View source for Didsbury

{{Short description|Suburban village of Manchester}}
{{about|the suburb|the town in Canada|Didsbury, Alberta|the electoral wards of the City of Manchester|Didsbury East (ward)|and|Didsbury West (ward)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                  = England
| official_name            = Didsbury
| coordinates              = {{coord|53.4166|-2.2311|display=inline,title}}
| population               = 26,788
| population_ref           = ([[United Kingdom Census 2011|Census 2011]])
| population_density       =
| metropolitan_borough     = [[Manchester]]
| metropolitan_county      = [[Greater Manchester]]
| region                   = North West England
| constituency_westminster = [[Manchester Withington (UK Parliament constituency)|Manchester Withington]]
| post_town                = MANCHESTER
| postcode_district        = M20
| postcode_area            = M
| dial_code                = 0161
| os_grid_reference        = SJ847912
| static_image_name        = Didsbury clock tower.jpg
| static_image_alt         = A stone tower on a street of brick buildings which include a public house and a café with tables and chairs in front of it.
| static_image_caption     = The Clock Tower in Didsbury village
| london_distance          =  
}}

'''Didsbury''' is a suburb of [[Manchester]], England,<ref name=gazette>{{cite web |url=http://www.gmcro.co.uk/Guides/Gazeteer/gazzd.htm |title=Greater Manchester Gazetteer |publisher=Greater Manchester County Record Office| access-date=2 October 2007 |at=Places names – D to F |archive-date=18 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718144332/http://www.gmcro.co.uk/Guides/Gazeteer/gazzd.htm}}</ref> on the north bank of the [[River Mersey]], {{convert|5|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} south of [[Manchester city centre]]. The population at the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]] was 26,788.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13689207&c=Didsbury&d=14&e=62&g=6342234&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1451991461746&enc=1|title=City of Manchester/Didsbury West ward population 2011|access-date=5 January 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105059/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13689207&c=Didsbury&d=14&e=62&g=6342234&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1451991461746&enc=1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13689206&c=Didsbury&d=14&e=62&g=6342654&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1451991899121&enc=1|title=City of Manchester/Didsbury East ward population 2011|access-date=5 January 2016|archive-date=9 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109115752/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=13689206&c=Didsbury&d=14&e=62&g=6342654&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1451991899121&enc=1|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Within the boundaries of the [[Historic counties of England|historic county]] of [[Lancashire]], there are records of Didsbury existing as a small [[Hamlet (place)|hamlet]] as early as the 13th century.<ref name=DSJC>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=511&documentID=924&pageNumber=2 |title=Didsbury St James Conservation Area |publisher=Manchester City Council |access-date=22 July 2008 |work=manchester.gov.uk |at=History |archive-date=12 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512001521/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=511&documentID=924&pageNumber=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Its early history was dominated by being part of the [[manorialism|Manor]] of [[Withington]], a feudal estate that covered a large part of what is now the south of Manchester.{{sfnp|Sussex|Helm|1988|p=45|ps=}} Didsbury was described during the 18th century as a township separate from outside influence.<ref name="francewoodall">{{cite book |last1=France |first1=E. |last2=Woodall |first2=T. F. |title= A New History of Didsbury |publisher=E. J. Morten |year=1976 |isbn=0-85972-035-7 |page=203}}</ref> In 1745 a section of the [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] army including the [[James Drummond, 3rd Duke of Perth|Duke of Perth]] crossed the Mersey at Didsbury in the [[Jacobite rising of 1745|Jacobite march]] south from Manchester to Derby.<ref name="LivesAndTimes">{{cite web |title=Didsbury Village: Didsbury its Lives and Times |publisher=Didsbury Civic Society |url=http://www.didsburycivicsociety.org.uk/dynamic.php?key=VILLAGE-INTRO |access-date=20 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515002354/http://www.didsburycivicsociety.org.uk/dynamic.php?key=VILLAGE-INTRO |archive-date=15 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Township:Didsbury">{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=41426&strquery=didsbury#p1 |title=History of the Village |publisher=British History |access-date=20 September 2007 |archive-date=30 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030161626/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol4/pp293-297#p1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Didsbury was largely rural until the mid-19th century, when it underwent development and [[urbanisation]] during the [[Industrial Revolution]]. It became [[History of manchester#Further expansion|part of Manchester]] in 1904.<ref name=gazette/><ref name=DSJC/>

The [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] was formed in Didsbury in 1889.<ref>{{cite web |title=Milestones |publisher=Royal Society for the Protection of Birds |url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/about/history/milestones.asp |access-date=29 September 2007 |archive-date=23 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523210825/http://www.rspb.org.uk/about/history/milestones.asp |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
{{Further|History of Manchester}}

=== Toponymy ===
Didsbury derives its name from the Anglo-Saxon ''Dyddi's burg'', probably referring to a man known as Dyddi whose stronghold or township it was<ref name="Didsbury District">{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/districts/didsbury.html |title=Didsbury: Districts & Suburbs of Manchester |work=Manchester UK |publisher=Papillon Graphics |access-date=14 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914054602/http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/districts/didsbury.html |archive-date=14 September 2007 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> on a low cliff overlooking a place where the [[River Mersey]] could be forded. In the 13th century Didsbury was variously referred to as Dydesbyre, Dydesbiri, Didsbury or Dodesbury.<ref name="Township:Didsbury"/>

=== Parish church ===
[[File:Church of St James, Didsbury 2.JPG|thumb|alt=stone church Church of St James, Didsbury 2.JPG|[[Church of St James, Didsbury]] in 2013]]
A charter granted in about 1260 shows that a corn-grinding mill was operating in Didsbury, along the River Mersey,<ref name="Township:Didsbury" /> but the earliest reference to Didsbury is in a document dating from 1235, recording a grant of land for the building of a chapel.<ref name="St James">{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=924&pageNumber=2 |title=Didsbury St James Conservation Area |work=manchester.gov.uk |publisher=Manchester City Council |access-date=20 September 2007 |at=History |archive-date=16 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516101449/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=924&pageNumber=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> The church was named [[Church of St James, Didsbury|St James Church]] in 1855. It underwent major refurbishment in 1620 and again in the 19th century, although most of the stonework visible today dates from the 17th century.<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Sussex
  | first = Gay
  | author2=Halm, Peter
  | title = Looking back at Withington & Didsbury
  | publisher = Willow Publishing
  | place=Altrincham
  | year = 1988
  | isbn = 0-946361-25-8
  | page = 40 }}</ref> A parsonage was built next to one of the two public houses that flanked the nearby village green, Ye Olde Cock Inn, so-called because of the cockfighting that used to take place there. The parsonage soon gained a reputation for being haunted; servants refused to sleep on the premises, and it was abandoned in 1850. Local alderman Fletcher Moss bought the house in 1865, and lived in it for more than 40&nbsp;years. In 1902, he installed a gateway complete with wrought iron gates which he purchased from the soon to be demolished Spread Eagle Hotel in central Manchester which he once owned, at the entrance to the parsonage's garden, which, because of the building's reputation, became known locally as "the gates to Hell". The parsonage is now open to the community and used as exhibition rooms for various forms of art. The gardens are still open to the public.{{sfnp|Cooper|2003|pp=36–39|ps=}} The area around St James' Church has the highest concentration of [[listed building]]s in Manchester, outside the city centre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=924&pageNumber=3 |title=Didsbury St James Conservation Area |work=manchester.gov.uk |publisher=Manchester City Council |access-date=20 September 2007 |at=Didsbury St James and its buildings today |archive-date=16 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516101455/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=924&pageNumber=3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== River Mersey ===
[[File:Prince Rupert - 1st English Civil War.jpg|thumb|[[Prince Rupert of the Rhine|Prince Rupert]] who stationed his army at Didsbury in 1644]]
[[File:Didsbury Library, Manchester (3).JPG|thumb|Blue Plaque on Didsbury Library commemorating Prince Rupert's advance]]
Didsbury was one of the few places between Stretford and Stockport where the River Mersey could be [[Ford (crossing)|forded]], which made it significant for troop movements during the [[English Civil War]], in which Manchester was on the [[Roundheads|Parliamentarian]] side. The [[Cavalier|Royalist]] commander, [[Prince Rupert of the Rhine|Prince Rupert]], stationed himself at Didsbury Ees, to the south of [[Barlow Moor]]. A section of the Jacobite army including the [[James Drummond, 3rd Duke of Perth|Duke of Perth]] crossed the Mersey at Didsbury in 1745 in the [[Jacobite rising of 1745|Jacobite]] march south from Manchester to Derby.<ref name="LivesAndTimes"/> Bonnie Prince Charlie crossed at Stockport.

