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Towns and Villages in
South Cheshire
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in South Cheshire (the page may be very large)
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Alsager, situated alongside
the Staffordshire border, is a picturesque and
thriving town which has managed to retain its
rural charm. It is known that for centuries it was
an agricultural village taking its name from the
principal family in residence there. John Alsager,
last of the male issue of that family, died at the
end of the 18th century leaving three sisters,
none of whom subsequently married.
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And it is to Miss Mary, Miss
Judith and Miss Margaret Alsager that the
present town owes its beginnings.
Alsager has two parish churches of note in
addition to places of worship for Roman
Catholics and Nonconformists.
These are Christ Church and St. Mary Magdalene.
The former is the older and was erected by the
Misses Alsager in 1789.
St. Mary Magdalene's was completed in 1898
although the tower, which figured largely in the
specifications, was never built.
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Christ
Church - photo: Judges Postcards |
Attached to the town's
Comprehensive School is the Leisure Centre which
is jointly used by pupils and the public. The
Centre has a large sports hall, gymnasium,
swimming pool, squash courts, outdoor floodlit
artificial pitch together with a licensed bar
and refreshment facilities. For outdoor
recreation there is a private 18 hole golf
course, public playing fields, together with
tennis, bowls, football and cricket clubs.
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Alsager Mere
Photo: Judges Postcards
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Alsager
Mere also presents a picturesque stretch of
tree-flanked water.
Walkers are well catered for.
The Salt Line and Merelake Way have their
origins from the mid 1800's when both the
former railway lines were opened with the
primary function of carrying minerals to and
from Stoke-on-Trent.
These walkways also connect up with other
public footpaths through the countryside.
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Alsager is served by trains
on the Crewe to Stoke and Derby route and bus
services provide links with nearby towns. The
Trent and Mersey Canal is also nearby. Ample
free car parking is provided in the town centre.
The centre of Alsager also provides adequate
facilities for local shopping. In addition a
varied selection of establishments provide a
range of dining out places for that special
occasion including inexpensive ones for bar
snacks, etc. Several hotels, both large and
small, cater for tourists and business users
alike and some of the additional facilities
available cover conferences and leisure
activities.
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This small canal-side
village is a popular place for a stroll by the
canal on a summer evening or a quiet drink or
meal at the "Shroppie Fly", a pub named after
the fly-boats - fast horse-drawn water-buses -
well, relatively fast in their day!
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The Shropie Fly at Audlem - Photo:
Colin Smith
CCL |
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The old textile
town of
Congleton, which
gives its name
to the Borough,
has a number of
half timbered
buildings as
well as a fine
"Venetian
Gothic" Town
Hall. Its
origins date
back to
Neolithic times
and the remains
of a Stone Age
chambered tomb
known as the
Bridestones can
still be seen on
the hill road to
Leek. Other
archaeological
finds suggest
there was a
Bronze Age
settlement in
the area. The
River Dane was
thus named
because of its
reputed usage by
Scandinavian
settlers in
Congleton in the
9th to 11th
centuries.
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At the time of
the Doomsday
survey of 1086,
the town had no
more than 30
residents but it
flourished and
the town's
prominence in
the Tudor period
is today evident
by the legacy of
buildings from
that era.
Much of the town area still
retains its Georgian character.
In 1752, the first silk mill was built by John
Clayton and by 1771 this industry had restored
the town's prosperity. |
High Street Photo: Judges Postcards |
Ribbon weaving began in the 1750's, was followed
in 1784 by cotton spinning and a small wares
trade came later.
The textile industry was the major activity in
succeeding decades but light industry and the
engineering and paper trades arrived to give the
district a more varied industrial basis.
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Congleton is one
of four towns in
Cheshire to have
retained the
main elements of
its mediaeval
street plan. The
town centre has
now been
relieved of
through traffic
by an
inner-relief
road which has
allowed the
central shopping
area to be
pedestrianised .
