Hazel Grove is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, close to the Peak District national park. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, the area was known as Bullock Smithy until 1836. History Early history Hazel Grove is made up of three separate townships: Norbury, Torkington and Bosden-cum-Handforth. Norbury (Nordberie) was mentioned in the Domesday Survey in 1086. Each of the townships were manorial lands. Until the 17th century, the area was known exclusively by each of the respective townships. In 1560, Richard Bullock built a smithy on the corner of what is now Torkington Park. This building later became the Bullock Smithy Inn and gradually the whole area became known as Bullock Smithy. Non-conformists There were no churches in the area until the end of the 16th century. The church consisted of a very basic chapel, without communion. It was a favoured hotbed of the north-east Cheshire Non-conformist movement. After the Restoration in 1662, it was forbidden for ministers to preach without the Book of Common Prayer. The minister of Norbury Chapel, John Jolie, went to preach, but found that the door was locked. He and his followers broke down the door and he preached as usual. Subsequently, he was tried for Non-conformity, but it was decided that Norbury Chapel was not a consecrated place. In 1750, John Wesley preached in Bullock Smithy describing it as "... one of the most famous villages in the county for all manner of wickedness." Religion By 1833, the village had grown to over 3,000 people and it was decided the area should have its own parish. In July 1834, the Church of St Thomas was consecrated at Norbury. Name change The village elders began to tire of the jokes surrounding the name Bullock Smithy. The Manchester Guardian had carried a humorous story about an auctioneer trying to sell a rare book. No bidders were coming forward, so in an act of encouragement he told the crowd "Come on, where's tha al from? Bullock Smithy? Because tha don't know a book from a brick." In 1835, it was decided that the village would be known as Hazel Grove. The name Hazel Grove had been used in the village previously. An area called Hassel Grave near High Lane appears on a map of 1674 and an area near Poise Brook was locally known as Hazel Grove. The