=== Immigration from Europe ===
Jewish immigrants started to arrive in Manchester from the late 18th century, initially settling mainly in the suburbs to the north of the city. From the 1890s onwards, many of them moved to what were seen as the more "sophisticated" suburbs in the south, such as Withington and Didsbury.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.movinghere.org.uk/galleries/histories/jewish/settling/manchester_jewry_9.htm# |title=The Moves to the Suburbs |publisher=Moving Here, Bill Williams |access-date=8 October 2007 |archive-date=21 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070921013837/http://www.movinghere.org.uk/galleries/histories/jewish/settling/manchester_jewry_9.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The influx of Jewish immigrants led to West Didsbury being nicknamed "Yidsbury" and Palatine Road, a main road through West Didsbury, "Palestine Road".{{sfnp|Zenner|2000|p=72|ps=}}

A growing population of German merchants and industrialists in the mid-19th century earned Manchester the nickname of "the German city". In the Didsbury area, the Souchays were a well-known merchant family of [[Huguenot]] descent with connections to Germany. John D. Souchay built Eltville House, a large residence on the corner of Fog Lane and [[Wilmslow Road]] (a site bounded today by Clayton Avenue and Clothorn Road). The house, named after [[Eltville]] in Germany, had a pair of [[gate lodge]]s at its Wilmslow Road entrance and the Ball Brook ran through its large garden.{{sfn|Sussex|Helm|1988|p=29}}  Other members of the family, Charles (or Carl) and Adelaide (or Adelheid) Souchay, lived nearby at Withington House on Wilmslow Road (the present site of the telephone exchange at Old Broadway). The Souchays were related to Cécile Mendelssohn Bartholdy, wife of the German composer [[Felix Mendelssohn]]. In the 1840s, Mendelssohn made several visits to Britain and stayed with the Souchays; he wrote a number of letter to friends with "Eltville House, Withington" as the return address.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mendelssohn-Bartholdy |first1=Felix |title=Sämtliche Briefe: Februar 1847 bis November 1847; Gesamtregister der Bände 1 bis 12 |date=2008 |publisher=Bärenreiter |isbn=9783761823125 |page=125 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=guvh6xdHphcC |access-date=10 November 2019 |language=de |archive-date=30 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030161623/https://books.google.com/books?id=guvh6xdHphcC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="whittall">{{cite web |title=Gertrude Clarke Whittall Foundation Collection – Mendelssohn Collection |url=http://roussev.net/sdhash/tutorial-data/files/351.pdf |publisher=Music Division of the Library of Congress |access-date=10 November 2019 |page=33 |archive-date=10 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110190849/http://roussev.net/sdhash/tutorial-data/files/351.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The Souchays were members of [[St Paul's Church, Withington]]; Mendelssohn gave a recital on the newly installed [[pipe organ]] there in 1847, and the first wedding to take place there was that of John Souchay's eldest daughter in 1850. The Souchays are buried in St Paul's churchyard.<ref name="stpaulshistory">{{cite web |title=Church History |url=http://www.stpaulswithington.org.uk/about-st-pauls4992/church-history/ |publisher=St Pauls Withington |last1=Purver|first1=Ian|last2=Boyle |first2=Roy |access-date=8 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005200101/http://www.stpaulswithington.org.uk/about-st-pauls4992/church-history/ |archive-date=5 October 2011 |date=5 October 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bid to put historic organ on the Mend |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/bid-to-put-historic-organ-on-the-mend-914756 |access-date=10 November 2019 |work=Manchester Evening News |date=26 March 2009 |archive-date=10 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110190858/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/bid-to-put-historic-organ-on-the-mend-914756 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mercer-Taylor |first1=Peter |title=The Life of Mendelssohn |date=28 September 2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-63972-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/lifeofmendelssoh0000merc/page/198 198–203] |url=https://archive.org/details/lifeofmendelssoh0000merc/page/198 }}</ref> Eltville House was purchased by Jame Clayton Chorlton in 1888 and he renamed it Didsbury Priory. The Chorltons often opened their private garden to the public during springtime.{{sfn|Sussex|Helm|1988|p=29}}

Among the other German industrialists in Didsbury was Johann Georg Silkenstadt, a cotton merchant who moved to the area from [[Bremen]] in 1865. He and his wife Josephine Helene built Rose Bank on Palatine Road in West Didsbury in 1872. Their only daughter, Marie Louise, married William Murray Caldwell Greaves Bagshawe of Ford Hall in [[Chapel-en-le-Frith]], Derbyshire. The Silkenstadts built for Greystoke Hall as a wedding present for them next to their family home. Marie Louise died of [[peritonitis]] in 1891, and her father died the following year. The grieving Josephine Silkenstadt created a {{convert|5|acre|m2|adj=on}} public [[botanical garden]] opposite their house, named ''Marie Louise Gardens'' in memory of her late daughter, and bequeathed it to Withington Urban District Council. The gardens and the Lodge were designed by the civil engineer [[Joshua Cartwright]], and were formally opened in June 1903 by [[James Kenyon (politician)|James Kenyon]].{{sfn|Hartwell|Hyde|Pevsner|2004|p=450}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Maria Louise Gardens [sic] and Lodge Palatine Road Didsbury – Building |publisher=Architects of Greater Manchester |url=https://manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk/buildings/maria-louise-gardens-and-lodge-palatine-road-didsbury |access-date=20 June 2021 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200822/https://manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk/buildings/maria-louise-gardens-and-lodge-palatine-road-didsbury |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="marielouisegardens">{{cite web |title=History |url=https://www.marielouisegardens.org.uk/?page_id=47 |website=The Friends of Marie Louise Gardens |access-date=20 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122144532/https://www.marielouisegardens.org.uk/?page_id=47 |archive-date=22 January 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 19th and 20th centuries ===
[[File:Didsbury Railway Station and clock c.1910.jpg|thumb|[[Didsbury railway station]] shortly after the erection of the Rhodes memorial clock, c.1910]]
During the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] expansion of Manchester, Didsbury developed as a prosperous settlement; a few mansions from the period still exist on [[Wilmslow Road]] between Didsbury village and [[Parrs Wood]] to the east and Withington to the north, but they have now been converted to nursing homes and offices. The opening of the [[Manchester South District Line]] by the [[Midland Railway]] in 1880 contributed greatly to the rapid growth in the population of Didsbury. Easy rail connections to {{rws|Manchester Central}} were now provided from [[Didsbury railway station]] in Didsbury Village, and from [[Withington and West Didsbury railway station]] on Palatine Road. Didsbury station was also served by Express trains from Manchester to [[St Pancras railway station|London St Pancras]]. Further expansion of the railways ensued when the [[London & North Western Railway]]'s [[Styal Line]] from [[Manchester Piccadilly railway station|Manchester London Road]] to {{rws|Wilmslow}} opened in 1909, introducing two new stations to the area, [[East Didsbury railway station|East Didsbury & Parrs Wood]] and {{rws|Burnage}}.{{sfn|Haywood|2009|p=237}} In 1910, A stone [[clock tower]] and water fountain was erected outside Didsbury Midland Railway station in memory of local doctor and campaigner for the poor, Dr [[John Milson Rhodes]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1270515|desc=Rhodes Memorial Clock|access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Paulhan landing at didsbury 1910.jpg|thumb|Louis Paulhan landing his biplane at Pytha Fold Farm in 1910]]
On 28 April 1910, French pilot [[Louis Paulhan]] landed his [[Farman]] biplane in Barcicroft Fields, Pytha Fold Farm, on the borders of [[Withington]], [[Burnage]] and Didsbury, at the end of the [[1910 London to Manchester air race|first flight from London to Manchester in under 24&nbsp;hours]], with one short overnight stop at [[Lichfield]]. Arriving at 5:30&nbsp;am, Paulhan beat the British contender, [[Claude Grahame-White]], winning a £10,000 prize offered by the ''[[Daily Mail]]''.{{sfnp|Vivian|2004|pp=132–133|ps=}} This was the first powered flight into Manchester from any point outside the city. Two special trains were chartered to the newly built but unopened [[Burnage railway station]] to take spectators to the landing, many of whom had stood throughout the night. Paulhan's progress was followed throughout by a special train carrying his wife, [[Henri Farman]] and his mechanics. Afterwards, his train took the party to a civic reception given by the [[List of lord mayors of Manchester|Lord Mayor of Manchester]] in the [[Manchester Town Hall|town hall]]. A house in Paulhan Road, constructed in the 1930s near the site of his landing, is marked by a [[blue plaque]] to commemorate his achievement.{{sfnp|Scholefield|2004|p=211|ps=}}

In 1921, a war memorial was erected outside Didsbury Library, on the opposite side of the road to the Midland Railway station. Dedicated to the memory of the 174 local servicemen who fell in [[World War I]], it was unveiled by [[Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby]]. After [[World War II]], a further 67 names were added.{{sfnp|Sussex|Helm|1988|p=30|ps=}}<ref>{{NHLE|num=1270517|desc=Didsbury War Memorial|access-date=7 July 2020|fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