This area
includes both
the newly built
'Bridestones
Shopping and
Market
Precinct', whose
architecture has
been designed to
blend with the
general
character of the
town and added
substantially to
the ample car
parking
provision in the
town area, and
the 'Capitol
Walk' shopping
mall.
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Moody
Street Photo:
Judges Postcards |
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Crewe, one half of the Borough
or Crewe and Nantwich, played a major part in the
industrial revolution that so transformed the
modern world.
The town was founded on the fortunes of the Grand
Junction Railway Company, evolving in the
mid-nineteenth century from a small hamlet into a
thriving community. It became what is still
reputed to be the largest railway junction in
Britain with major lines converging from North,
South, East and West. The railway also lead to the
development of what was once the town's largest
employer, the railway works where steam
locomotives and rolling stock were made.
Your visit should include 'The Railway Age,' where
Crewe's railway heritage can be explored and steam
locomotives examined at close quarters. The
town's fame has been carried world-wide by another
famous name in transport for it is the current
home of the Bentley (owned by VW) motor car.
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Crewe offers modern shopping
arcades but an undoubted attraction is its
excellent traditional outdoor and indoor market,
held every Friday, Saturday and Monday to which
shoppers travel from miles around.
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Crewe's
modern shopping centre |
Adjacent to the market is the
Lyceum Theatre, a fine Edwardian building which
has recently undergone major refurbishment with
the auditorium being restored to its original
splendour.
Those who find fine buildings appealing will also
appreciate the Municipal offices, Earle Street,
built in 1902. Tours of the building can be
arranged for groups.
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The northern boundary of
Holmes Chapel is the River Dane which flows
westwards in a valley of natural beauty. This is
crossed by an impressive railway viaduct of 23 x
63 ft. brick spans taking the railway line up to
one hundred and five feet above the floor of the
valley. The viaduct, which is still in use on the
main Manchester to Crewe line, was completed in
1842.
Nearby stand the futuristic radio telescope
complex at Jodrell Bank whose giant reflector dish
dominates the Cheshire Plain.
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These two great structures
were built for Manchester University in 1952-7
and 1962-4.
The larger, known as the Lovell Telescope, is
now a Grade 1 Listed Building.
It weighs 3,500 tons and is 250 feet in
diameter.
The smaller has a bowl 125 feet by 84 feet in
diameter.
In the Jodrell Bank complex are the Concourse
Building, Planetarium, Exhibition of Modern
Astronomy, picnic gardens and Arboretum.
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Photo:
Cheshire CC & Judges Postcards |
The Centre is open to the
public from 10.30 am to 5.30 pm daily from Easter
to October and from 12 noon-5.00 pm pm winter
weekends.
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Malpas, in the south west of
Cheshire, is a small town which boasts a wide
variety of ancient and half-timbered buildings and
a distinctive character which typifies what sets
the county apart from the rest of North West
England.
The parish church of St Oswald is situated above
the rest of the town, which is laid out around
four main streets. The churchyard may form part of
the bailey of a timber Norman castle which was
built here. To the north of the church the castle
mound can still be seen.
Notable properties in the town include the 17th
century timber framed Tithe Barn; an 18th century
brick built house The Bolling; and the 17th
century box framed house called Church View -
which was once the Gryphon Inn.
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Middlewich is one of Britain's
chief salt-producing towns.
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For 200 years it was the centre of the Roman salt
industry and it is only in relatively recent times
that the Roman method of extracting salt by
boiling in huge pans was abandoned at Middlewich
for the modern system of vacuum extraction. Romans
were paid in salt - this remuneration was called
''sal dare" and it is from this word that the name
"soldier" is thought to have derived. Middlewich
lay on King Street, a Roman road from the Mersey
at Warrington to Derby and they called the town
Salinae from the Latin word for "salt works".
Timber framed houses, pottery, and the remains of
clay-lined salt evaporation chambers have been
excavated - evidence of the invaders' long stay. |
Middlewich Main Street - Photo:
Stephen Burton
CCL |
The Saxons were quick to realise the importance of
the town and the Doomsday Survey recorded the salt
laws and customs they introduced.
