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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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