Further transport enhancements came in the form of two new [[arterial road]]s which were constructed at the peripheral edges of Didsbury 1928–1930: [[Kingsway (A34)|Kingsway]] (named after King [[George V]]) through East Didsbury; and [[Princess Road]] through West Didsbury. Both were laid out as [[dual carriageway]]s for motor vehicles with a [[reserved track|segregated tram track]] along the [[central reservation]]. [[Manchester Corporation Tramways]] operated a [[tram]] line from Parrs Wood via Burnage into [[Manchester city centre]] until 1949, when the service was closed.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Crosby|editor1-first=Alan|title=Leading the way : a history of Lancashire's roads|date=1998|publisher=Lancashire County Books|location=Preston|isbn=9781871236330|page=212}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Stratton|first1=Michael|last2=Trinder|first2=Barrie|title=Twentieth Century Industrial Archaeology|date=2014|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9781136748011|page=126|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=julHAwAAQBAJ&q=kingsway%20manchester%20tram%20tracks&pg=PA126|access-date=7 June 2017|language=en|archive-date=30 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030161627/https://books.google.com/books?id=julHAwAAQBAJ&q=kingsway+manchester+tram+tracks&pg=PA126|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=rowley>{{cite book |title=The English landscape in the twentieth century |first=Trevor |last=Rowley |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |year=2006 |isbn=1-85285-388-3 |page=20 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SZWI2kYEhTcC&pg=PA20 |access-date=7 June 2017 |archive-date=20 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020205940/https://books.google.com/books?id=SZWI2kYEhTcC&pg=PA20 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the postwar years, passenger train services on the South District Line (now part of [[British Rail]]) were gradually reduced, and in 1967 the line was closed as part of the [[Beeching cuts]]. For some years the old station building was in use as Station Hardware and DIY store, before it was demolished in 1982.<ref name="francewoodall"/>{{sfn|Suggitt|2004}}<ref name="disused">{{cite web |title=Didsbury Station |url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/d/didsbury/index.shtml |website=disused-stations.org.uk |publisher=Disused Stations |access-date=18 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520052050/http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/d/didsbury/index.shtml |archive-date=20 May 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Governance ==
[[File:The Didsbury Inn.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Large detached two-storey building|Formerly the "Ring o' Bells", the Didsbury Inn was at the heart of judicial and leisure activities in 18th century Didsbury.<ref name="Old Centre">{{cite web |url=http://www.thedidsbury.co.uk/history.html |title=The Didsbury "Our History" |publisher=The Didsbury |access-date=16 September 2007 |archive-date=5 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080105035922/http://www.thedidsbury.co.uk/history.html |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

=== Civic history ===
In the early 13th century, Didsbury lay within the [[Manorialism|manor]] of Withington, a feudal estate that also included the townships of [[Withington]], [[Chorlton-cum-Hardy]], [[Moss Side]], [[Rusholme]], [[Burnage]], [[Denton, Greater Manchester|Denton]] and [[Haughton, Greater Manchester|Haughton]], ruled by the Hathersage, Longford and Tatton families,<ref>{{cite book |last= Sussex & Helm |title= Looking Back at Withington and Didsbury |publisher= Willow |year= 1988 |isbn= 0-946361-25-8 |page=45}}</ref> and within the [[Historic counties of England|historic county boundaries]] of [[Lancashire]].<ref name="gazette"/> Didsbury remained within the manor of Withington for several centuries.

By 1764, Didsbury was described as a township in its own right.<ref name="francewoodall"/> It was also a [[chapelry]] in Manchester parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/place/21264|title=History of Didsbury, in Manchester and Lancashire|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=5 November 2024}}</ref> It became a [[Civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in 1866, and in 1876 was incorporated into the Withington Urban Sanitary District, superseded in 1894 by the creation of Withington Urban District. The district was administered from [[Withington Town Hall]], Lapwing Lane, following its construction in 1881. Withington Urban District was a subdivision of the [[Administrative counties of England|administrative county]] of Lancashire, created as part of the provisions of the [[Local Government Act 1894]]. In 1904, Withington Urban District was amalgamated into the city and [[county borough]] of Manchester, and so Didsbury was absorbed into Manchester, although it remained a civil parish until 1 October 1910 when it was abolished and merged with [[South Manchester]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10347804|title=Relationships and changes Didsbury CP/Ch through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=5 November 2024}}</ref> In 1901 the parish had a population of 9234.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10347804/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Didsbury CP/Ch through time|publisher=A Vision of Britain through Time|accessdate=5 November 2024}}</ref> Following the [[Local Government Act 1972]], Manchester became a [[metropolitan borough]] of the [[metropolitan county]] of [[Greater Manchester]].

=== Political representation ===
Didsbury is in the [[parliamentary constituency]] of [[Manchester Withington (UK Parliament constituency)|Manchester Withington]], and is represented by [[Jeff Smith (British politician)|Jeff Smith MP]], a member of the [[UK Labour Party|Labour Party]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Jeff Smith MP | url = https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/Jeff-Smith/4456 | website = parliament.uk | publisher = [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]] | access-date = 28 April 2017 | archive-date = 28 April 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170428050722/https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/Jeff-Smith/4456 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Until 2004, most of the area formed the Didsbury [[Ward (politics)|ward]] of [[Manchester City Council]] with a section of West Didsbury contained within the Barlow Moor ward. However, [[Boundary Commissions (United Kingdom)|boundary changes]] in 2004 resulted in Didsbury being split mainly between the two new wards of [[Didsbury East (ward)|Didsbury East]] and [[Didsbury West (ward)|Didsbury West]] while a small section of West Didsbury was incorporated into the new ward of [[Chorlton Park (ward)|Chorlton Park]].<ref name="KirstyEllery">{{cite news | last=Elleray | first=Kirsty | title=Boundary name row rumbles on | url=http://menmedia.co.uk/southmanchesterreporter/news/s/367563_boundary_name_row_rumbles_on | work=[[South Manchester Reporter]] | publisher=[[Trinity Mirror]] | date=19 December 2003 | access-date=10 May 2008 | archive-date=6 April 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406222415/http://menmedia.co.uk/southmanchesterreporter/news/s/367563_boundary_name_row_rumbles_on | url-status=dead }}</ref>  Didsbury East is represented by Labour councillors Linda Foley, James Wilson and Andrew Simcock.<ref>{{cite web | title = Didsbury East Councillors | url = http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/councillors.php?viewBy=specificWard&wardID=48 | website = manchester.gov.uk | publisher = [[Manchester City Council]] | access-date = 28 April 2017 | archive-date = 5 February 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180205002709/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/councillors.php?viewBy=specificWard&wardID=48 | url-status = live }}</ref> Didsbury West is represented by Labour councillors Debbie Hilal and Greg Stanton, and Liberal Democrat councillor [[John Leech (politician)|John Leech]].<ref>{{cite web | title= Councillors by Ward: Didsbury West | publisher= Manchester City Council | url= http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/councillors.php?viewBy=specificWard&wardID=50 | access-date= 6 May 2016 | work= manchester.gov.uk | archive-date= 3 June 2016 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160603005050/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/councillors.php?viewBy=specificWard&wardID=50 | url-status= live }}</ref> All wards within Manchester elect in thirds on a [[Elections in the United Kingdom#Regional and local elections|four yearly cycle]].

== Geography ==
{{Further|Geography of Greater Manchester}}
[[File:Didsbury 1905.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|[[Ordnance survey]] map of Didsbury from 1905]]
{{Location map|United Kingdom Manchester
  |caption = Didsbury, shown within Manchester
  |width   = 180
 |label      = Didsbury
| float = left
  |long       = -2.2231
  |lat        = 53.4166
  |background = white
}}
Didsbury, at {{Coord|53|24|59|N|2|13|51|W|type:city}} (53.4166, −2.2311), is south of the midpoint of the [[Greater Manchester Urban Area]], {{convert|4+1/2|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} south of Manchester city centre. To the north, Didsbury is bordered by [[Withington]], [[Chorlton-cum-Hardy]] and [[Burnage]], to the west by [[Northenden]], to the east and south-east by [[Heaton Mersey]] and [[Cheadle, Greater Manchester|Cheadle]], and by [[Gatley]] to the south.

The [[River Mersey]] forms Didsbury's southern and southwestern boundaries and certain stretches of the river also demarcate the boundaries of the [[City of Manchester]]. The area is generally considered to be roughly enclosed by Princess Parkway to the west, Kingsway to the east and the Ball Brook, just north of Lapwing Lane/Fog Lane to the north. This northern boundary is marked by a boundary stone in the front garden wall of a house on the west side of Wilmslow Road. A "country trail" passes from West Didsbury to East, named the Trans Pennine Trail ([[National Cycle Network|National Cycle Route]] 62). It was sited along a disused railway track, as part of a nationwide initiative to promote cycling.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=100011&documentID=732&pageNumber=4|title=Cycling in Manchester|publisher=Manchester City Council|work=manchester.gov.uk|at=Signed Cycle Routes in Manchester|access-date=19 September 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215141915/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=100011&documentID=732&pageNumber=4|archive-date=15 December 2008}}</ref>

Didsbury's built environment has developed around the areas of East Didsbury, West Didsbury, and Didsbury Village, which separates the two. The Albert Park conservation area, covering much of West Didsbury, places planning restrictions on development, alterations to buildings, and pruning of trees. The areas adjacent to the Mersey lie within the river's flood plain, and so have historically been prone to flooding after heavy rainfall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salecommunityweb.co.uk/rivermersey.htm|title=Flooding|publisher=SaleCommunityWeb|access-date=16 September 2007|archive-date=1 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901191822/http://www.salecommunityweb.co.uk/rivermersey.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The last major flooding was in the late 1960s. In the 1970s extensive flood mitigation work carried out along the Mersey Valley through Manchester has helped to speed up the passage of floodwater. [[Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden]] also acts as an emergency flood basin, storing floodwater until it can be safely released back into the river.<ref name="Exploring Greater Manchester">{{cite web |title=Exploring Greater Manchester |publisher=Manchester Geographical Society |url=http://www.mangeogsoc.org.uk/egm/5_1.pdf |year=1998 |access-date=6 May 2007 |archive-date=13 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613193027/http://www.mangeogsoc.org.uk/egm/5_1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Parts of the local flood plain, much of Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden, the whole of nearby [[Didsbury Park]] and many of the listed buildings in the area are grouped into the St. James' Conservation area,<ref name="Didsbury St. James' Conservation Area">{{cite web |title=St. James' Conservation Area |publisher=Manchester City Council |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/511/conservation_areas/924/didsbury_st_james_conservation_area |access-date=4 June 2018 |archive-date=25 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625090217/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/511/conservation_areas/924/didsbury_st_james_conservation_area |url-status=live }}</ref> which is centred on Wilmslow Road, just south of Didsbury Village.