John Leland, the Tudor historian, referred to the
"11 salt springges at Middlewich" but by this time
the town was noted for its cheese as well as its
salt.
The process of salt extraction was to become the
district's main activity and the resultant tax on
salt yielded a phenomenal sum for the Exchequer.
In 1822 it produced £1,500,000. But nearly 270
excise officers had to be employed to collect it
at a cost of £32,000 a year. Penalties for tax
evasion were severe and one local farmer was fined
£200 for having salt in his house without
permission. In 1825, the salt duty was abolished,
doubtless creating unemployment in the ranks of
the excise men.
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Middlewich Canal - Photo:
Andy B
CCL |
By the mid-19th century Middlewich was an
important post on the stagecoach network with
eight coaches calling every day. Its canal system
was also vital transporting, as it did, the salt
out of Middlewich and coal for use in salt
production shipped in from Staffordshire. Many
local houses were built by the waterways companies
and a lot of these dwellings had adjacent stables
for the horses which pulled the barges. Commercial
use of the canals declined over the years but
there has been a modern upsurge of interest in
inland waterways for pleasure use. Several boat
firms in the town now serve the needs of owners
and hirers of pleasure craft. |
Near to the shopping centre is a modern library
which displays a collection of Roman relics of the
salt industry. A variety of leisure opportunities
are afforded by rivers and canals, a pleasing
small park, playing fields, tennis courts, bowling
and putting greens. Attached to the town's
Comprehensive School is a modern sports hall which
is jointly used by pupils and the general public.
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Nantwich, second half of the
Borough of Crewe and Nantwich, is a town with a
totally different character to that of its
neighbour. It is is a smaller and older market
town set beside the River Weaver with a medieval
street pattern, a beautiful sandstone church and
many listed buildings of great historical
interest. The town has an all-pervading sense of
history.
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Just as Crewe is associated
with railways, so Nantwich is associated with
salt, Cheshire cheese, and picturesque black and
white buildings.
In Medieval times salt was used for cheesemaking
and tanning. The restored Brine Spring, known as
'Old Biot' on the banks of the River Weaver, is
a reminder of when salt production was the
mainstay of the town's economy.
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Nantwich has survived many
disasters throughout its history. In the 11th
Century it was razed to the ground by the Norman
invaders, two hundred years later it was attacked
by Welsh marauders and in 1583 it was almost
destroyed by the great fire. The town was rebuilt
with the help of Queen Elizabeth 1.
During the Civil War, Nantwich supported the
Parliamentarians and was besieged several times by
the Royalist army. Eventually the town was
relieved on 25th January 1644 and the townspeople
celebrated by wearing holly in their hats. Every
year the Battle of Nantwich is remembered with a
re-enactment on 'Holly Holy Day.'
The focal point of the town is 'The Square', which
is the setting for St Mary's Church, known as 'The
Cathedral of South Cheshire'. One of the finest
Medieval churches in Britain, it has many
interesting features and its own visitor centre.
A 'Walkabout Tour' leaflet is on sale at the
Tourist Information Centre where a free Tourist
Guide can also be obtained.
Shopping in Nantwich is a pleasure in landscaped
pedestrianised areas with a wide range of
specialist shops and a colourful local market. Or
you can enjoy a stroll along the Riverside Walk
followed by a meal in one of the many excellent
restaurants, pubs or cafes.
Surrounding Crewe and Nantwich are a multitude of
pleasant villages set in classic English
countryside. Many of the villages date back to
before the Norman conquest and several have been
listed as conservation areas because of their
attractive and historic buildings. Audlem, set
beside the Shropshire Union canal and Wrenbury on
the Llangollen canal, make ideal stopping places
for tourists.
Barthomley, Banbury, Church Minshull and
Warmingham are idyllic rural villages with
interesting churches and traditional pubs. Marbury
has a beautiful old church, mere and pub.
