Macclesfield, Cheshire. A Silk Town west of the Peak District.

Macclesfield

Local Services:

B & B

Local Geography:

The Cheshire area of the Peak District is somewhat cut off from the rest of the Peak by the high ridge above the Goyt Valley, surmounted by Shining Tor and the Cat and Fiddle Inn. The angle of the underlying strata is tilted much more steeply than on the east side, so the ground slopes down relatively quickly to the Cheshire Plain, with most paths converging on Macclesfield, an ancient market town which was mentioned as 'Maclesfeld' in the Domesday Book.

Macclesfield was the administrative centre of the 'Hundred of East Cheshire' - part of the estates of the Earls of Chester, who created the nearby Macclesfield Forest as an area for their hunting, and the town received its charter in 1261 from the future Edward I. The nearby church of St Michael was built in 1278.

Macclesfield has had a rather quiet history, but the Jacobite army of Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through in 1745 and the citizens were forced to welcome them. From the 1780s onward the town developed rapidly, on the back of the silk industry, for which it became a major centre, and it became very prosperous.

A magnificent Georgian town hall, constructed in 1823, gives some idea of how important Macclesfield felt itself to be in this period.

The Macclesfield canal opened in 1831, passing just above the town centre and linking it to other industrial centres such as Manchester, and the railway arrived in 1873 - this is on the main line between London and Manchester.

Macclesfield is full of former 19th century brick-built silk mills - all now converted to other uses since the industry has now shrunk to nothing.

The Heritage Centre on Churchill Way is housed in a magnificent former Sunday school and has an exhibition relating to the town's past as a silk-making centre - this is open Monday-Saturday 11am - 5pm. There is a silk museum in Park Lane and guided tours are available of Paradise Mill which show how it was in the 1930s, before the local silk industry collapsed.

Now Macclesfield's main industries are now pharmaceuticals (Astra-Zeneca have one of their main bases here) and computer software. The town is very prosperous, with a bustling shopping centre and business area.

Macclesfield Photo Gallery - click on the images to enlarge- Click Here for a slide show

0 - Macclesfield Parish Church and Market Cross

1 - Macclesfield Town Hall

2 - Macclesfield Heritage Centre

Useful local links:
Macclesfield Info Macclesfield Info is a local website with information about Macclesfield and the surrounding area.

Macclesfield, Cheshire. A Silk Town west of the Peak District.

Macclesfield, Cheshire is an ancient market town just west of the Peak District which received its charter in the 13th century. Macclesfield was once the centre of Silk manufacture in this country and has many old silk mills.

Macclesfield