Handforth

{{Blockquote|text=Handforth, township and hamlet with r[ailwa]y. sta[tion]., Cheadle par[ish]., E. Cheshire, 5 miles SW. of Stockport, 1311 ac[res]., pop[ulation]. 736; P.O., T.O.|sign=John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles, 1887|source={{cite web|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/place_page.jsp?p_id=521 |title=History of Handforth, in Macclesfield and Cheshire | Map and description |publisher=Visionofbritain.org.uk |date=1887 |access-date=29 November 2014}}}}

The name "Handforth" is believed to originate from the Saxon name for a crossing on the River Dean, "Hanna's Ford". The first mention of Handforth is found in a charter dated between 1233 and 1236, with a later mention found in a deed of transfer between Lord Edmund Phitoun and Henry de Honeford, dated to 1291.{{efn|The deed, which relates to the site of a water mill, "assigns a whole half of the water of Honeford between the two highways of which a certain way comes from Wilmyslawe and the other way which comes from Macclisfeld and extends itself beyond said water towards Bolleschawehefd". A copy of the deed is held by the John Rylands Library.}} The settlement is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, though it may have, at that time, been recorded as a component part of the parish of Cheadle.{{cite web |title=Handforth's origins |url=https://handforthtowncouncil.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/HTC-Website-new-1Handforth-Origins.pdf |website=Handforth Town Council |access-date=15 January 2025}}

During the Crusades, Handforth acquired its own coat of arms, which include the 'Honford Star', emblem of Henry de Honeford, a member of the local nobility.[http://www.grahamrollason.co.uk/Handforth.htm Graham Rollason, Handforth] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110145755/http://www.grahamrollason.co.uk/Handforth.htm |date=10 November 2011}} (Retrieved 4 December 2014) The town was referred to as "Honford" in John Speede's map of the area in 1611,[http://www.rozhulse.com/acatalog/maps_90513_speed_ches.htm Map of Cheshire, by John Speed, Published By Basset & Chiswell, 1676] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630061214/http://www.rozhulse.com/acatalog/maps_90513_speed_ches.htm |date=30 June 2012}} (Retrieved 29 November 2014) also named after the de Honford family.

File:Handforth Hall, Handforth, Cheshire.JPG]]

The oldest building in Handforth is Handforth Hall, a typical Tudor-styled black and white timber building built by Sir Urian Brereton in 1562, also originally named "Honford Hall" after the de Honfords. Sir Urian Brereton, the escheator of Cheshire and one of the privy grooms to King Henry VIII, died at Handforth Hall on 19 March 1577, and is thought to be buried in one of the chapels of St Mary's Church, Cheadle. In the church's south chapel, two recumbent effigies depicted in alabaster are thought to represent members of the Hondford family; Sir John, who died in 1461, and his son, also named John. A third, depicted in sandstone, represents Sir Thomas Brereton, who died in 1673.{{citation | last =Richards | first =Raymond | title =Old Cheshire Churches | publisher =Batsford | year =1947 | location =London | pages =91–93}} The most famous resident of Handforth is Sir Urian's great-grandson, the Parliamentary General Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet, who fought in the English Civil War.{{cite web |url=http://www.cheshiremagazine.com/Archives/brereton.html |title=Cheshire Magazine |publisher=Cheshire Magazine |access-date=2014-08-11 |archive-date=8 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708143136/http://www.cheshiremagazine.com/Archives/brereton.html |url-status=dead }}

During the First World War, an internment camp was set up in Handforth, for both civilian and military prisoners. The site, converted from a disused print works built in 1910 and requisitioned by the War Office in 1914, was designed to hold no more than 3,000 men, and was opened on 6 November 1914 with the arrival of 500 prisoners. From May 1915, following the aftermath of a number of Anti-German riots which swept a number of cities in England, the camp's civilian population increased, following decisions to intern 'enemy aliens', with a number of men sent to Handforth from Liverpool. The camp was inspected by an attaché to the American Embassy in London on 1 April 1916, at which a time there were 2,713 prisoners living in the camp.