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The town is widely famed for
its Thursday market and its charter was granted by
Elizabeth I in 1579. Every week the market
attracts traders and shoppers from a wide area and
their various regional accents bear witness to the
town's extensive territorial appeal as a market
town.
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Sandbach is also widely
known as the home of one of the finest Saxon
memorials to Christianity in Britain - The
Ancient Crosses. These attract hundreds of
serious students and tourists each year.
Sandbach is also widely
known as the home of one of the finest Saxon
memorials to Christianity in Britain - The
Ancient Crosses. These attract hundreds of
serious students and tourists each year.
The two sandstone obelisks
bearing engravings which tell the story of
life of Christ and Peada's return to Mercia,
were smashed by Puritan iconoclasts in the
17th century.
They were seen as relics of Popery. But, after
a county-wide search to collect the widely
dispersed fragments, the monument was restored
in 1816 under the direction of Dr. George
Ormerod, the Cheshire historian. |
Sandbach Crosses - Photo:
Dennis Thorley
CCL |
In the 7th century A.D.
Sandbach was an Anglo-Saxon settlement,
established on an old Roman road. It was contained
in the pagan Kingdom of Mercia which was then more
powerful than the other Saxon kingdoms of
Northumbria and Wessex.
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Sandbach Half Timbered Houses and Cross -
Photo:
Colin Smith
CCL |
Legend has it that in about 653 A.D. the pagan
warrior King Penda of Mercia arranged a marriage
between his son Peada and the daughter of Oswy,
the Christian King of Northumbria. As a condition
of the marriage, Penda allowed four Christian
priests to accompany Peada on his return to Mercia.
The ancient Crosses of Sandbach are believed to
commemorate the event and the establishment of a
Minster at Sandbach. Above all, they are held to
represent the introduction of Christianity to
central England. |
In the early 19th century, Sandbach was an
important coaching halt on the road from London
and Birmingham to Liverpool and Manchester. Famous
coaches such as ''The Royal Sovereign", "Rocket"
and "Nettle" were regular callers at local
hostelries which served their needs. Coaching
importance faded with the advent of the railway
and Sandbach warranted a station on the
Manchester-Crewe main line. Today Sandbach, with
its delightful historical attraction, stands
pre-eminent on main road and rail routes. It is
served by the M6 Motorway and junction 17 is
conveniently situated near the town centre. The
Manchester-Crewe electrified line and a number of
bus services provide further links with the
adjoining areas. The Trent and Mersey Canal also
passes through the beautiful countryside.
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Old structures at the heart of Sandbach include
the Old Hall Hotel built in 1656 and magnificently
timber framed and striking in appearance, the
half-timbered Black Bear of 1634, and other Tudor
dwellings flanking St. Mary's. There is evidence,
too, of early industrial architecture.
The town's Leisure Centre incorporates a large
sports hall, swimming pool, squash courts and
licensed bar. There are attractive parks and open
spaces, cricket, rugby union, tennis and bowling
clubs, a golf course and many other sporting and
social facilities privately administered. |
Sandbach Market - Photo:
Dennis Thorley
CCL |
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With its combination of shops,
pubs, modern and traditional houses and fine
community facilities, Tattenhall is a typical
rural Cheshire small town - an ideal spot at which
to stop and replenish supplies while touring the
county's delightful countryside.
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The nearby Peckforton Hills
form part of a sandstone ridge that rises above
the Cheshire Plain in the west of the county.
Magnificent walking country, the hills provide
panoramic views across a patchwork landscape of
hedges, trees and ponds.
Also, within ten minutes drive of Tattenhall are
two famous castles. The ruins of 13th century
Beeston, destroyed in the English Civil War
three hundred years ago, stand dramatically on a
craggy, tree covered hill.
The steep climb to the top is rewarded with
views as far as North Wales in the West and the
Pennines in the East.
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Photo: J M Wainwright,
Cheshire CC |
Peckforton Castle, just a
short distance away, is a perfect Victorian copy
of a medieval fortification. It was used as the
location for the Hollywood production of Robin
Hood, starring Patrick Bergin and Uma Thurmann.
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