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 Wilmslow, along with its other Golden Triangle neighbours, has long been noted for its perceived affluence and expensive houses. British indie band Doves, who met at Wilmslow High School in the 1980s, highlighed the economical divide in the area with their song ‘Black and White Town’.
The origins of the name Wilmslow aren’t clear but it’s said to come from the name of the burial ground of William de Bolyn, who was known to the locals as Williams Lowe.
Around one hundred years ago, the population was about 7,000 and was made up almost entirely of people who servants and workers dependent on the few large landowners. Until the railway was bulit in 1842, Wilmslow comprised only a few farms and a church. Surrounding the manor house, Fulshaw and Morley consisted of masses of parkland and woodland areas. The name Fulshaw hints to this landscape and is derived from the name Fowls Wood.
Much about the Iron Age history of Wilmslow was uncovered with discovery of Lindow Man, in Lindow Moss who bog body was preserved there for 2000 years. Lindow Man, one of the most important Iron Age finds in the country, usually resides at the British Museum but returned to Manchester Museum in April 2008 for a year long exhibition.
Wilmslow was brought to international attention when, in 1997, an IRA bomb went off at the railway station. Fortunately, no-one was hurt although local houses were evacuated.
Wilmslow’s most famous resident was Alan Turing, a codebreaking and computer pioneer during World War 2. He committed suicide by eating an apple laced with potassium cyanide. Bruce Lee and John Rambo are also known to have lived in the area in the 1970s.
Population: 30,326.
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