At the height of the camp's operations, the interned population of the camp was greater than that of the village of Handforth itself; later in the war, when German soldiers captured from the front lines began to arrive, the local population started to take a greater interest in the camp, and would watch the new arrivals, with crowds gathering at the nearby railway station. The Manchester Evening News reported on 17 March 1915: "Great excitement prevailed at Handforth and Wilmslow today when it became generally known that about 600 German prisoners taken during heavy fighting in the North of France were expected to arrive for internment at the concentration camp."{{cite web|url=http://www.merseyside-at-war.org/story/handforth-internment-camp/|title=Handforth Internment Camp|website=merseyside-at-war.org}}'Handforth, Cheshire East: German Takeover of a Sleepy Village', BBC World War One at Home http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p023084q'Handforth Concentration Prison', Diverse Narratives of WWI, http://diversenarratives.com/2015/02/05/handforth-concentration-prison/'Prisoners of War and Internees (Great Britain)', International Encyclopaedia of the First World War, http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/prisoners_of_war_and_internees_great_britain

During the Second World War, Handforth, along with Cheadle Hulme, became home to large parts of RAF Handforth, a maintenance unit classed as a universal stores depot, with the official Royal Air Force name 'RAF Handforth No 61 M.U. (Maintenance unit)'. The depot, which covered large areas of land in both Handforth and neighbouring Cheadle Hulme, opened in 1939 and closed in 1959. The depot's stores spanned every single item required by the RAF in wartime, from utensils and everyday tools to aircraft engines. The site was served by a large, internal railway system, which left the Manchester to Crewe mainline near Handforth railway station; the site of the exchange sidings and junction is now found on the modern-day Epsom Avenue. The depot also featured its own shunting locomotives, which were stored in an engine shed that stood at the Wilmslow bound exit slip road for the Handforth Dean shopping centre. The only surviving buildings of RAF Handforth are the government pay offices, now found on Dairyhouse Lane; these buildings, used as the headquarters of the depot, have survived in Ministry of Defence use to this day.

File:Greyhound Inn, Handforth c.1905.jpg

In January 2017, government plans were announced to build a garden village on the eastern margin of Handforth village, to include 2,000 houses with facilities including a nursery and care home.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/02/fourteen-garden-villages-to-be-built-england-48000-homes-green-belt |title=Fourteen garden villages to be built in England totalling 48,000 homes |author=Jessica Elgot |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2 January 2016 |access-date=2 January 2016}}

Handforth borders Heald Green to the north and Wilmslow to the south, between the Cheshire Plain and the Pennines.Macchi, L. (1990). "A Field Guide to the Continental Permo-Triassic Rocks of Cumbria and Northwest Cheshire". Liverpool Geological Society, Liverpool: 88 pages. The area lies near the River Dean, a tributary of the River Bollin that flows north–west and eventually joins the River Mersey near Lymm. The local geology is mostly glacial clay, as well as glacial sands and gravel.Taylor, B.; Price R., and Trotter F. (1963). "The geology of the Country around Stockport and Knutsford". Memoir of the Geological Survey GB: pp 20–22.British Geological Survey 1:50K map series sheets 96-98, 108-110, 122,123 and accompanying memoirs

The majority of buildings in the area are houses dating to the 20th and 21st centuries, with a small number of buildings - such as that of Handforth Hall - dating to before this time.

{{Geographic Location

|title = Neighbouring districts and places

|Northwest = Wythenshawe

|North = Heald Green Cheadle Hulme

|Northeast = Bramhall

|West = Manchester Airport

|Centre = Handforth

|East = Woodford

|South = Wilmslow

}}

Handforth experiences a temperate maritime climate, like much of the British Isles, with relatively cool summers and mild winters.

{{climate chart

|Handforth

|- 2|8|69

|2|8|70

|3|10|50

|5|13|63

|8|16|51

|10|19|58

|12|21|54

|12|21|69

|10|18|63

|7|14|88

|4|10|82

|2|7|78

|source=[http://www.climate-charts.com/Locations/u/UK03334.html Climate-Charts.com]