{{Geographic Location
|title     = '''Neighbouring districts and places.'''
|Northwest = [[Chorlton-cum-Hardy]]
|North     = [[Withington]]
|Northeast = [[Heaton Moor]]
|West      = [[Wythenshawe]]
|Centre    = Didsbury
|East      = [[Heaton Mersey]]
|Southwest = [[Wythenshawe]]
|South     = [[Gatley]]
|Southeast = [[Cheadle, Greater Manchester|Cheadle]]
}}

== Demography ==
The [[United Kingdom Census 2001]] recorded Didsbury as having a population of 14,292, of whom 87% were born in the United Kingdom.<ref name="UK Census">{{cite web|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=5941645&c=didsbury&d=14&e=16&g=351419&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1191669271360&enc=1&dsFamilyId=85|title=2001 UK Census (Ethnicity)|access-date=6 October 2007|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061716/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=5941645&c=didsbury&d=14&e=16&g=351419&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1191669271360&enc=1&dsFamilyId=85|url-status=dead}}</ref> A large majority of residents, 88%, identified themselves as [[White British|white]], 8% as [[Asian British|Asian]], 2% as mixed ethnicity, 1% [[Black British|black]] and 1% Chinese or other ethnic group.<ref name="Neighbourhood Statistics 2001 Census"/> The under-16s accounted for 17% of the population, and the over-65s for 15%. The population density in 2001 was 5,276/square&nbsp;mile (2,037/km<sup>2</sup>).<ref name="DidsburyWard">{{cite web | title= Didsbury Ward | publisher= Manchester City Council | url= http://www.manchester.gov.uk/downloads/N15_Didsbury.pdf| access-date= 5 October 2007 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080104123329/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/downloads/N15_Didsbury.pdf | archive-date= 4 January 2008}}</ref> In May 2021 a claim published by the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' that Didsbury was among a number of "[[no-go area]]s for white people" attracted media criticism.<ref>{{cite news |title=Daily Mail slammed for article claiming there are 'no go areas' for white people in Britain |url=https://www.indy100.com/news/daily-mail-no-go-areas-b1860444 |access-date=7 June 2021 |work=indy100.com |date=6 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607125222/https://www.indy100.com/news/daily-mail-no-go-areas-b1860444 |archive-date=7 June 2021 |language=en|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Siddique |first1=Haroon |title=MailOnline mocked for suggesting Didsbury is 'no go' area for white people |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/06/mailonline-mocked-for-suggesting-didsbury-is-no-go-area-for-white-people |access-date=7 June 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=2021-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607125511/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/06/mailonline-mocked-for-suggesting-didsbury-is-no-go-area-for-white-people |archive-date=7 June 2021 |language=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Columns-start}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Didsbury demography (as at 2019)<ref>{{cite web |title=Didsbury East (Ward, United Kingdom) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/northwestengland/wards/manchester/E05011362__didsbury_east/ |website=citypopulation.de |access-date=12 June 2021 |archive-date=12 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612103126/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/northwestengland/wards/manchester/E05011362__didsbury_east/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Didsbury West (Ward, United Kingdom) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/northwestengland/wards/manchester/E05011363__didsbury_west/ |website=citypopulation.de |access-date=12 June 2021 |archive-date=12 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612103125/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/northwestengland/wards/manchester/E05011363__didsbury_west/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Manchester (Metropolitan Borough, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom) – Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/admin/greater_manchester/E08000003__manchester/ |website=citypopulation.de |access-date=12 June 2021 |archive-date=12 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612103123/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/admin/greater_manchester/E08000003__manchester/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
!Ethnic group
!Didsbury East
!Didsbury West
!City of Manchester
|-
|White
|77.9%
|84.1%
|66.6%
|-
|Asian
|13.6%
|8.2%
|17.1%
|-
|Black
|2.1%
|1.7%
|8.6%
|-
|Arab
|1.8%
|1.5%
|1.9%
|-
|Mixed/multiple
|3.7%
|3.5%
|4.6%
|-
|Other 
|0.9%
|1%
|1.2%
|}
{{Column}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:10px;"
|+Didsbury demography (2001 data)<ref name="Neighbourhood Statistics 2001 Census">{{cite web |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=3&b=5941645&c=didsbury&d=14&g=351419&i=1001x1003&m=0&enc=1&domainId=16&extendedList=false |title=Area: Didsbury (Ward) |publisher=neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk |author=United Kingdom Census 2001 |year=2001 |access-date=10 July 2007 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193614/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=3&b=5941645&c=didsbury&d=14&g=351419&i=1001x1003&m=0&enc=1&domainId=16&extendedList=false |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadPage.do?pageId=1003&tc=1184106419348&a=7&b=789833&c=M7+4FU&d=14&e=6&f=90&g=353838&i=1x1003x1004x1005&l=179&o=1&m=0&enc=1|title=Greater Manchester (Health Authority)|publisher=neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk|author=United Kingdom Census 2001|year=2001|access-date=10 July 2007|archive-date=17 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517032044/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadPage.do?pageId=1003&tc=1184106419348&a=7&b=789833&c=M7+4FU&d=14&e=6&f=90&g=353838&i=1x1003x1004x1005&l=179&o=1&m=0&enc=1|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|'''[[United Kingdom Census 2001|UK Census 2001]]'''||'''Didsbury'''||'''[[Manchester]]'''||'''England'''
|-
|Total population||14,292||392,819||49,138,831
|-
|Born outside Europe ||8%||10%||6%
|-
|White||88%||81%||91%
|-
|Asian||8%||9%||5%
|-
|Black||1%||5%||2%
|-
|Over 75 years old||10%||6%||8%
|}
{{Columns-end}}

== Economy ==
[[File:Sir William Siemens House.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Large, white, four-storey building with a curved facade|Sir William Siemens House, [[Siemens]]' UK head office in West Didsbury]]
{{See also|Economy of Manchester}}
As of the [[2001 UK census|UK's 2001 census]], Didsbury had an estimated workforce of 10,755 or 75% of the population. Economic status in Didsbury was: 48% in full-time employment, 11% retired, 10% self-employed, 8% in part-time employment, 4% full-time student (without job), 4% housewife/husband or carer, 4% permanently sick or disabled, 4% unemployed and 2% economically inactive for unstated reasons.<ref name="Neighbourhood Statistics 2001 Census"/> Didsbury's 48% rate of full-time employment compares with 33% in Manchester and 41% across the whole of England.<ref name="Neighbourhood Statistics 2001 Census"/> The area's 4% unemployment rate is in contrast to Manchester's rate of 9% and broadly in line with the 5% rate of unemployment for England.<ref name="Neighbourhood Statistics 2001 Census"/>

In 2001, the main industries of employment in Didsbury were 20% property and business services, 15% education, 15% health and social work, 10% retail and wholesale, 9% manufacturing, 6% transport and communications, 5% financial services, 4% hotels and restaurants, 4% construction, 4% public administration and defence, and 8% other.<ref name="Neighbourhood Statistics 2001 Census"/> These figures were similar to those from surrounding areas, but Didsbury did have a relatively larger education sector than other nearby wards, perhaps explained by the high density of schools in the area. A significant number of people (12%) commute to areas outside Didsbury; at the 2001 census there were 6,555 jobs in Didsbury, compared with the 7,417 employed residents.<ref>{{cite web | title= Distance Travelled to Work – Workplace Population (UV80) | work= Area: Didsbury (Ward) | url= http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=5941645&c=didsbury&d=14&e=16&g=351419&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1191932022466&enc=1&dsFamilyId=189 | publisher= Office for National Statistics | access-date= 8 October 2007 | archive-date= 3 March 2016 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303191924/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=5941645&c=didsbury&d=14&e=16&g=351419&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1191932022466&enc=1&dsFamilyId=189 | url-status= dead }}</ref>

[[Siemens]]' UK head office is in West Didsbury, occupying Sir William Siemens House and the Turing building, employing around 800 people here.
The head office of [[BA CityFlyer]] is in Didsbury.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Locations |url= http://www.bacityflyerjobs.com/templates/BACity/locations.aspx?raparam=6B4C5648425533566E7059514A4C3762414B4B624A6767734341644D584F726B|publisher=BA CityFlyer Careers |access-date= 12 March 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091122181327/http://www.bacityflyerjobs.com/templates/BACity/locations.aspx?raparam=6B4C5648425533566E7059514A4C3762414B4B624A6767734341644D584F726B|archive-date= 22 November 2009}}</ref> [[British Airways]] has an office with 300 employees in Pioneer House on the 292,000 square feet (27,100 m2), Dutch-owned Towers Business Park. In 2005, other tenants of the business park included [[Cisco]], [[IWG plc|IWG]], [[Logica]], [[Trinity Integrated Systems]] and [[Thorn Lighting]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=BA |url=http://www.britishairwaysjobs.com/baweb1/?newms=info85 |publisher=British Airways |access-date=12 March 2010 |archive-date=14 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081114165250/http://www.britishairwaysjobs.com/baweb1/?newms=info85 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name ="Dutch">{{Cite news |title=Didsbury Towers is going Dutch|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/didsbury-towers-is-going-dutch-1083470 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211191335/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/didsbury-towers-is-going-dutch-1083470 |archive-date=2016-02-11 | publisher=M.E.N. Media |access-date=12 March 2010 |last=Thame|first=David|date=6 September 2005|newspaper=Manchester Evening News}}</ref>

