Hazel Grove
| Hazel Grove | |
|---|---|
 London Road, the major road going through Hazel Grove |
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 Hazel Grove
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| Hazel Grove shown within Greater Manchester | |
| Population | 15,265 "(2011 census)". |
| OS grid reference | SJ925865 |
| Metropolitan borough |
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| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STOCKPORT |
| Postcode district | SK6, SK7 |
| Dialling code | 0161, 01625 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Hazel Grove is a suburb within the , in Greater Manchester, England. It is located close to the Peak District national park.
Historically a part of Cheshire, until 1836 the area was known as Bullock Smithy; however, this name was unpopular with its residents and so the settlement was renamed Hazel Grove, possibly due to the large number of hazel trees found in the locale, though more probably from a small hamlet towards High Lane called Hessel Grave. The SK7 postcode, which also includes Bramhall and Woodford, is one of the most sought after residential postcodes in Greater Manchester.
Hazel Grove is made up of three separate townships: Norbury, Torkington and Bosden-cum-Handforth, Norbury (Nordberie) being mentioned in the Domesday Survey, 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.
There was no church 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 northeast 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."
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