|float=right

}}

{{Weather box

|location = Handforth

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

| Jan record high C = 15

| Feb record high C = 17

| Mar record high C = 19

| Apr record high C = 25

| May record high C = 27

| Jun record high C = 29

| Jul record high C = 32

| Aug record high C = 34

| Sep record high C = 27

| Oct record high C = 23

| Nov record high C = 18

| Dec record high C = 15

|year record high C = 34

| Jan high C = 8

| Feb high C = 8

| Mar high C = 10

| Apr high C = 13

| May high C = 16

| Jun high C = 19

| Jul high C = 21

| Aug high C = 21

| Sep high C = 18

| Oct high C = 14

| Nov high C = 10

| Dec high C = 7

|year high C = 14

| Jan low C = −2

| Feb low C = 2

| Mar low C = 3

| Apr low C = 5

| May low C = 8

| Jun low C = 10

| Jul low C = 12

| Aug low C = 12

| Sep low C = 10

| Oct low C = 7

| Nov low C = 4

| Dec low C = 2

|year low C = 6

| Jan record low C = −8

| Feb record low C = −8

| Mar record low C = −8

| Apr record low C = −4

| May record low C = −2

| Jun record low C = 1

| Jul record low C = 5

| Aug record low C = 2

| Sep record low C = −1

| Oct record low C = −4

| Nov record low C = −8

| Dec record low C = −12

|year record low C = -12

| Jan precipitation mm = 69

| Feb precipitation mm = 70

| Mar precipitation mm = 50

| Apr precipitation mm = 63

| May precipitation mm = 51

| Jun precipitation mm = 58

| Jul precipitation mm = 54

| Aug precipitation mm = 69

| Sep precipitation mm = 63

| Oct precipitation mm = 88

| Nov precipitation mm = 82

| Dec precipitation mm = 78

|year precipitation mm = 795

|source 1 = My Weather 2{{cite web|url=http://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/United-Kingdom/Cheshire/Handforth/climate-profile.aspx?month=12 |title=December Climate History for Handforth | Local | Cheshire, United Kingdom |publisher=Myweather2.com |access-date=2014-08-11}}

|date=July 2011

}}

{{Main|Geology of Cheshire}}

The eastern half of Cheshire, in which Handforth is located, is Upper Triassic Mercia Mudstone laid down with large salt deposits, which were mined for hundreds of years around Northwich. Separating this area from Lower Triassic Sherwood Sandstone to the west is a prominent sandstone ridge known as the Mid Cheshire Ridge. A {{convert|55|km|mi|0|adj=on}} footpath,{{cite web |url=http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/countryside/Walking/ |title= Cheshire County Council - Walking in Cheshire|website=www.cheshire.gov.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502190858/http://www.cheshire.gov.uk/countryside/Walking/ |archive-date=2 May 2010}} the Sandstone Trail, follows this ridge from Frodsham to Whitchurch, passing Delamere Forest, Beeston Castle and earlier Iron Age forts.{{cite web |url=http://www.sandstonetrail.co.uk/ |title=Walking Cheshire's Sandstone Trail |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722134452/http://www.sandstonetrail.co.uk/ |archive-date=22 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}

There are two tiers of local government covering Handforth, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Handforth Town Council and Cheshire East Council. The town council is based at the Community Centre on Old Road.{{cite web |title=Contact |url=https://handforthtowncouncil.gov.uk/contact/ |website=Handforth Town Council |access-date=15 January 2025}}

Handforth forms part of the Tatton constituency, represented by Esther McVey, a Conservative.{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=15 January 2025}}

Handforth was historically a township in the ancient parish of Cheadle, which formed part of the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire.{{cite web |title=Handforth Hamlet / Township / Civil Parish |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10114093 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=15 January 2025}} From the 13th century the township also included a detached area {{convert|5|miles|km}} to the north-east called Bosden, which included the eastern side of Hazel Grove.{{cite book |last1=Earwaker |first1=John Parsons |title=East Cheshire: Past and Present |date=1877 |page=264 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/East_Cheshire_Past_and_Present/35uKZN-dKtIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA264&printsec=frontcover |access-date=15 January 2025}} The township was thereafter sometimes known as 'Handforth-cum-Bosden'.{{cite book |last1=Brooke |first1=Richard |title=Visits to Fields of Battle in England |date=1857 |publisher=John Russell Smith |location=London |page=268 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Visits_to_Fields_of_Battle_in_England_of/vwAHAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA268&printsec=frontcover |access-date=15 January 2025}}

