Bradford-with-Beswick - Beswick Village

Beswick Village

Beswick village is also ancient and around 1200–30 it was known as Bexwic, believed to be a combination of a personal name and a settlement or dwelling place. The River Medlock and the Ashton Canal both run through it.

Beswick village was originally smaller than Bradford village and it became part of the township of Manchester in 1838, being joined with Ardwick to form a municipal ward in the new township. For poor law purposes it was added to the Prestwich Poor Law Union, which was constituted by order of the Poor Law Board in 1850. In 1896 it was among the townships consolidated to form the township of North Manchester for Poor Law purposes.

At the height of the Industrial Revolution there was less industry here than in Bradford village and consequently back-to-back terraced houses abounded everywhere. Two open spaces were the David Lewis Play Ground and Bradford Recreation Ground.