester in Manchester, GB |work=Cinema Treasures}}</ref> The venue now plays host to national and international performing artists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.o2apollomanchester.co.uk/info/index.aspx?AID=aa318909-9c97-4d85-970c-20b3f711116d&i=bio |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306213530/http://www.o2apollomanchester.co.uk/info/index.aspx?AID=aa318909-9c97-4d85-970c-20b3f711116d&i=bio |archive-date=6 March 2016 |url-status=dead |title=O2 Apollo Manchester |work=o2apollomanchester.co.uk}}</ref>

Extensive demolition of dilapidated [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] terraces took place around Ardwick during the 1960s. Some residents remained in the area in new [[Council housing|council-owned]] houses and flats, while others were moved to [[overspill estate]]s<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aboutmanchester.co.uk/celebrating-ardwicks-history/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207161325/https://aboutmanchester.co.uk/celebrating-ardwicks-history/ |archive-date=7 February 2020 |url-status=live |title=Celebrating Ardwick's History |publisher=About Manchester |first=Nigel |last=Barlow |date=25 June 2015}}</ref> such as [[Hattersley]].

==Demographics==
(According to 2011 census<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E05000688 |title=Local area report for Ardwick |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=7 February 2020 |archive-date=17 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017190607/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E05000688 |url-status=live }}</ref>)

*White British – 35.5%
*White Irish – 2.4%
*White Other – 5.4%
*Black or Black British – 17.7%
*Asian or Asian British – 27.4%
*Other – 5.5%
*Mixed Race – 6.0%
As of 2021, around 40% of Ardwick's residents were born outside of Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 May 2025 |title=Ardwick - Ward Statistics |url=https://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/456576/ardwick |url-status=live |access-date=3 May 2025 |website=Ward Statistics - Ardwick {{!}} Manchester City Council}}</ref>

As of 2016, nearly half (48.9%) of all households in Ardwick may be in need of intensive levels of support in order to manage their own health and prevent over-dependence on health services in the future.<ref>Ardwick and Longsight Neighbourhood Mosaic Profile, Manchester City Council, 2016. p1. 

sourced from manchester.gov.uk</ref> 61.9% of households in Ardwick may be described as 'deprived' in some way.

==Notable people==
*[[Nellie Beer]] Lord Mayor of Manchester
*[[Samuel Birch (military officer)|Samuel Birch]] (1735–1811), military officer, was owner of the Ardwick estate (1780–1795)
*[[Samuel Hole]] (1819-1904), Anglican priest, author and horticulturalist, was born in Ardwick
*[[Stephen Bradbury (artist)|Stephen Bradbury]]. Artist and illustrator. Born and brought up as a boy in Ardwick. Heywood House, Bennet Street.
*[[Edward Brotherton, 1st Baron Brotherton]], businessman and philanthropist
*[[Joe Brown (climber)|Joe Brown]] (1930–2020), climber, was born in Ardwick
*Edward Evans, the last of the five [[Moors Murders]] victims, was from Ardwick. He was 17 years old when murdered. in October 1965. by [[Ian Brady]] in [[Hattersley]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://century.guardian.co.uk/1960-1969/Story/0,,106436,00.html |location=London |work=The Guardian |title=Court cleared for Moors murder charges hearing |date=7 December 1965 |publisher=Guardian News and Media |access-date=29 April 2010 |archive-date=17 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017190610/https://www.theguardian.com/century/1960-1969/Story/0,,106436,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Edmund Peck, the illegitimate son of Sir Edmund Buckley. Peck later took the surname Buckley and became [[Sir Edmund Buckley, 1st Baronet]]
*[[Tom Chantrell]], designer of many [[film poster]]s including ''[[The Sound of Music (film)|The Sound of Music]]'' and ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''<ref name="Chantrell">{{cite web |last1=Branaghan |first1=Sim |title=Biography: Tom Chantrell and the World of British Film Posters |url=http://www.chantrellposter.com/biography |website=Tom Chantrell Posters|access-date=28 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728093130/http://www.chantrellposter.com/biography|archive-date=28 July 2017 |language=en |date=November 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Elizabeth Gaskell]], lived in [[84 Plymouth Grove|Gaskell House]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.historichouses.org/house/elizabeth-gaskells-house/visit/ | title=Elizabeth Gaskell's House | date=19 July 2023 }}</ref>
*[[J. Milton Hayes]], actor and poet, best known for his 1911 dramatic monologue "The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God"
*[[Samuel Hibbert-Ware]] geologist
*[[Leslie Lever, Baron Lever]], lawyer and politician, MP for Ardwick
*[[Johnny Marr]], guitarist, most notably of [[the Smiths]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/johnny-marrs-coming-home-1863158 |title=Johnny Marr's coming home |first=Sarah |last=Walters |date=22 March 2013 |work=Manchester Evening News |access-date=24 March 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032829/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/johnny-marrs-coming-home-1863158 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Arthur Moreland (artist)| Arthur Moreland]], political cartoonist and artist<ref>[https://postcardhistory.net/2022/09/arthur-moreland-and-his-homage-to-dickens/ Arthur Moreland and his Homage to Dickens], Postcard History, 26 September 2022</ref>
*[[John Howard Nodal]], journalist and philologist
*[[John Rylands]], businessman and philanthropist
*[[Bill Tarmey]] (né William Piddington), actor and singer best known for his portrayal as [[Jack Duckworth]] in ''[[Coronation Street]]''<ref>{{cite news |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/news/health/s/1194234_coronation_street_star_bill_tarney_calls_for_nhs_support |title=Coronation Street star Bill Tarney calls for NHS support |date=1 March 2010 |last=Ottewell |first=David |publisher=M.E.N. Media}}</ref>
*[[Ellen Wilkinson]], MP, the [[Ellen Wilkinson High School]], was named after her.
*[[Harry H. Corbett]] Actor - moved to Ardwick after mother's death in Burma.<ref name=FrontLegs>Corbett, S. (2012). ''Harry H. Corbett – The Front Legs of the Cow''. The History Press, Stroud, Glos. {{ISBN|978-0-7524-7682-7}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Greater Manchester}}
*[[Listed buildings in Manchester-M12]]

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
{{refbegin}}
*{{Cite book |first=Tony |last=Fletcher |title=A Light That Never Goes Out - The Enduring Saga of the Smiths |publisher=Random House |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-09-953792-2}}
*{{cite book |first=Robert |last=Nicholls |title=Curiosities of Greater Manchester |publisher=Sutton |place=Stroud |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7509-3661-3}}
*{{cite book |first=David C |last=Wickens |title=The Instruments of Samuel Green |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=1987 |isbn=978-1-349-09061-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ht-uCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA130 |access-date=21 September 2020 |archive-date=17 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017190605/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ht-uCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA130 |url-status=live }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
*Frangopulo, N. J. (1962) ''Rich Inheritance''. Manchester: Education Committee; pp.&nbsp;270–271 contain: "The history of a district, e.g. Ardwick", a list of documents held at [[Manchester Central Library]]
*{{cite book |last=Makepeace |first=Chris |year=1995 |title=Looking Back at Hulme, Moss Side, Chorlton on Medlock & Ardwick |location=Timperley |publisher=Willow Publishing |isbn=978-0-946361-34-2}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://manchesterhistory.net/ardwick.html A School in Ardwick]

{{Manchester}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Areas of Manchester]]
[[Category:Manchester City Council Wards]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Greater Manchester]]