From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the poor laws, in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Cheadle, the civil functions were exercised by each township rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so Handforth-cum-Bosden became a civil parish, which therefore diverged from the ecclesiastical parish.{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England |date=1979 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0901050679 |page=xvi}}{{cite book |title=A collection of the public general statutes passed in the twenty-ninth and thirtieth years of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria |date=1866 |location=London |pages=574–577 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SVYMAQAAMAAJ&dq=Poor+Law+Amendment+Act+1866&pg=PA574 |publisher=Google Books |access-date=6 November 2021 |chapter=Poor Law Amendment Act 1866 (29 & 30 Victoria, c. 113)}} In 1878, Handforth and Bosden were made separate civil parishes.{{cite web |title=Cheshire Sheet XIX, 1882 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/102341008 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=15 January 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Langston |first1=Brett |title=Stockport Registration District |url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/stockport.html |website=UK BMD |access-date=15 January 2025}}

When elected parish and district councils were established in 1894, Handforth was given a parish council and included in the Stockport Rural District. In 1904, the parish was converted into an urban district. Handforth Urban District was abolished in 1936. Most of the area, including the village, was then absorbed into the Wilmslow Urban District, whilst a smaller area to the north was added to the Cheadle and Gatley Urban District.{{cite web |title=Handforth Urban District |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10096042 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=15 January 2025}}

Wilmslow Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. As part of those reforms, the area had been considered for possible inclusion within Greater Manchester, but it was ultimately decided to place it in the borough of Macclesfield.{{cite book |last1=Child |first1=Ken |last2=Oughton |first2=Rita |title=Transportation Planning and Greater Manchester |date=1974 |page=3 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Transportation_planning_and_Greater_Manc/XjcnAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=wilmslow&dq=wilmslow%20selnec%20greater%20manchester%201972&printsec=frontcover |access-date=14 January 2025}} No successor parish was created for the former urban district, and so it became unparished, being directly administered by Macclesfield Borough Council. In 2009, Cheshire East Council was created, taking over the functions of the borough council and Cheshire County Council, which were both abolished.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Cheshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008|year=2008|number=634|access-date=8 May 2024}}

In 2011, the area of the former Wilmslow Urban District was split into three new parishes called Wilmslow, Handforth, and Styal.{{cite web |title=Changes to local authority arrangements, areas and names in England |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a74ea99e5274a3cb2868381/2133452.pdf |publisher=Department for Communities and Local Government |access-date=14 January 2025 |pages=10, 12 |date=April 2012}}

Handforth Parish Council gained attention in February 2021, after a heated Zoom meeting of its Planning and Environment Committee went viral.{{cite news |title=Foul-tempered (and occasionally sweary) parish council meeting becomes internet hit |url=https://news.sky.com/story/foul-tempered-and-occasionally-sweary-parish-council-meeting-becomes-internet-hit-12208981 |access-date=5 February 2021 |work=Sky News |date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205200453/https://news.sky.com/story/foul-tempered-and-occasionally-sweary-parish-council-meeting-becomes-internet-hit-12208981it-12208981 |archive-date=5 February 2021}}{{cite news |title='I'd have got my hair done': Jackie Weaver - star of viral parish council meeting - on becoming an unlikely internet hit |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-02-04/chaotic-town-council-meeting-becomes-unlikely-internet-sensation |access-date=5 February 2021 |work=ITV News |date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205195819/https://www.itv.com/news/2021-02-04/chaotic-town-council-meeting-becomes-unlikely-internet-sensation |archive-date=5 February 2021}} This event spawned a number of memes and mainstream media coverage.{{cite news |title=Chaotic Handforth Parish Council meeting goes viral |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-55946252 |access-date=5 February 2021 |work=BBC News |date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205102853/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-55946252 |archive-date=5 February 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Farrer |first1=Martin |title=Insults and expletives turn parish council Zoom meeting into internet sensation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/05/handforth-insults-and-expletives-turn-parish-council-meeting-into-internet-sensation |access-date=5 February 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205110012/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/05/handforth-insults-and-expletives-turn-parish-council-meeting-into-internet-sensation |archive-date=5 February 2021}} After gaining online traction on the evening of 4 February, attendee Jackie Weaver's name was the highest trending topic on Twitter in the United Kingdom that night and the following day.{{cite news |last1=Booth |first1=Rich |title=Bizarre Handforth Parish Council Zoom meeting goes viral after descending into chaos |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/handforth-parish-council-zoom-jackie-weaver-b1797920.html |access-date=5 February 2021 |work=The Independent |date=5 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205103529/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/handforth-parish-council-zoom-jackie-weaver-b1797920.html |archive-date=5 February 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Malvern |first1=Jack |title=Chaotic Handforth parish council meeting becomes viral video |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/chaotic-handforth-parish-council-meeting-becomes-viral-video-r50qsdhlf |access-date=5 February 2021 |work=The Times |date=5 February 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205195356/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/chaotic-handforth-parish-council-meeting-becomes-viral-video-r50qsdhlf |archive-date=5 February 2021}}

