[3] In the late 18th century, the area that was to become the town centre was no more than a cluster of houses known as Red Pump Street.

The Ashton family built Hyde Chapel, on Stockport Road in Gee Cross.

[5] Later additions include the lychgate, boathouse by the canal, hearse house, parish rooms and numerous vicarages.

[6] It was in the neighbouring township of Newton, 0.6 miles (1 km) north-east of the Market Place in Hyde.

Hyde Central railway station, closer to the town centre, was opened in 1858 on a branch line.

It was designed by the noted architects Matthew Ellison Hadfield, John Grey Weightman and George Goldie in the Gothic Revival style.

[8] Hyde Colliery was a coal mine in the town; in January 1889, an explosion there killed 23 miners.

[12] During the 1960s, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady were arrested in their home on the Hattersley estate in Hyde after police found the body of 17-year-old Edward Evans in the house.

Britain's most prolific serial killer, Dr Harold Shipman, had his doctor's surgery in the town where he murdered most of his several hundred victims.

The first known victim was 86-year-old Sarah Hannah Marsland of Ashton House in Victoria Street on 7 August 1978 and the last was Kathleen Grundy of Joel Lane on 24 June 1998.

Hyde was historically a township in the ancient parish of Stockport, which formed part of the Macclesfield Hundred of Cheshire.

In some cases, including Stockport, the civil functions were exercised by each township separately rather than the parish as a whole.

In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so Hyde became a civil parish.

[18] The local government district was enlarged in 1877 to take in the neighbouring townships or civil parishes of Newton (also known as Newton Moor), Godley, and the part of Werneth north of the hill of Werneth Low, which area included the village of Gee Cross.

There are several areas and suburbs in Hyde, these include: Gee Cross, Newton, Hattersley, Godley, and Flowery Field.

Routes connect the town with Manchester city centre, Stockport, Dukinfield, Gee Cross, Woodley, Stalybridge, Ashton-under-Lyne and Oldham.

A tram network, operated by the SHMD Joint Board, ran lines through Hyde from 1904 to 1945, until their replacement by buses.

[28] Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada.

World champion boxer Ricky Hatton was brought up on the Hattersley Estate and now lives in Gee Cross.

His association with the town led to the creation of a boxing gym and health club by Hatton Promotions.

[34] Hyde Cricket and Squash Club play in the Cheshire County League and have their ground near Werneth Low.

[39] Hyde's Festival Theatre is home to several local amateur groups presenting plays, music and dance in the downstairs auditorium or the upstairs smaller studio.

Hyde leisure centre contains a large swimming pool with a wave machine, aqua slide and upstairs fitness suite.

[40] Hyde Library had a gallery exhibiting the work of Harry Rutherford, an artist from the Tameside area, now at Ashton-under-Lyne.