Digital Hearing Aids Altringham – Greater Manchester Digital Hearing Aids

Digital Hearing Aids Altringham – Greater Manchester Digital Hearing Aids 

A mere 8 miles south west of Manchester you’ll find Altringham which is now an affluent commuter market town.

It seems there has been life in Altringham, or at least where the town now sits, since prehistoric times.  Neolithic arrowheads have been found there.  Also part of a very important Roman road that linked Chester to York runs through the Broadheath district of the town.

Altringham got its market charter once the Normans invaded Britain. There is no mention of the town in the Domesday Book but the area was ‘owned’ by Hamon de Massey.  He granted the borough a free charter for a market at the end of the 13th Century.  This is the first official mention of Altringham – or Altrincham as it was spelt then – in any records.  It is very likely that Massey established the market and planned the town as a way of collecting taxes.  It was unusual to find planned market towns at this period in history.

Like many other towns in the area, Altringham originally relied on agriculture as its main source of income.  At the beginning of the 19th Century the textile industry had a presence in the area and Altringham had four cotton mills, however these were soon lost to other areas nearby.

By the beginning of the First World War Altringham had established a thriving industrial area in Blackheath.  Companies mainly focusing on heavier industry such as the Budenberg Gauge Company, Tilghmans Sand Blast and the Linotype and Machinery Company established their businesses here.

History lives on
The Old Market Place in Altringham is probably the site of the original town.  The area has several part timber framed buildings and is now a conservation area.  In fact ten of the 21 conservation areas in Trafford are in Altringham. That’s quite some count.

Altringham used to have a Buttermarket too.  This seems to have been a very important place in the local community.  It was used as a place of justice; there was a courtroom above the market and stocks and a whipping post here were all used to keep order.  In front of the market there was also a market cross where local couples made their declarations of love and their intentions official – a sort place of engagement.  Unfortunately the Buttermarket ceased to exist during the 19th Century.  The town lost a real historic treasure.  Local traders reinstated a whipping post and stocks in the 1990s to attract tourists.

The Old Market Place was where the ancient market was held.  Nowadays a market is still held every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday in the listed Market Hall which was built in 1930.  There are other markets held here at other times – a Farmers  Market, a craft market and an antiques market.

Did you know?
In the 1830’s a man sold his wife here for the equivalent of 7.5p.  He believed this was completely legal as long as he provided a halter to go over her head!  Charming!

This probably wasn’t quite as strange as it sounds.  Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge starts off with a ‘wife sale’.  He wrote this book in the 1880s.  Thank goodness times have changed.

What did you say?
Eh did you hear that right?  Yes you did!  Selling your wife or husband in the market place certainly isn’t legal now.

But if you’re concerned about the quality of your hearing, we can arrange for a professional audiologist to test both of your ears.  This will assess any damage or deterioration so that we are then in a position to advise you on a course of action.

The test is simple.  The audiologist tests both ears using tonal sounds and records the response using a computerised system.  See what others say.

If you’d like to know more or set up an appointment give us at Hearing Aids Stoke on Trent a call on 01782 698090.

Houses of Interest
Nearby Dunham Massey Hall, built in the 18th Century, was once home to the Earl of Stamford.  Its current owner is the National Trust and has been since 1976.

There is evidence of the early existence of this building as it appeared in the Domesday Book.  In fact there are as many as 45 buildings on the site that are all Grade II listed.  It is said to have belonged to a Saxon nobleman, Aelfward and when the Normans came it was taken over by Hamon de Massey.  It remained the family seat of the Masseys until the 14th Century when there were no heirs to carry on the family line.

The current building was built in the 17th Century for the Earl of Warrington.  Alterations were made some hundred years later, when the family had merged by marriage to the Stamford line making the title Earl of Stamford and Warrington.  The house is surrounded by a moat and a deer park.

Royd House
This much newer building was built at the beginning of the 20th Century by a local architect as his home.  He was Edgar Wood who was influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau.
Royd House has a flat concrete roof and was very forward-looking for the time.  It is now Grade I listed.

A disused Christian Scientist Church that he designed is now a cultural centre in Manchester bearing his name.

People you might know
Considering Altringham’s affluence there only seem to be a few notable people connected to this town.  Some you might know are:

·         The 19th Century artist Helen Allingham grew up in Altringham.  She became well known for her paintings of the Surrey and Sussex countryside where she lived later in life

·         Author of the Little Grey Rabbit books, Alison Uttley.  She wrote over a 100 books

·         Dramatist Ronald Gow who is best remembered for his production of Walter Greenwood’s book, Love on the Dole

·         Angela Cartwright, the actress who starred as Brigitta Von Trapp in the Sound of Music film and appeared as Penny in the 1960’s TV series Lost in Space

·         Two of the Stone Roses were educated at Altringham Grammar School, namely Ian Brown and John Squire

·         The Red Dean of Canterbury, Hewlet Johnson started his career as curate at St Margaret’s Church in Altringham.  He set up a hospital with his wife for wounded soldiers returning from the First World War.  As a committed Christian Marxist he supported Russia which is how he gained his nick name


We are just a phone call away
Yes all it takes is a phone call or an online message and we can help you with your hearing problem.  Don’t waste any more time being frustrated with your ability – or lack of – to hear clearly.  Send us a message or call us on 01782 698090.