In August 2021 the parish council exercised its power under the Local Government Act 1972 to declare the parish to be a town,{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1972|year=1972|chapter=70|section=245|access-date=13 April 2024}} allowing the council to change its name to Handforth Town Council.{{cite web|last=Smith|first=John |title=Handforth Town Council Chair Statement: Handforth Parish Council becomes Handforth Town Council - Why? |url=https://handforthtowncouncil.gov.uk/archive/Documents/Handforth-Parish-Council-becomes-Handforth-Town-Council.pdf |access-date=2021-12-21 |website=Handforth Town Council}}

The historic population of Handforth was 650 in 1851, and 911 in 1901.{{cite web |url=http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/chs/handforth.html |title=Cheshire Towns & Parishes : Handforth |publisher=Ukbmd.org.uk |access-date=2014-08-11 |archive-date=18 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218223821/http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/genuki/chs/handforth.html |url-status=dead }} According to the United Kingdom Census 2021, the population of the Handforth Ward was 9,784. This compares to the United Kingdom Census 2011, where the Handforth Ward has a population of 9,139 people.[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6502472&c=SK9+3AY&d=14&e=61&g=6408368&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1381790645773&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2491 Office for National Statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209133549/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6502472&c=SK9+3AY&d=14&e=61&g=6408368&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1381790645773&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2491 |date=9 December 2014 }} (Retrieved 29 November 2014) This is an increase from the data in the 2001 Census, when the Handforth Ward had a population of 8,014 people. The gender composition of Handforth is made up of 50.8% (4,640) females and 49.2% (4,499) males.[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6502472&c=SK9+3AY&d=14&e=61&g=6408368&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1381790645773&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2493 Office for National Statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209133257/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6502472&c=SK9%203AY&d=14&e=61&g=6408368&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1381790645773&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2493 |date=9 December 2014 }} (Retrieved 30 November 2014)[http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=7&b=6158903&c=handforth&d=14&g=428843&i=1001x1003&m=0&r=1&s=1308666291079&enc=1&domainId=16 Office for National Statistics, Neighbourhood Statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924053238/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=7&b=6158903&c=handforth&d=14&g=428843&i=1001x1003&m=0&r=1&s=1308666291079&enc=1&domainId=16 |date=24 September 2012 }} (Retrieved 30 November 2014)[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6275055&c=cheshire+east&d=13&e=61&g=6407358&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1381845018362&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2575 Office for National Statistics, Neighbourhood Statistics: Lead View Table] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812213024/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6275055&c=cheshire+east&d=13&e=61&g=6407358&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1381845018362&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2575 |date=12 August 2014 }} (Retrieved 30 November 2014)

{{historical populations

| title = Historical populations

| align = none

| width = 15em

| shading = off

| pop_name = Population

| percentages = on

| cols = 2

| 1831 | 591

| 1841 | 681

| 1851 | 650

| 1861 | 629

| 1871 | 662

| 1881 | 736

| 1891 | 794

| 1901 | 911

| 1911 | 934

| 1921 | 904

| 1931 | 1,031

| 1941 | -

| 1951 | -

| 1961 | 3,254

| 1971 | 7,537

| 1981 | 6,843

| 1991 | 6,343

| 2001 | 8,014

| 2011 | 9,138

| 2021 | 9,784

| align-fn=center

| footnote = Source: Cheshire County Council: Township Pack No 48.{{cite book|title=Cheshire County Council, Archives and Local Studies, Township Pack, No 48}}

{{cite web |url=http://www.handforthnplan.org/resources/handforthPPFA.docx |title=Archived copy |access-date=5 February 2018 |archive-date=6 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206131422/http://www.handforthnplan.org/resources/handforthPPFA.docx |url-status=dead }}}}

According to the 2011 Census, ethnic white groups (British, Irish, other) account for 91.6% (8,375) of the population, against 96.8% in the previous 2001 census, with 8.4% (764 people) being in ethnic groups other than white.

