Petersfield Drive
Petersfield Drive is a street in Baguley, Manchester, with a postcode designation of M23 9PS. The street contains a mixture of maisonette flats, semi-detached houses, detached houses, and commercial units. The east end of the street also homes the Jolly Butcher pub.
The street is connected to Butcher Lane at the east end and Shady Lane at the west end. Both Thorngrove Avenue and Wadebridge Avenue stem from the street and connect exclusively to it.
Details
Commercial units
There are a row of commercial units at the east end of Petersfield Drive, opposite to the Jolly Butcher. They are referred to in some Manchester City Council documents as Petersfield Drive Shopping Centre. The current units are:
- Little Spuds Day Nursery
- Top Cut Barber
- Happy Seasons
- Baguley Pharmacy
- Unique Creations
- Go Local Extra Petersfield Drive
- A1 Local Bargains
History
It seems Petersfield Drive was developed in the early 1970s. The earliest known print reference is from 12th February 1974 after a resident, 58-year-old Norman Allen, was found dead in the Manchester Ship Canal. He had been missing since November 1973, and thus some homes on Petersfield Drive must've existed since 1973 or earlier.
In February 1974, residents of Petersfield Drive and Wadebridge Avenue complained that they were not able to vote in the General Election, as the electoral registration department was not told of their new detached houses
. Leonard Howard, Manchester's election officer, said it was too late to amend the register and fix the omission.[1] Later that month, the High Court ordered Leonard Howard to amend the register, allowing the residents to vote in the General Election the next day (28th February).[2]
Death of Marcus Doohan
On 7th June 1997, a 23-year-old man named Marcus Doohan was riding a Yamaha bike down Petersfield Drive, when a woman from Surrey driving a Honda collided with him. Marcus Doohan suffered "serious head and leg injuries" and was urgently transported to Hope Hospital. Three days later, on 10th June 1997, Marcus Doohan died from their injuries while in intensive care.[3]
21st century
At some point between 2005 and 2009, the garages that were situated on the eastern end of Petersfield Drive (next to the Jolly Butcher) were demolished and turned into semi-detached houses, which to this day remain (54-66 Petersfield Drive).