The Circuit Area
The Circuit is situated
in east Cheshire and north Staffordshire, nearly 30 miles (45 km) south
of Manchester and close to the north of Stoke on Trent.
There are six small towns in or near to the circuit area: Alsager, Biddulph, Congleton,
Kidsgrove,
Middlewich and Sandbach, in addition to the city of Stoke on Trent to the south, Crewe to the west and Macclesfield to the north.
The northern and western parts of the
circuit area contain much rich agricultural land, with livestock
farming the chief agricultural activity, together with the quarrying of fine sand for
the glass industry. The
rich farm land here is due to a thick covering of glacial material left
after the last ice age.
These glaciers left the valuable glass-sand deposits
too. Some salt extraction takes place near Middlewich,
by pumping hot water into the salt 'measures'.
In this agricultural part of the circuit
area is the old market town of Congleton, granted a
charter for its market in 1272, plus Middlewich, on the map since Roman times and possibly earlier. Just a mile
south of Congleton is the Staffordshire border where the landscape is more hilly and less fertile
as a result
of a geological fault. In this direction, Biddulph and much of
the Stoke on
Trent area has a tradition of heavy industry based on coal
measures.
Attractions in and around the
circuit area include Little Moreton Hall (picture
above), regarded as
the finest Tudor building in the country and owned
by the National Trust; Mow
Cop Castle, also owned by the National Trust; the famous Staffordshire
potteries such as Doulton and Wedgwood; Ford Green
Hall, a 17th century timber-framed
farmhouse; Marton
Church, which claims to have the oldest timber-framed place of
worship
in Europe
still in use; the massive Saxon crosses in Sandbach, dating from the 9th century; and Jodrell
Bank, the world's largest movable radio
telescope.
See also the
following for further information
The Town of Congleton
Congleton
is an ancient market town known as 'Bear Town' because bear baiting
used to be a popular sport there in Elizabethan times. It's
said that when the town's bear died just before their Annual Wakes
celebrations the town used the money set aside to buy a bible, to
purchase a new bear instead, so as not to spoil their celebrations!
There
are signs of human settlement in the area dating
back to Stone Age times. The Bridestones, about 3 miles along the road
heading east from Congleton to Rushton Spencer, is a tomb
thought to have been built in Neolithic times. Also three miles
east of the town is The
Cloud (picture above-right): a gritstone-topped hill owned
by the National Trust which is clad in
heather and pine trees and provides great views from its 1,100 foot
(340 metre) summit.
See also a history of Congleton. For
the story of Congleton's development from early times, see a
description of its entry in the Domesday Book
and the many charters awarded to the town and
its people.
The Town of Biddulph
Biddulph grew to significance
as a result of its coal measures (at one time
there were five large collieries operating in the area)
plus 'ironstone' quarries and deposits of fine sand for the pottery
industry. There was also a silk mill and a factory for making
spades and shovels.
Two
derivations of the town's name are commonly offered. One is that
it is from the Anglo Saxon 'bi dylfe'
meaning 'beside the pit or
quarry'. The alternative idea is that it is from the Saxon
'Bidulfe' meaning 'wolf
slayer'.
Nowadays,
the town is known as the Garden Town of Staffordshire. It has two
country parks, the Biddulph Valley Way, which is part of the National
Cycle Network,
and Biddulph Grange Victorian garden, owned by the
National Trust.
The source waters of the River
Trent rise just to the east of the town, by the village of Biddulph Moor.
The Trent flows for more than 170 miles (275 km), reaching the
North Sea at the Humber Estuary.
The Town of Middlewich
There has been a settlement at Middlewich
since at least the time of the Roman occupation of Britain. As indicated by the term wich in its name, Middlewich has long been
an
important centre for the extraction of salt. In earlier years it
was also known for its production of Cheshire cheese and silk.
Parts of the
parish church of St. Michael and All Angels date back to the 12th
century.
Middlewich has long been noteworthy as a communications centre. It lies on the confluence of three rivers: the Dane, Croco and
Wheelock. Three canals also pass through the town, the Shropshire
Union, the Trent and Mersey and the Wardle. Because the town
is well known today for its canals and heritage,
it has become a tourist centre. For example, The Folk
and Boat Festival is now one of the most
successful events in the English Folk Music calendar. |
Little Moreton Hall
Other
Places in the Circuit
Lower
Withington lies in an area of farming and
quarrying. The name means 'the village' ('tun') 'in the willows'
('withig'). The Methodist chapel was built in 1808.
On Rogation Sunday, the minister, the local vicar and their
congregations, walk the local fields to bless the livestock and
crops. The brass band supports carol singers as they sing
their way round the houses and farms at Christmas time.
Bosley
lies in the valley of the River Dane, below the landmark hill-top of
The Cloud (picture below). The name
is thought to originate from Bosleah,
meaning
'Bosa's Wood', though some suggest 'Boar's Lee'. The Methodist
church was built in 1885,
replacing a Wesleyan chapel dating from 1832.
.....more
The Cloud from canal
Davenport
lies just west of Congleton. The chapel was
founded in 1834. The Venables family from Lightwood
Farm were the driving force behind it.
Key
Green Chapel lies on the western slopes of The
Cloud (picture above), just east of
Congleton. Methodism came in 1808, when a cottage was opened for
preaching purposes.
Mow Cop prominent hill top has long been both
a spiritual site and source of gritstone, e.g. for millstones. Mow
Cop
Castle (picture above), built in 1754, was originally a summer house
for the Wilbraham
family, though part was a folly to improve the view from their
home!
'Primitive
Methodism' originated here, its followers seeking a simpler form of
worship than Wesleyanism. It is commemorated by a memorial stone near the castle.
An early aspect was outdoor worship at 'camp' meetings, which
are repeated each year to this day.
Goostrey despite its small size (population just over 2,000) boasts 14 buildings listed as being of historical or
architectural importance. At one of these, Grade-A listed St Luke's Church, there is a
yew tree believed to be 1,200 years old. The village name may
mean 'the tree belonging to Godhere', the Saxon. In the Domesday
Book the village was registered as
'Gostrel'. The Methodist Church was built in 1875
(Wesleyan) and enlarged in 1930.
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