Didsbury is considered to form a 'stockbroker belt',<ref>{{cite news |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/southmanchesterreporter/news/s/365256_1m_house_puts_didsbury_into_the_stockbroker_belt |title=£1m house puts Didsbury into the stockbroker belt |date=1 March 2002 |publisher=M.E.N. Media |access-date=15 April 2010 |newspaper=South Manchester Reporter |archive-date=12 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112093940/http://menmedia.co.uk/southmanchesterreporter/news/s/365256_1m_house_puts_didsbury_into_the_stockbroker_belt |url-status=dead }}</ref> as it is Manchester's most affluent suburb.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/160095_didsburys_first_1m_apartments.html|title=Didsbury's first £1m apartments|last=Burdett|first=Jill|date=25 May 2005|publisher=M.E.N. Media|access-date=15 April 2010|newspaper=Manchester Evening News|archive-date=20 April 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130420171534/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/160095_didsburys_first_1m_apartments.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Culture ==
The original site of Didsbury Village is in the conservation area now known as Didsbury St James,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=924&pageNumber=4 |title= Didsbury St James Conservation Area |work= manchester.gov.uk |publisher= Manchester City Council |access-date= 20 September 2007 |at= Townscape |archive-date= 16 May 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080516101504/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=924&pageNumber=4 |url-status= live }}</ref> about half a mile (1&nbsp;km) to the south of what is today's village centre. The old village green is now the beer garden of The Didsbury pub.

The traditional independent retailers are gradually being replaced by multi-national firms, raising fears that Didsbury may lose its individual identity and become a "clone town".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://menmedia.co.uk/southmanchesterreporter/news/s/507020_fears_over_clone_town_didsbury|last=Towle|first=Nick|date=8 December 2005|title=Fears over 'clone town' Didsbury|publisher=M.E.N. Media|access-date=18 September 2007|work=South Manchester Reporter|archive-date=10 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910204537/http://menmedia.co.uk/southmanchesterreporter/news/s/507020_fears_over_clone_town_didsbury|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, independent traders continue to thrive, especially along Burton Road in West Didsbury, which celebrates its independent spirit each year with the two-day Westfest festival. The 200-year-old Peacock's Funeral Parlour, one of the few pre-Victorian buildings in the village and regarded by some as the centrepiece of the village,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A9379560|title=Dying to Save Peacocks|publisher=BBC|date= 20 February 2006|access-date=16 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823054330/http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A9379560 |archive-date=23 August 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> was demolished in the summer of 2005 to make way for a new branch of [[Boots UK|Boots the Chemists]]. The owner, [[United Co-operatives|United Co-op]], blamed changing demographics for the closure of the funeral parlour; with more and more homes being occupied by young professional people, the death rate was falling in the area.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/southmanchesterreporter/news/s/378568_death_of_a_funeral_parlour |title=Death of a funeral parlour |last=Towle|first=Nick|date= 5 May 2005|publisher=M.E.N. Media|access-date=16 September 2007|work=South Manchester Reporter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112031411/http://menmedia.co.uk/southmanchesterreporter/news/s/378568_death_of_a_funeral_parlour|archive-date=12 November 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

=== Green areas ===
The [[Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden]] is a {{convert|21|acre|ha|adj=on|abbr=off|0}} recreational park south of the village centre. It is named after local [[Alderman]] Fletcher Moss, who donated the park to the city of Manchester in 1919.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Fletcher Moss Gardens |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=2236&pageNumber=4 |publisher=Manchester City Council |access-date=21 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080104160238/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=2236 |archive-date=4 January 2008 }}</ref> In 2008, it won the [[Green Flag Award]], the national standard for parks and green spaces in England,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/winners/GSP000967/ |title=Fletcher Moss Gardens |publisher=Green Flag Award|access-date=29 September 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080207082527/http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/winners/GSP000967/ |archive-date = 7 February 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> an award it has held since 2000.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Fletcher Moss Gardens |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=2236&pageNumber=1 |publisher=Manchester City Council |access-date=29 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080104160238/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=2236 |archive-date=4 January 2008 }}</ref>

Alderman Fletcher Moss was also responsible for restoring the gardens surrounding the old parsonage of St James's Church. Today, the Parsonage Gardens are open to the public, and the former parsonage house is now in use as an art gallery and community building.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jennings |first1=Anthony |title=The Old Rectory: The Story of the English Parsonage |date=2009-10-28 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4411-1805-9 |page=111 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KaO6BwAAQBAJ |access-date=20 June 2021 |language=en |archive-date=30 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030161634/https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Old_Rectory/KaO6BwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}</ref>

'''Didsbury Park''' is a community park located close to the centre of Didsbury village, surrounded by residential housing. It is one of the first municipal planned parks in the city, redesigned in the 1920s to include recreational features for residents, such as bowling greens. Located within the St. James’ Conservation Area, it features preservation-order trees, grassland, woodland, and flora. An old air-raid shelter is rumoured to be beneath the football pitch.<ref name="Manchester City Council">{{Cite web |title=Parks and open spaces - Didsbury Park |url=https://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/439742/didsbury_park |publisher=Manchester City Council}}</ref><ref name="Didsbury Park">{{Cite web |title=Didsbury Park |date=18 October 2020 |url=https://www.didsburycivicsociety.org/didsbury-park/ |publisher=Didsbury Civic Society}}</ref> The park includes a children's playground, a football pitch, and bowling greens.<ref name="Manchester City Council"/><ref name="Didsbury Park"/> [[Didsbury Park]] was also a winner of the Green Flag Award in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=Didsbury Park |url=http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/winners/GSP001143/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207083255/http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/winners/GSP001143/ |archive-date=7 February 2008 |access-date=29 September 2007 |publisher=Green Flag Award}}</ref> The park is used for dog walking, recreational play, picnics, and hosts events like the Didsbury Festival and Classic Car show. 'Didsbury Good Neighbours', a charity, is based in the park's refurbished pavilion, and operates an on-site cafe.<ref name="Didsbury Park"/> The upkeep of the park is managed by the volunteer group, [[The Friends of Didsbury Park]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Friends of Didsbury Park |url=https://www.friendsofdidsburypark.com |publisher=The Friends of Didsbury Park}}</ref>

Marie Louise Gardens is a relatively small park to the west of the centre of Didsbury, opened in 1903 in memory of Marie Louise Silkenstadt.{{sfn|Hartwell|Hyde|Pevsner|2004|p=450}}<ref name="marielouisegardens"/><ref name="ManchesterParks">{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/daytrips/parks-gardens.html|title=Manchester Parks and Gardens|publisher=John Moss, Papillon Graphics|access-date=21 September 2007|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070922182525/http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/daytrips/parks-gardens.html|archive-date=22 September 2007}}</ref> The gardens are planted out with a number of rare and unusual tree species.<ref>{{cite web |title=Marie Louise Gardens |url=https://www.didsburycivicsociety.org/marie-louise-gardens/ |publisher=Didsbury Civic Society |access-date=20 June 2021 |date=2020-10-18 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201052/https://www.didsburycivicsociety.org/marie-louise-gardens/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The park was at the centre of controversy in 2007 after Manchester City Council proposed to sell a portion of it to a private property developer.<ref>{{cite news |first=Susannah |last=Wright |title=Hands off our park, say 5,000 residents |url=http://www.southmanchesterreporter.co.uk/news/s/228/228817_hands_off_our_park_say_5000_residents.html |publisher=South Manchester Report |date=7 June 2007 |access-date=21 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 September 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120918204933/http://www.southmanchesterreporter.co.uk/news/s/228/228817_hands_off_our_park_say_5000_residents.html }}</ref>

In the northern part of Didsbury lies Fog Lane Park, a large municipal green space which borders on Withington and Burnage. The park, which features playing fields and ornamental gardens, was established in 1926 by the Manchester Corporation. The park also contains basketball courts, tennis courts, a skate park and a children's play area. Fog Lane takes its name from [[Yorkshire-fog]], a type of wild grass.<ref>{{cite web |title=Parks and open spaces: Fog Lane Park |url=https://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/89219/fog_lane_park/category/301/all_parks_playgrounds_and_open_spaces |website=manchester.gov.uk |publisher=Manchester City Council |access-date=20 June 2021 |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202710/https://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/89219/fog_lane_park/category/301/all_parks_playgrounds_and_open_spaces |url-status=live }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Parks in Didsbury">
File:Fletcher moss7.jpg|[[Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden]] 
File:Old Parsonage, Didsbury.jpg|Parsonage Gardens
File:Marie Louise Gardens .jpeg|Marie Louise Gardens 
File:Fog Lane Park 22 09 11 801000.jpeg|[[Fog Lane Park]]
File:Didsbury Park.jpg|alt=Flat grassy area dotted with various kinds of trees|Panorama of [[Didsbury Park]] (March 2008)
</gallery>

