by his brother Richard. During the reign of Henry VIII, the current St Mary's Church on High Street was built. There has been a church on the site since the 12th century, the original being constructed of wood, but it was rebuilt in stone between 1520 and 1550. The church contains an effigy of John Stanley who, along with many other men from the area, fought in the Battle of Flodden. Later he claimed the manor for himself, but was imprisoned by Thomas Wolsey who ensured the land went to its rightful owner. The Bulkeleys continued to hold the lands as lords of the manor until the 18th century, when the manor was purchased by Thomas Egerton. Moseley Old Hall, an early Stuart mansion dating from 1666 is still standing and is owned privately. Abney Hall is a late Victorian hall from 1847 and was used as the Cheadle town hall from 1959 until 1974: it is now used for offices. It is surrounded by parkland which is open to the public all year round and features some of the only wetlands left in Stockport. Cheadle grew rapidly during the Industrial Revolution when it was used as a stopping point for travellers and merchants on their way to central Manchester. Geography Cheadle is a suburban village in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, from Stockport town centre and from Manchester city centre. It is close to Manchester Airport. Cheadle lies on the Cheshire Plain in the final meander of the Ladybrook Valley before it joins the River Mersey to the north. Cheadle is on the A560 from Stockport to Chester and borders onto the A34. Its geology is boulder clay and gravels: the parkland of Abney Hall to the north is on the flood plain of the Mersey. Governance Lying within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, Cheadle was an ancient parish in the Hundred of Stockport. The parish included the townships of Cheadle Bulkeley and Cheadle Moseley (which included Cheadle Hulme). Following the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, part of Cheadle Bulkeley was amalgamated into the Municipal Borough of Stockport. Cheadle Bulkeley and Cheadle Moseley became separate civil parishes in 1866, but in 1879 they were united to form the civil parish of Cheadle. In 1886, Cheadle was in the Cheadle and Gatley local board of health, a regulatory body responsible for standards of hygiene and sanitation for the