Of the 8.4% (764 people) in non-white ethnic groups:

• 21.6% (165) belonged to mixed ethnic groups
• 56.4% (431) were Asian or Asian British
• 11.9% (91) belonged to other ethnic groups
• 10.1% (77) were Black or Black British[http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6502472&c=SK9+3AY&d=14&e=61&g=6408368&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1381790645773&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2575 Office For National Statistics, Neighbourhood Statistics - Ethnic Group, 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812204652/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6502472&c=SK9+3AY&d=14&e=61&g=6408368&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1381790645773&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2575 |date=12 August 2014 }} (Retrieved 2014-08-11)

According to the 2011 Census, a breakdown of the religious groups and denominations in Handforth showed a majority (79.2% in 2001, 63.5% in 2011) Christian population, with the second-largest recorded group being people with no religion (12.8% in 2001, rising to 24.5% in 2011), followed by Handforth's Muslim population (1% in 2001, rising to 2.7% in 2011):[http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6158903&c=handforth&d=14&e=16&g=428843&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1308690806471&enc=1&dsFamilyId=95 Office For National Statistics, Neighbourhood Statistics - Religion, 2001 (UV15)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924053249/http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6158903&c=handforth&d=14&e=16&g=428843&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1308690806471&enc=1&dsFamilyId=95 |date=24 September 2012 }} (Retrieved 4 December 2014)

• Christian - 79.2% (6,345 people), 2001; 63.5% (5,805 people), 2011
• No religion - 12.8% (1,026 people), 2001; 24.5% (2,244 people), 2011
• Religion not stated - 5.9% (473 people), 2001; 6.8% (621 people), 2011
• Muslim - 1% (82 people), 2001; 2.7% (250 people), 2011
• Hindu - 0.4% (31 people), 2001; 0.9% (78 people), 2011
• Jewish - 0.3% (27 people), 2001; 0.4% (36 people), 2011
• Buddhist - 0.2% (12 people), 2001; 0.3% (28 people), 2011
• Sikh - 0.1% (8 people), 2001; 0.5% (43 people), 2011
• Other religions - 0.1% (10 people), 2001; 0.4% (34 people), 2011

File:St Benedicts Catholic Church, Handforth (geograph 2813216).jpg

There are three churches in Handforth:

• Methodist
• St Mary's Methodist Church was built in 1872, though Methodism was present in the Handforth and Wilmslow area long before this. It is recorded that John Wesley preached at nearby Finney Green on 1 September 1748.{{cite web |title=St Mary's Methodist Church |website=Bramhall Methodist Circuit |url=http://www.bramhallmethodists.org.uk/circuit/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=70 |access-date=19 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425152515/http://www.bramhallmethodists.org.uk/circuit/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&Itemid=70 |archive-date=25 April 2012}}
• Roman Catholic
• St Benedict's Roman Catholic Church is part of the Diocese of Shrewsbury,{{cite web |url=http://www.stbenedicts.cheshire.sch.uk/links.html |title=Useful Links |publisher=St. Benedict's Catholic Primary School |access-date=30 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141130125221/http://www.stbenedicts.cheshire.sch.uk/links.html |archive-date=30 November 2014 }} and was officially opened by the Bishop of Shrewsbury on 29 November 1968. The church is noted for its connection to Ambrose Barlow, an English Benedictine monk whose mother was born at Handforth Hall.Heusel, F.E. (1982) Handforth Through The Ages, Cheshire Libraries and Museums
• Anglican
• St Chad's Church of England, part of the Diocese of Chester, is an Anglican church based in Handforth. During the 19th century, a chapel of ease was built in Handforth, then part of the parish of Cheadle. The chapel was consecrated in 1837 as a chapel to St Mary's Church, Cheadle, becoming the parish church for Handforth and part of Cheadle in 1877. Due to the growth of the population of Handforth in the late 19th century, the chapel went through extensive redevelopment and expansion, and the new building - known as St Chad's Church - was consecrated by Francis Jayne, Bishop of Chester on St Chad's day, 2 March, in 1899.{{cite web|author=SRM © 2006 |url=http://www.stchadshandforth.org.uk/ |title=St Chad's Parish Church, Handforth, Cheshire |publisher=Stchadshandforth.org.uk |access-date=2014-08-11}}[http://www.anglicansonline.org/uk-europe/england/dioceses/chester.html Church of England: Diocese of Chester] (Retrieved 30 November 2013)[http://www.dioceseofshrewsbury.org/ RC Diocese of Shrewsbury] (Retrieved 30 November 2013)

