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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Sophie Halle-Richards

The leafy Greater Manchester village with three pubs, golf club and stunning views... but residents all say one thing

Nestled between the two bustling towns of Failsworth and Ashton lies a quiet, leafy village that feels somewhat out of place.

Chocolate-box cottages line the main street of the charming community of Woodhouses, which feels like you've stepped into a quaint village in the Lake District or Cotswolds.

With three country pubs, a golf club, and stunning views of the Peak District, it's hard to believe that residents here are just a 20-minute drive from Manchester city centre.

READ MORE: Three more arrests as police continue blitz of 'counterfeit street'

On a sunny afternoon in October, molten-red leaves fall from the trees as locals take a stroll with their dogs, and horses trot through the village.

People who live in Woodhouses, which falls under the ward of Failsworth, love the area - clearly reflected in property price tags, with one mansion up for £1.5m - eight times the average house price in the borough.

A horse trots through the village (Manchester Evening News)

But residents, many of whom have lived here their whole life, say the village lacks one important thing - a shop. Currently the nearest place to buy amenities is the Tesco Extra over a mile away.

"It's a great place to live and has everything you need apart from a shop," says Mike Lomas, who has lived here for 22 years. "We've got a couple of nice pubs, you've got Daisy Nook not far and the golf course - it's just a nice little place to live.

But it seems in recent years other people have cottoned on to the offerings of Woodhouses, with out-of-towners making the trip to the village to sample the pubs - making it difficult to park.

"A lot of houses like mine don't have any parking facilities and in the summer it's almost like a tourist hotspot because people come from all over the place. We have good pubs and beer gardens so a lot of the time you can't park outside your house."

Mike Lomas (Manchester Evening News)

Terry Omara recalls moving into the village like 'being on holiday.' "It's quiet, it's nice, got two little pubs and a proper village feel apart from shop, we could do with a shop," he said.

He and other villagers have recently hired their own private security firm to patrol the streets at night after a spate of burglaries in the affluent area - which he says appears to be working.

"We all pay about £20 a month and we've had nowhere near as many burglaries and thefts," he says. "They come round about 12am and patrol the area. You feel safe, it's good.

"You've got million pound houses round here with nice cars and if people are going to rob you they are going to look for somewhere affluent."

Terry Omara (Manchester Evening News)

Sara Sessford also pays for the private security contract after her home was burgled four times in the last 20 years, and agrees the system appears to be working.

"It's a nice to place to live," she says. "It's almost rural but you're close to the city centre, close to Oldham, Manchester, it's got a nice village feel to it. We are close to Daisy Nook, there is a restaurant and two country pubs.

"There is a community spirit and we do try but some people keep themselves to themselves. There used to be a shop and a post office so it's lost that community feel a bit but Tesco isn't too far.

Another small gripe for villagers is the busy main road that runs through the village - described as a rat run for people wanting to cut between Manchester and Oldham. They say it's particularly bad when Manchester City are playing.

The Woodhouse Gardens is just one of three pubs in the area (Manchester Evening News)

"When I came off the drive the other morning I must have let at least 10 cars go through before I could get out," she says. "People do speed down it as well but it doesn't really affect us."

Terry Omara also has a grumble about the road, as does fellow resident Andy Byrne. "It's really nice here but this road is a pain as people use it as a cut through to Manchester," he says.

"Years ago it was nice and quiet but now there's a lot of traffic. When the kids are at school it's busy from 7.30am till 9pm then about 3.30pm till about 6.30pm.

"I love it here it's just the road. You've got everything here - cricket, golf club, three pubs, restaurant and horses come here every day. Only the cricket club has the football on so they are lovely family pubs with lovely gardens."

Andy Byrne and dog Teddy (Manchester Evening News)

Andy says he'd like to see residents club together and make the road private, charging drivers a small fee to pass through the village in a bid to calm the traffic.

"There's a place in Carrington run by the residents I think and they have bollards to stop traffic coming through and it's 12p every time, I think that could work here too," he says.

Carmel Pattenden has lived in the village long enough to remember when there was a local shop, post office and mini supermarket - none of which remains today.

"It's lovely here, you're near everything because you've got Daisy Nook and Manchester isn't far so it's an ideal situation if you work in town," she says.

Carmel Pattenden (Manchester Evening News)

"There's three pubs, cricket club and golf club and they are doing a lot of building in the area. There are a couple of new-build estates which have been built by people who live here.

"When I came here there were four shops - there was a post office, but they got robbed twice in six weeks and it was quite a horrible one so they put the notice in and sold up.

"We had a butchers, mini supermarket and then at the corner of Failsworth Road it was originally a Co-op. That's the only thing really we don't have a shop now."

As for Sara, despite it's small flaws, she wouldn't live anywhere else. "I'd struggle to see where else you could live around here with such a nice village feel, but be so close to everything you need."

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