== Media ==
{{See also|Media in Manchester}}
[[File:ABC Weekend TV studios in Didsbury Manchester.jpg|thumb|right|Capitol Theatre, previously ABC Weekend Television's northern studios]]
Between 1956 and 1969, the old [[Capitol Theatre, Manchester|Capitol Theatre]] at the junction of Parrs Wood Road and School Lane served as the northern studios of ITV station [[ABC Weekend Television]]. Programmes such as ''[[Opportunity Knocks (UK TV series)|Opportunity Knocks]]'' and ''[[Police Surgeon (British TV series)|Police Surgeon]]'' were made in the studios. ABC ceased to use the site in 1968 when it lost its ITV franchise, on its merger with fellow ITV company [[Associated-Rediffusion|Rediffusion]]. The site was then used briefly by [[Yorkshire Television]] until its own facilities in Leeds were ready.<ref name=Transdiffusion/> In 1971, the studios were acquired by [[Manchester Metropolitan University|Manchester Polytechnic]], who used it for cinema, television studies and theatre.<ref name=RudyardWykeP29>{{Harvnb|Rudyard|Wyke|1994|p=29}}</ref> The building was demolished in the late 1990s to make way for a residential development,<ref name=Transdiffusion>{{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Russ J. |title=From the North |publisher=Transdiffusion Broadcasting System |url=http://www.transdiffusion.org/tmc/abc/studios/didsbury.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014194437/http://www.transdiffusion.org/tmc/abc/studios/didsbury.php |archive-date=2007-10-14 |access-date=3 October 2007 }}</ref> but the name lives on in the form of a new theatre space in the heart of the M.M.U. campus in the All Saints area along Oxford Road, just to the south of Manchester city centre.<ref name=MMU>{{Cite web |title=Capital Theatre: About us |url=http://www.capitoltheatre.mmu.ac.uk/about.php |publisher=Manchester School of Theatre |access-date=20 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026054117/http://www.capitoltheatre.mmu.ac.uk/about.php |archive-date=26 October 2010}}</ref>

Until 2009 Didsbury was the base for one of the ''[[Manchester Evening News]]'' subsidiaries, the ''[[South Manchester Reporter]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.southmanchesterreporter.co.uk/about/s/0/45_south_manchester_reporter.html|title=SMR Profile|newspaper=South Manchester Reporter|date= 3 April 2007|access-date=4 September 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070919102958/http://www.southmanchesterreporter.co.uk/about/s/0/45_south_manchester_reporter.html |archive-date = 19 September 2007|url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Transport ==
{{See also|Transport in Manchester}}
[[File:East Didsbury Railway Station (geograph 3202229).jpg|thumb|East Didsbury railway station]]
[[File:Didsbury Village tram stop (geograph 6334157).jpg|thumb|Didsbury Village tram stop]]

===Roads===
Didsbury is close to junction 5 of Manchester's [[ring road]], the [[M60 motorway]].

===Air===
[[Manchester Airport]], the busiest airport in the UK outside London,<ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Wilson |title=A busy hub of connectivity |work=[[Financial Times]] – FT report – doing business in Manchester and the NorthWest |publisher=The Financial Times Limited |date=26 April 2007}}</ref> is situated about 4&nbsp;miles (6.5&nbsp;km) to the south.

===Bus===
Didsbury is served by bus routes on the [[Wilmslow Road bus corridor]], said to be the busiest bus corridor in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eyeonmanchester.com/oxford-rd-manchester-buses/ |title=Didsbury as the "busiest bus corridor" |publisher=EyeOnManchester |first=Aidan |last=O'Rourke |date=26 October 2006 |access-date=3 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928223142/http://www.eyeonmanchester.com/oxford-rd-manchester-buses/ |archive-date=28 September 2007}}</ref>
There are frequent bus services into Manchester city centre, [[The Trafford Centre]], [[Northenden]] and other destinations.

===Railway===
The nearest commuter railway stations to Didsbury are {{rws|East Didsbury}} and {{rws|Burnage}} on the [[Styal Line]], which runs between {{rws|Manchester Piccadilly}} and {{rws|Manchester Airport}}. The stations were opened in 1909 by the [[London and North Western Railway]].{{sfn|Haywood|2009|p=237}} East Didsbury is served additionally by regional trains to destinations including {{rws|Liverpool Lime Street}}, {{rws|Crewe}}, {{rws|Chester}} and {{rws|Llandudno}}.

Until the 1960s, the suburb was also served by two stations on the [[South Manchester Line|South District Line]] from {{rws|Manchester Central}}: {{rws|Withington and West Didsbury}} station on Lapwing Lane (closed in 1961) and [[Didsbury railway station|Didsbury station]] (closed in 1967, during the [[Beeching Axe]]). Both stations have since been demolished,{{sfn|Suggitt|2004}}<ref name="disused" /> although new stops on Manchester's Metrolink have since risen in their place.

=== Metrolink ===
{{Main|South Manchester Line}}
The area is served by the [[Manchester Metrolink]] [[light rail]]/[[tram]] with four tram stops at {{tram|Didsbury Village}}, {{tram|Burton Road}}, {{tram|East Didsbury}} and {{tram|West Didsbury}}.

The tram route uses a reopened section of the former Midland Railway line. Proposals were first announced in 1984 to reopen the disused line as part of the ''Project Light Rail'' scheme and the former Didsbury station was to reopen under the name of Didsbury Central or Didsbury Village.<ref name="metrolink1">{{citation |author=Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive |title=Light Rapid Transit in Greater Manchester |publisher=GMPTE |year=1984}} – publicity brochure</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Ogden|first1=Eric|last2=Senior|first2=John|title=Metrolink: Official Handbook|publisher=Transport Publishing Company|location=Glossop, Derbyshire|year=1991|isbn=0-86317-164-8 |pages=26–27}}</ref> The first phase of the [[Manchester Metrolink]] [[light rail]]/[[tram]] system opened in 1992 but, due to funding problems, the old [[trackbed]] through Didsbury remained derelict for over 20 years<ref>{{cite web |last= Williams |first= Tony |title= Manchester to Chorlton and East Didsbury |publisher= Light Transit Association |url= http://www.lrta.org/Manchester/funding.html#ph.three |date= 30 May 2007 |access-date= 1 January 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081221115719/http://www.lrta.org/Manchester/funding.html#ph.three |archive-date= 21 December 2008 |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Fight for Metrolink will go on|publisher=M.E.N. Media|last=Cronshaw|first=Andy|date=22 July 2004|url=http://menmedia.co.uk/southmanchesterreporter/news/s/377967_fight_for_metrolink_will_go_on|access-date=4 October 2007|work=South Manchester Reporter|archive-date=6 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406222225/http://menmedia.co.uk/southmanchesterreporter/news/s/377967_fight_for_metrolink_will_go_on|url-status=dead}}</ref> until it was reopened in 2013. Rather than reopening at the site of the old Midland Railway station on Wilmslow Road, it was decided instead to locate the new Didsbury Village tram stop further down the line at School Lane.<ref name="men-opening">{{cite news |last1=Kirby |first1=Dean |title=First passengers travel on tram extension to East Didsbury |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/first-passengers-travel-tram-extension-4004861 |access-date=18 June 2020 |work=Manchester Evening News |date=23 May 2013 |archive-date=20 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620011118/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/first-passengers-travel-tram-extension-4004861 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Education ==
{{Further|List of schools in Manchester}}
[[File:City College Didsbury.jpg|thumb|alt=Medium height rectangular tower block|Fielden Park Campus, Manchester College]]
Didsbury has a non-selective education system, assessed by the [[National Curriculum assessment|SATs]] exam. There are seven [[primary school]]s and two [[secondary school|state comprehensive secondary schools]]. The Barlow RC High School is one of those chosen by Manchester Council to benefit from funding made available in wave 4 of the government's [[Building Schools for the Future]] programme, a national scheme for the refurbishment and remodelling of every secondary school in England.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=2128|title=New boost for education in Manchester as council gets funding to rebuild more secondary Schools|publisher=Manchester City Council|access-date=16 September 2007|work=manchester.gov.uk|archive-date=4 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080104215648/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=2128|url-status=live}}</ref> It is planned to replace all the current buildings, which date back to 1951. Parrs Wood and The Barlow were two of only six schools in Manchester to achieve the Manchester Inclusion Standard in 2007, awarded by Manchester Council to those schools doing innovative work to ensure that all their pupils are able to participate fully in the school's activities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=2840|title=More Schools Achieve Manchester Inclusion Standard|publisher=Manchester City Council|access-date=7 August 2007|work=manchester.gov.uk|archive-date=27 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927002924/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=2840|url-status=live}}</ref>

There is one centre of further and higher education in Didsbury: [[The Manchester College]], (formerly [[City College Manchester]]) Fielden Campus, which was opened in 1972 by [[Margaret Thatcher]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccm.ac.uk/ccm_gateway.asp?NavID=748|title=Fielden Campus|publisher= City College Manchester|access-date=8 October 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080601230024/http://www.ccm.ac.uk/ccm_gateway.asp?NavID=748 |archive-date = 1 June 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> offers a variety of courses including communication and technology. [[Manchester Metropolitan University]]'s Didsbury Campus, the former [[Didsbury School of Education]], was home to the faculties of health, social care, and education, along with the [[Broomhurst Hall]] of Residence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mmu.ac.uk/about/locations/didsbury.php|title=ManMet Campus|publisher=MMU|access-date=18 September 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070922141158/http://www.mmu.ac.uk/about/locations/didsbury.php|archive-date=22 September 2007}}</ref> The University closed the campus and sold the land in 2014.