Handforth railway station is on the Crewe to Manchester line, a spur off the West Coast Main Line. Regular services are operated by Northern Trains between Manchester Piccadilly and Crewe, via Levenshulme, Stockport, Cheadle Hulme and Wilmslow.{{cite web |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/wilmslowexpress/news/s/1025294_handforth_station_just_the_ticket_for_on_line_makeover_ |title= Handforth station just the ticket for on line makeover | Wilmslow Express - menmedia.co.uk|website=menmedia.co.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310064942/http://menmedia.co.uk/wilmslowexpress/news/s/1025294_handforth_station_just_the_ticket_for_on_line_makeover_ |archive-date=10 March 2012}}

The A34 by-pass is to the east.AA Road Book of England and Wales, 4th edition (1953) The main thoroughfare is Wilmslow Road (B5358).[http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=B5358 B5358], Roader's Digest (Retrieved 30 November 2013)

Manchester Airport lies {{convert|3.5|miles|km|abbr=on}} to the north-west, although Handforth lies away from the airport's approach and departure routes; it therefore suffers only slightly from aircraft noise.[http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/MANBUL/manchester-handforth Manchester (Handforth) Hotel], Premier Inn Official website (Retrieved 30 November 2014)

Bus 42C, operated by Stagecoach Manchester, runs between Handforth Dean and Manchester city centre, via Cheadle and East Didsbury.

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter.{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Winter_Hill |title=Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter |date=May 2004 |publisher=UK Free TV |access-date=6 July 2024}}

Local radio stations are BBC Radio Manchester, Heart North West, Smooth North West, Capital Manchester and Lancashire, Greatest Hits Radio Manchester & The North West, Silk Radio and Canalside Radio, a community-based station.{{Cite web |url=https://www.canalsideradio.net/ |title=Canalside Radio|access-date=6 July 2024}}

The town is served by the local newspapers, The Wilmslow Express {{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-nw/wilmslow-express/|title=The Wilmslow Express|date=20 October 2013|website=British Papers|access-date=6 July 2024}} and Knutsford Guardian.{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-nw/knutsford-guardian/|title=Knutsford Guardian|date=11 June 2014|website=British Papers|access-date=6 July 2024}}

The town went viral in the media due to a Parish council meeting that erupted into chaos, when one councillor stated “You have no aurhority here Jackie Weaver!”

Handforth Dean is a retail park that houses shops such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer, JD Sports and Boots (company) , and is situated by the A34 bypass.[https://handforthdeanretailpark.co.uk/ (Retrieved 25 December 2024)] Pets at Home has its headquarters in Handforth.{{cite news |last1=Ferguson |first1=James |title=Pets at Home expansion plans - 700 new jobs and £5m depot |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/business/s/1426121_pets-at-home-expansion-plans---700-new-jobs-and-5m-depot |access-date=9 February 2021 |work=Manchester Evening News (now Reach plc) |date=8 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717110955/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/business/s/1426121_pets-at-home-expansion-plans---700-new-jobs-and-5m-depot |archive-date=17 July 2011}}

Handforth Health Centre, purpose-built in 1975, was purchased from the Health Authority by the GPs in 1992 and completely refurbished.[http://www.handforthhealthcentre.nhs.uk/ Handforth Health Centre Official Website] (Retrieved 30 November 2014)

Handforth is served by three primary schools: Handforth Grange (formerly Wilmslow Grange, 1951–2019),{{cite news |title=Outstanding school changes name to reflect local pride |url=https://www.ffet.co.uk/news/2019/3/12/outstanding-school-changes-name-to-reflect-local-pride |access-date=5 February 2021 |work=Frank Field Education Trust |date=12 March 2019}} Dean Oaks Primary[https://web.archive.org/web/20141206193525/http://www.deanoaks.cheshire.sch.uk/ Dean Oaks Primary] and St Benedict's RC Primary.[http://www.stbenedicts.cheshire.sch.uk St. Benedict's RC Primary]

