Woodhead Hall

{{Short description|Country house in Cheadle, Staffordshire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Use British English|date=April 2025}} '''Woodhead Hall''' is a country house at Cheadle in Staffordshire. It is a Grade II listed building.<ref>{{NHLE |num=1253648 |desc=Woodhead Hall |access-date= 4 December 2017 |fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

==History== Woodhead Hall was originally commissioned by a Mr Leigh and completed in 1720.<ref name=history>{{cite web|url=http://content.zoopla.co.uk/2213c4a1627fe06a76736ceb9364887c674ac022.pdf|title=Woodhead Hall, Cheadle, Staffordshire|accessdate=26 July 2014}}</ref> It was acquired by William Allen, a merchant, in the 1840s and completely rebuilt by William Shepherd Allen to the designs of William Sugden in 1873.<ref name=history/> It remained in the Allen family, passing to William Allen in 1915, until it became a preparatory school in 1925.<ref name=history/> At the start of the Second World War it became '''RAF Cheadle'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lamont.me.uk/capenhurst/original.html|title=Ministry of Defence hid microwave phone-tap tower inside nuclear plant|accessdate=26 July 2014}}</ref> and, as a Y-station, started monitoring important enemy signals information.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caverswall.org.uk/y-station-cheadle.html|title=Y Station Cheadle|publisher=The Parish Of Caverswall|accessdate=26 July 2014}}</ref> The main task was to intercept messages from German bombers and ground stations.<ref name=sentinel>{{cite web|url=http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Codebreaker-Ernest-91-yesterday-finally-honoured-medal/story-12478014-detail/story.html|title=Codebreaker Ernest, 91 yesterday, is finally honoured with medal|work=Stoke Sentinel |publisher=The Sentinel|date=16 October 2009|accessdate=26 July 2014}}</ref>

The hall continued as a monitoring station during the Cold War, with operations transferring to become part of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in January 1964 when all ministries' civilian interception sites came under its control.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gchq.gov.uk/features/story-signals-intelligence-1914-2014|title=The story of Signals Intelligence 1914-2014|website=GCHQ|language=en-gb|access-date=1 September 2018}}</ref> '''GCHQ Cheadle''' continued to monitor Soviet communications.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2jCbW82ABTkC&q=GCHQ+Stations&pg=PA8|title=How Cheltenham entered America's backyard|publisher=New Scientist|date=5 April 1984|accessdate=12 December 2014}}</ref> The station closed in 1995 and the property was sold into private ownership in 1997.<ref name=sentinel/><ref name=history/>

==References== {{reflist}}

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Category:Cheadle, Staffordshire Category:Country houses in Staffordshire Category:GCHQ buildings and structures Category:Grade II listed buildings in Staffordshire Category:Y service Category:Military installations established in 1939 Category:Military installations closed in 1964 Category:Royal Air Force stations in Staffordshire Category:Science and technology in Staffordshire