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Bullock
Smithy was the original name for what is now
Hazel Grove. The name came about after
Richard Bullock was granted a lease in 1560
by John Torkington in order to establish a
smithy. As the smithy became more
established, people started to use the name
to refer to the area around the smithy and
eventually the whole village - which
originally comprised of the hamlets of
Norbury, Torkington and Bosden.
Bullock
Smithy which was referred to in deeds, books
and maps of that time is thought to have
stood on the edge of Torkington Park near
the junction of Torkington Road and London
Road.
The
smithy stood at the junction of several
roads. As well as the main Stockport to
Macclesfield road, there were also roads to
Torkington, Disley and Bramhall.
The
smithy supplied and fitted iron shoes for
horses and leather shoes for bullocks and
would also repair carts and farming
implements.
Stagecoaches
also ran through the village and in 1754 the
'Flying Coach' took 4 days to complete the
trip from Manchester to London. Users paid
tolls at the 'Toll Gates' in order to pay
for repairs to the turnpike.
Stagecoaches
would stop at Bullock Smithy to change
horses and for the refreshment of the
passengers. Coaching Inns such as The Rising
Sun, Red Lion and The Grapes were built to
cater for these people.
Around
1750, Bullock Smithy became an important
posting hall and John Wesley described it as
'One of the most famous villages in the
country for all manner of wickedness. It is
thought he was referring to gambling, cock
fighting and bull and dog fighting.
After
being known as Bullock Smithy for 250 years,
the name was officially changed at a public
meeting in 1836 to Hazel Grove. It was
unanimous and without a single dissenting
vote. The locals had been referring to the
place as Hazel Grove for over 30 years and
probably got the name from a small hamlet
towards High Lane called Hessel Grove.
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