Handforth is served by Cheshire Constabulary, with the closest branch being based in Wilmslow.[http://www.cheshire.police.uk/about-us/departments-and-structure/eastern-bcu.aspx Cheshire Constabulary: Eastern BCU] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020194839/http://www.cheshire.police.uk/about-us/departments-and-structure/eastern-bcu.aspx |date=20 October 2011}} (Retrieved 30 November 2014)

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is the fire service that caters for Handforth, with the nearest fire station being located in Wilmslow.[http://www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/detail.aspx?mid=1696 Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service] (Retrieved 30 November 2014)

Handforth Hall Tennis Club, founded in 1850, has three hard courts. The Men's team competes in Division 9 of the Slazenger North East Cheshire Lawn Tennis League, whilst the Ladies' team competes in Division 7. The club also features tennis coaching, and the small pavilion hosts table tennis, carpet bowling and auction bridge.{{cite web |title=HHTC |url=https://www.handforthhalltennisclub.com/ |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=HHTC |language=en}}

• Sir Urian Brereton (1505–1577), Groom of the Privy Chamber to King Henry VIII, died at Handforth Hall
• Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet (1604 at Handforth Hall – 1661), religious Independent, author, MP & landowner.{{cite DNB|wstitle= Brereton, William (1604-1661) |volume= 06 |last= Henderson |first= Thomas Finlayson |author-link= Thomas Finlayson Henderson |pages= 271-272 |year= 1886 | short=1}}
• William Robert Renshaw (1845 – 1923), an English industrialist and foundryman.
• John Shipley Rowlinson (1926–2018), scientist and historian of science.
• Paul Turnbull (born 1989), footballer who has played over 500 games, currently player manager of Stockport Town F.C.

File:Pavilion in Meriton Road park (geograph 5927333).jpg

Meriton Road Park, opened in 1935, covers an area of {{convert|3.4|ha|acres}}{{cite web |url=http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/leisure,_culture_and_tourism/parks_and_open_spaces/parks_and_gardens/macclesfield_area_parks/meriton_road_park,_handforth.aspx |title= Meriton Road Park, Handforth|website=www.cheshireeast.gov.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222131057/http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/leisure,_culture_and_tourism/parks_and_open_spaces/parks_and_gardens/macclesfield_area_parks/meriton_road_park,_handforth.aspx |archive-date=22 February 2014}} and is situated to the rear of the Paddock Shopping Centre. Until the mid-1980s, the park was the site for the Handforth Gala. Current attractions in the park include a multi-sport court, tennis courts and a miniature railway, which is operated by the Handforth Model Engineering Society.

Stanley Hall Park is situated between the Spath Lane Estate and the railway line from Handforth to Cheadle Hulme. The park was donated by Manchester City Council in the early 1960s. The park is owned and maintained by Cheshire East Council's environmental partner Ansa, and has an active 'friends of the park' group.{{cite web|last=Reeves|first=Lisa|date=2015-03-12|title=Handforth park has new 'Friends' - wilmslow.co.uk|url=https://www.wilmslow.co.uk/news/article/11161/handforth-park-has-new-friends|access-date=2021-02-09|website=www.wilmslow.co.uk}} Facilities include the Swingtime play areas and Multi-Use Games Area donated by Spath Lane Residents Association, and a 52-seat all-inclusive picnic area with space for 15 wheelchairs or buggies and a concrete skatepark installed by the Friends of Stanley Hall Park in 2015–16.

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{{commons category|Handforth}}

{{Portal|Cheshire}}

• [https://www.handforth.org.uk/ Handforth Town Council]
• [http://www.handforthmes.org.uk Handforth Model Engineering Society]
• [https://stbenedictshandforth.wixsite.com/mysite Saint Benedict's Roman Catholic Church]
• [http://www.stchadshandforth.org.uk Saint Chad's Parish Church of England]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20111110145755/http://www.grahamrollason.co.uk/Handforth.htm Handforth]

{{Cheshire, Cheshire East}}

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Category:Towns in Cheshire