=== Primary schools ===

* Beaver Road Primary School
* Broad Oak Primary School
* Cavendish Community Primary School
* Didsbury CE Primary School
* St Catherine's RC Primary School
* West Didsbury CE Primary School
* St Ambrose RC Primary School

=== Secondary schools ===

* [[Parrs Wood High School]]

Parrs Wood, with about 2,000 pupils on its register, is much larger than the average, and is regularly over-subscribed in Year 7.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parrswood.manchester.sch.uk/school/campus.html |title=Parrs Wood Campus and Facilities |publisher=Parrs Wood High School |access-date=22 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405072429/http://www.parrswood.manchester.sch.uk/school/campus.html |archive-date=5 April 2010 }}</ref> In its 2007 inspection report by the [[Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills]] (Ofsted) the school was criticised for "failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education", and for providing "unsatisfactory" value for money.<ref>{{cite web |title=Parrs Wood High School |publisher=Ofsted |url=http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_providers/full/(urn)/105556 |access-date=20 February 2009 |archive-date=3 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003123721/http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_providers/full/(urn)/105556 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, in 2012 it came out of special measures and Ofsted deemed it a "satisfactory" school with aspects of "good teaching" and "good management".

* [[The Barlow Roman Catholic High School|The Barlow RC High School]]

The Barlow RC High School is an average size secondary school, with about 1,000 pupils. It too is regularly over-subscribed. It was described in its October 2003 Ofsted report as "a successful and effective school that is providing a good education for its pupils".<ref>{{cite report |last=Henderson |first=A |date=October 2003 |title=Inspection Report: The Barlow RC High School |url=https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/793661 |publisher=Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills |access-date=2 April 2019 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403011453/https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/793661 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Special and alternative schools ===
* The Birches School 
* Lancasterian School

== Religion ==
{{Further|List of churches in Greater Manchester#Manchester|l1=List of churches in Didsbury}}
{| class="wikitable" align="right" style="margin-left: 1em;"
! Religion
! Percentage of <br />population<ref name="Neighbourhood Statistics 2001 Census"/>
|-
| [[Christianity|Christian]]
| 62%
|-
| No religion
| 20%
|-
| Not stated
| 7%
|-
| [[Islam|Muslim]]
| 6%
|-
| [[Judaism|Jewish]]
| 2%
|-
| [[Hinduism|Hindu]]
| 2%
|}
It is uncertain when the first chapel was built in Didsbury, but it is thought to have been before the middle of the 13th century. When the [[Black death|plague]] reached the village in 1352 the chapel yard was consecrated to provide a cemetery for the victims, it being "inconvenient to carry the dead all the way to Manchester".<ref>{{cite web |title= Didsbury |work= A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4 |publisher= British history Online |url= http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41426&strquery=didsbury |access-date= 18 October 2007 |archive-date= 25 May 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110525194327/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41426&strquery=didsbury |url-status= live }}</ref>

The [[BBC Radio 4]] ''Daily Service'' programme of Christian worship – the world's oldest continuous radio programme – is often broadcast from Emmanuel Church, on Barlow Moor Road.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/dailyservice/index.shtml|title=Religion & Ethics|publisher=BBC|access-date=16 October 2007|archive-date=25 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025062924/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/dailyservice/index.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/tourist/regionalsightseeing/s/63/63722_regional_churches.html|title=Regional Churches|publisher=manchesteronline.co.uk|access-date=16 October 2007|archive-date=14 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014045920/http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/tourist/regionalsightseeing/s/63/63722_regional_churches.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Two of Didsbury's religious buildings are [[Listed building|Grade II listed]]: [[St Paul's Methodist Church, Didsbury|Didsbury Methodist Church of St Paul]] (now an office building),<ref name="listed1">{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1908&pageNumber=22|title=A-Z of Listed Buildings in Manchester|publisher=Manchester City Council|access-date=17 October 2007|work=manchester.gov.uk|at=Listed buildings in Manchester by street (W)|archive-date=12 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612012209/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1908&pageNumber=22|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Nazarene Theological College, Manchester|Nazarene Theological College]]<ref name="listed2">{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1908&pageNumber=4|title=A-Z of Listed Buildings in Manchester|publisher=Manchester City Council|access-date=17 October 2007|work=manchester.gov.uk|at=Listed buildings in Manchester by street (D)|archive-date=4 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080104224712/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1908&pageNumber=4|url-status=live}}</ref> which hosts the [[Nazarene Theological College (England)#Didsbury Lectures|Didsbury Lectures]].  Didsbury was once the location of a [[Methodist Church of Great Britain|Methodist]] training college, the Wesleyan Theological Institution; the Grade II*-listed building became [[Didsbury School of Education]], part of [[Manchester Metropolitan University]].<ref name="listed1"/><ref>{{NHLE|num=1254970|desc=Administration Building at Didsbury Campus, Manchester Metropolitan University (original portion only)
|access-date=15 February 2017}}</ref> and has now been converted to private housing.

Didsbury is in the [[Church of England]] Diocese of Manchester,<ref>{{cite web|title = The Church of England Diocese of Manchester|url = http://www.manchester.anglican.org/default.asp|access-date = 7 May 2007|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071227051946/http://www.manchester.anglican.org/default.asp|archive-date = 27 December 2007}}</ref>
and the [[Roman Catholic]] Diocese of Salford.<ref>{{cite web | title = Parishes of the Diocese | publisher= Catholic Diocese of Salford | url= http://www.salforddiocese.org.uk/parishes/masstimes.html | access-date = 7 May 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070502121806/http://www.salforddiocese.org.uk/parishes/masstimes.html |archive-date = 2 May 2007}}</ref> It is not as religiously diverse as some other areas of Manchester, but it has the second largest [[Jewish]] population in the borough and two synagogues: the Shaare Hayim Synagogue and the Sha'are Sedek Synagogue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.didsburylife.com/category/33/places-of-worship.html?pageNum=4|title=Places of Worship|publisher=didsburylife.com|access-date=17 October 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203183545/http://www.didsburylife.com/category/33/places-of-worship.html?pageNum=4|archive-date=3 December 2010}}</ref>

Didsbury has a medium-sized [[Muslim]] population in comparison with areas such as [[Rusholme]], [[Longsight]] and [[Levenshulme]]; a converted church in West Didsbury houses the [[Didsbury Mosque]] and Islamic Centre.<ref>{{cite web |title= SJ8391: Church near to West Didsbury, Manchester, Great Britain |publisher= geograph |work= Geograph British Isles |url= https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/49584 |access-date= 17 October 2007 |archive-date= 4 March 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100304134937/http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/49584 |url-status= live }}</ref>

== Sport ==
[[File:Didsbury Cricket Club (3).JPG|right|thumb|245px|Didsbury Cricket Club (2013)]]
Didsbury Sports Centre, on Wilmslow Road, is a part of the [[Manchester Metropolitan University]] campus. It provides a fitness suite with classes and facilities for badminton and tennis.

Didsbury has two rugby union clubs, Toc H R.F.C. and Old Bedians. Toc H, founded in 1924, plays at Simons Fields, on Ford Lane.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.didsburyrfc.co.uk/about|title=Team Profile|publisher=DidsburyRFC|access-date=18 September 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080515131915/http://www.didsburyrfc.co.uk/about |archive-date = 15 May 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its first team plays in the North Lancashire and Cumbria league. The club runs four senior teams and a youth section; it has run a 10-a-side competition every May since 1951, as a charity fund raiser for local hospices. Old Bedians is based in East Didsbury and was founded in 1954. It regularly fields three senior teams as well as a junior section. Desmond Pastore, believed to be the oldest rugby player in the world, was a founder member of the club and later became its president.<ref>{{cite web | title= History | publisher= Old Bedians | url= http://www.oldbedians.co.uk/content/history.htm | access-date= 17 September 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080523090201/http://www.oldbedians.co.uk/content/history.htm | archive-date= 23 May 2008 | url-status= dead}}</ref> Formerly a player for Sale and Cheshire, Desmond played his last game for Manchester club Egor on his 91st birthday.<ref>{{cite news | title= Rugby star, 91, honoured by Queen | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/5089008.stm | date= 17 June 2006 | access-date= 17 September 2007 | publisher= BBC News | archive-date= 21 June 2006 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060621025937/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/5089008.stm | url-status= live }}</ref> Bedians AFC, an amateur football club that was founded in 1928, share the Underbank Farm ground with Old Bedians RUFC.

[[Didsbury Cricket Club]] fields four Saturday teams, two Women's teams and a Sunday team.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://didsbury.play-cricket.com/home |title=Didsbury CC Home |website=didsbury.play-cricket.com |publisher=Didsbury Cricket Club |date= |accessdate=2022-11-04}}</ref> The 1st XI plays in the [[Cheshire County Cricket League|Cheshire County ECB Premier League]].<ref name="cccl">{{cite web |url=https://cheshirecountycl.play-cricket.com/ |title=Cheshire County Cricket League |website=cheshirecountycl.play-cricket.com |publisher=CCCL |accessdate=2022-11-04}}</ref> The Women's teams compete in the Cheshire Womens Cricket League,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cheshirewomenscl.play-cricket.com/home |title=Cheshire Womens Cricket League |website=cheshirewomenscl.play-cricket.com |publisher=CWCL |accessdate=2022-11-04 }}</ref> and their junior section play in the Cheshire High Peak Junior Cricket League.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://chpjcl.play-cricket.com/home |title=Cheshire High Peak Junior Cricket League |website=chpjcl.play-cricket.com |publisher=CHPJCL |accessdate=2022-11-04}}</ref>

It is also home to Manchester Waconians [[Lacrosse]] Club and Didsbury Grey's [[Field hockey|Women's Hockey Team]], which do not actually play at the site but at grounds in [[Belle Vue, Manchester|Belle Vue]], that were designed for the [[2002 Commonwealth Games|XVII Commonwealth Games]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.didsburyccsports.co.uk/dcc.pdf|title=Didsbury Sports (Page 2 – Bottom left) |publisher=DidsburyCCsports |access-date=18 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513225819/http://www.didsburyccsports.co.uk/dcc.pdf |archive-date=13 May 2008}}</ref>

Northern Tennis Club, in West Didsbury, is one of Manchester's few racquet clubs; it plays host to an [[Association of Tennis Professionals]] tournament annually every July.

