Stalybridge (/ˌsteɪliˈbrɪdʒ/) is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 23,731 at the 2011 Census.Historically divided between Cheshire and Lancashire, it is 8 miles (12.9 km) east of Manchester city centre and 6 miles (9.7 km) north-west of Glossop. When a water-powered cotton mill was constructed in 1776, Stalybridge became one of the first centres of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. The wealth created in the 19th century from the factory-based cotton industry transformed an area of scattered farms and homesteads into a self-confident town.