== Public services ==
[[Withington Community Hospital]], opened in 2005, occupies part of the site of the former (and much larger) Withington Hospital, developed on the site of a [[workhouse]] some of whose buildings are still evident.

Didsbury is covered by the South Manchester Division of Greater Manchester Police.

[[The Towers (Manchester)|The Towers]], formerly the [[Shirley Institute]], was once the home of engineer [[Daniel Adamson]] – the driving force behind the [[Manchester Ship Canal]] project – and the venue where the decision to build the canal was taken.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fungus.org.uk/cv/towers.htm|title=The Towers History|access-date=2 October 2007|archive-date=11 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911101758/http://fungus.org.uk/cv/towers.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The house was designed by Salford architect [[Thomas Worthington (architect)|Thomas Worthington]], for the editor and proprietor of the ''[[Manchester Guardian]]'', [[John Edward Taylor]].

== Notable people ==
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2020}}
{{Further|List of people from Manchester}}
[[File:Daniel Adamson.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Man with short receding hair and beard, dressed in Victorian clothing|upright|[[Daniel Adamson]]]]
*[[Daniel Adamson]], promoter of the [[Manchester Ship Canal]], lived at The Towers ([[blue plaque]] – once the [[Shirley Institute]]) on Wilmslow Road from 1874 until his death in 1890. His [[Listed building|Grade II listed]] home, designed by [[Thomas Worthington (architect)|Thomas Worthington]] for [[John Edward Taylor]], the editor and proprietor of the ''[[Manchester Guardian]]'', was the venue for the 1882 meeting at which it was decided to construct the ship canal project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/buildings/academic.html|title=The Towers|publisher=manchester2002-uk|access-date=18 September 2007|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807151411/http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/buildings/academic.html|archive-date=7 August 2007}}</ref>
*[[Kathleen Ollerenshaw|Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw]], mathematician, local politician, co-founder of the [[Royal Northern College of Music]], died there aged 101.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/dame-kathleen-ollerenshaw-former-lord-7597607 | author=Emma Flanagan | date=12 August 2014 | access-date=12 August 2014 | newspaper=[[Manchester Evening News]] | title=Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw former Lord Mayor of Manchester dies aged 101 }}</ref>
*[[Emily Williamson]], a pioneer of wildlife protection, was a resident of Didsbury from 1882 to 1912. She founded the Plumage League in 1889 and went on to co-found the [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] (RSPB) in 1904. In 1989 a plaque was placed on her former home, [[Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden|the Croft]], to honour the centenary of the organisation, although it did not actually mention Williamson by name.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/made-in-manchester--commemorative-plaque-unveiled-for-rspb-founder/|title=Made in Manchester – commemorative plaque unveiled for RSPB founder|website=The RSPB|access-date=15 September 2021|archive-date=15 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915195944/https://www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/made-in-manchester--commemorative-plaque-unveiled-for-rspb-founder/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[Sidney Bernstein, Baron Bernstein|Sidney Bernstein]] and [[Denis Forman]] who created [[Granada Television|Granada Television Manchester]] also lived in Didsbury during their work requirements at the [[The Manchester Studios|Granada Studios]] in Manchester.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Persona Granada |last=Forman |first=Denis |year=1997 |publisher=Andre Deutsch |isbn=0-233-98987-0}}</ref>
*Plant ecologist [[Verona Conway]] was born in Didsbury in 1910.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pigott|first=Donald|date=1988|title=Obituary: Verona Margaret Conway: (1910–1986)|journal=Journal of Ecology|volume=76|issue=1|pages=288–291|jstor=2260470|issn=0022-0477}}</ref>
*Lord [[Marcus Sieff, Baron Sieff of Brimpton|Marcus Joseph Sieff]], the chairman of [[Marks & Spencer]] from 1972 to 1982, was born in Didsbury in 1913.<ref name="Fairlex">[http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/Sieff,+Marcus+Joseph Sieff, Marcus Joseph] farlex</ref>
*[[Francis French (author)|Francis French]], author and noted space historian, grew up in Didsbury, and attended the same school as noted poet and novelist [[Sophie Hannah]].{{cn|date=May 2025}}
*Four members of [[post-punk]] band [[the Durutti Column]], [[Vini Reilly]], [[Dave Rowbotham]], [[Chris Joyce]] (later of [[Simply Red]]) and [[Bruce Mitchell (drummer)|Bruce Mitchell]], were from there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedurutticolumn.com/the_durutti_column_biography_1978-1991.html|title=The Durutti Column Biography 1978-1991|first=Mark|last=Prendergast|publisher=The Durutti Column|date=13 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716232443/http://thedurutticolumn.com/the_durutti_column_biography_1978-1991.html|archive-date=16 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Carol Ann Duffy]], the first female [[Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom|Poet Laureate]], lives in West Didsbury as of 2009.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}
*[[Nigel Henbest]], astronomer, author and television producer, was born in West Didsbury in 1951.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
*[[Philip Irwin]], cricketer and Royal Navy officer, was born in Didsbury in 1884.<ref name="FCM">{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/30/30544/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by Philip Irwin|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=6 May 2012}}</ref>
*[[Alan Yentob]], television executive and presenter, grew up at Didsbury until returning to London at age 12.<ref>{{cite news |title=Profile: Alan Yentob: The insider's extrovert |first=David |last=Lister |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/profile-alan-yentob-the-insiders-extrovert-1096476.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209045752/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/profile-alan-yentob-the-insiders-extrovert-1096476.html |archive-date=2010-02-09 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |newspaper=Independent |date=29 May 1999 |access-date=22 December 2011 |location=London}}</ref>
*[[Martin Lewis (financial journalist)|Martin Lewis]], journalist, was born in [[Withington Hospital]] and spent his earliest years growing up in Didsbury.<ref>{{Cite news |title=This man can save you £6,000 a year |last=Jardine |first=Cassandra |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3649125/This-man-can-save-you-6000-a-year.html |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=6 January 2006 |accessdate=14 May 2012 }}</ref>{{fv|date=May 2025}}
*[[Howard Spring]] – novelist and journalist for ''The Manchester Guardian'' lived in Didsbury 1915–1930 whilst working for the Guardian. Several novels including ''[[Shabby Tiger]]'' were based in Manchester.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
*Broadcaster and humanitarian [[Olive Shapley]] lived on Millgate Lane 1953–1981, where she ran a refuge for [[single mother]]s, and later for [[Vietnamese boat people]]. A street in Didsbury is named after her, Olive Shapley Avenue.<ref name="guardian-obit">{{cite web |title=Olive Shapley obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/mar/15/guardianobituaries |website=The Guardian |access-date=23 October 2020 |language=en |date=15 March 1999 |archive-date=26 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026215806/https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/mar/15/guardianobituaries |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Connelly |first1=Charlie |title=Last Train to Hilversum: A journey in search of the magic of radio |date=24 January 2019 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4088-8998-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F7-EDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT112 |access-date=23 October 2020 |language=en |archive-date=20 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020201605/https://books.google.com/books?id=F7-EDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT112 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Actress [[Holliday Grainger]] was born in Didsbury.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://collider.com/holliday-grainger-interview-the-borgias/ | title=Holliday Grainger Interview THE BORGIAS; Updates on BEL AMI and JANE EYRE| website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]| date=30 January 2011}}</ref>
*[[Rik Mayall]] lived in East Didsbury whilst attending Manchester University in the mid-1970's.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wilkinson|first=Damon|date=2017-09-16|title=18 famous people you never knew have lived in Greater Manchester|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/jk-rowling-timmy-mallett-18-13630603|access-date=2022-01-10|website=Manchester Evening News|language=en}}</ref>
*Comedian and writer [[Caroline Aherne]] lived in Didsbury with her musician husband [[Peter Hook]] in the mid-1990s.<ref>{{cite news|last=Halliday|first=Josh|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/oct/03/peter-hook-caroline-aherne-physically-abusive-during-marriage|title=Peter Hook says Caroline Aherne was physically abusive during marriage|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=3 October 2016|access-date=7 June 2022}}</ref>
*[[Connor Rand]], Labour MP for [[Altrincham and Sale West (UK Parliament constituency)|Altrincham and Sale West]] since 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Altrincham & Sale West {{!}} General Election 2024 |url=https://election.news.sky.com/elections/general-election-2024/altrincham-and-sale-west-10 |access-date=5 July 2024 |publisher=[[Sky News]]}}</ref> lives at Didsbury.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Timan |first1=Joseph |date=31 May 2024 |title=The last-minute Labour candidates standing to be Greater Manchester MPs |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/last-minute-labour-candidates-standing-29269735 |access-date=5 July 2024 |work=Manchester Evening News |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Greater Manchester}}
*[[Listed buildings in Manchester-M20]]

== References ==

===Citations===
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{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
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{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons and category}}

{{Manchester}}
{{Greater Manchester}}
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{{Good article}}

[[Category:Didsbury| ]]
[[Category:Areas of Manchester]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Greater Manchester]]