Macclesfield

Toponymy

The town is recorded in the Domesday Book as Maclesfeld and in 1183 it was referred to as Makeslesfeld. The English Place-Name Society gives its name as being derived from the Old English name, Maccel, and field, yielding the meaning "Maccel's open country".

Although "Silk Town" seems to be its preferred nickname, the traditional nickname of Macclesfield is "Treacle Town".

This refers to an historical incident when a horse-drawn wagon overturned and spilt its load of treacle onto the street, after which the poor scooped the treacle off the road.

History

Before the Norman Conquest, Macclesfield was held by Edwin, Earl of Mercia, who also held much of the east of the county. Three crosses survive from this period, originally located in Sutton and now in West Park, and J. D. Bu'Lock speculates that there might have been a Pre-Conquest church. The area was devastated by the Normans in 1070, and had not recovered by 1086; the Domesday Book records the manor as having fallen in value from £8 to 20 shillings. Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester held the manor himself after the Conquest; there was a mill, meadow for oxen, and woodland 6 leagues by 4 leagues. A Norman castle was built at Macclesfield.

At the time of the Domesday Book, Macclesfield was in the hundred of Hamestan. By the 13th century, the Hundreds of Cheshire had been reorganised, and the town gave its name to the Macclesfield Hundred, which covered a similar area to the old Hamestan Hundred in the east of the county.

Macclesfield was granted a borough charter in 1261 by Edward, Earl of Chester, eldest son of Henry III; Edward later became king as Edward I. Although the 1261 charter purported to create the borough, there was reputedly an earlier charter, possibly granted by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, in the early 13th century. The 1261 charter gave the right to hold a market, fair and judicial courts. The medieval town stood on the hilltop, centred on All Saints' Church (later renamed St Michael's), which was built in 1278, an extension of a chapel built in approximately 1220. In 1357, a hall was built in the town for the mayor's court and the borough court (portmote). The town lacked industries at this date and was described as poor, remaining a small market town until the end of the 15th century, with a population numbered in the hundreds.

The Cheshire archers were a body of elite soldiers noted for their skills with the longbow that fought in many engagements in Britain and France in the Middle Ages. Battles at which there were sizeable numbers of Cheshire archers include Agincourt and Crecy. In 1277 Edward I employed 100 of these archers from the Macclesfield area as his personal bodyguard, his successor Richard II also employed a bodyguard of these yeoman archers who came from the Macclesfield Hundred and the forest districts of Cheshire.

The borough had a weekly market and two annual fairs: the Barnaby fair on St Barnabas day (11 June), the other on the feast of All Souls (2 November). In recent years the Barnaby fair has been reinvented as the Barnaby Festival, a cultural festival in mid-June. The weekly market no longer happens but on the last Sunday of each month the Treacle Market is held, a large market selling locally produced food and handmade items such as clothing, handmade goods and pottery.

Industry

Macclesfield was once the world's biggest producer of finished silk. A domestic button industry had been established in the town by the mid-16th century, although the first mention of silk buttons is not until 1649. In the mid-18th century, when metal buttons became fashionable, the silk-button industry transitioned to silk manufacture in mills. Macclesfield's first silk mill was founded by Charles Roe in 1743 or 1744. The mills were initially powered by water, and later by steam. There were 71 silk mills operating in 1832, employing 10,000 people, but a crash occurred in 1851 and many mill-workers emigrated to the American silk town of Paterson, New Jersey. The silk industry remained active in the town in the 1980s, but no longer dominated. Paradise Mill reopened in 1984 as a working mill museum, demonstrating the art of silk throwing and Jacquard weaving. The four Macclesfield Museums display a range of information and products from that period.

A short-lived copper-smelting operation was established by Roe in 1750, processing ore from mines at Alderley Edge and Ecton (Staffordshire), and later from Anglesey. The business switched to copper processing and the manufacture of brass in 1767, before closing after Roe's death in 1781. The industry is reflected in some of the town's street names.

Between 1826 and 1831 the Macclesfield Canal was constructed, linking Macclesfield to Marple to the north and Kidsgrove to the south. The canal was surveyed for its Act of Parliament by the canal and roads engineer Thomas Telford, and built by William Crosley (junior), the Macclesfield Canal Company's engineer. It was the last narrow canal to be completed and had only limited success because within ten years much of the coal and other potential cargo was increasingly being transported by rail.

Macclesfield is the original home of Hovis breadmakers, produced in Publicity Works Mill (commonly referred to as "the Hovis Mill") on the canal close to Buxton Road. It was founded by a Macclesfield businessman and a baker from Stoke-on-Trent. Hovis is said to derive from the Latin "homo-vitalis" (strength for man) as a way of providing a cheap and nutritious food for poor mill workers and was a very dry and dense wholemeal loaf completely different from the modern version.

Waters Green was once home to a nationally known horse market which features in the legend of the Wizard of Alderley Edge.

Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Macclesfield, at civil parish (town) and unitary authority level: Macclesfield Town Council and Cheshire East Council. The town council is based at the Town Hall on Market Place, and Cheshire East Council also uses the building as an area office.

For national elections, the town forms part of the Macclesfield constituency, which has been represented by Tim Roca of Labour since the 2024 general election.

Administrative history

Macclesfield was historically a township in the ancient parish of Prestbury. From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the Poor Laws, in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Prestbury, the civil functions were exercised by each township separately rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so Macclesfield became a civil parish.

Macclesfield was also a chapelry from at least the 13th century, when St Michael's Church (originally dedicated to All Saints) was built as a chapel of ease to St Peter's Church, Prestbury. St Michael's formally became a parish church in 1835, when Macclesfield was made a separate ecclesiastical parish from Prestbury.

The Macclesfield township was administered as a borough from at least the time of its 1261 charter. The borough was administered from a guildhall in the Market Place from at least the 13th century. Macclesfield Town Hall was completed in 1824 on the site of the guildhall.

A Macclesfield constituency was created in 1832, covering the borough plus adjoining parts of the townships of Hurdsfield and Sutton, where the urban area had grown beyond the borough boundaries. The borough was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. As part of the 1836 reforms, the borough was enlarged to match the constituency.

The result of the 1880 general election for the Macclesfield constituency was declared void due to corruption, and no by-election was allowed to be held. In 1885, the constituency was replaced by a much larger county constituency, also called Macclesfield, which took in surrounding towns and villages as well as the borough of Macclesfield.

The municipal borough of Macclesfield was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. A much larger non-metropolitan borough of Macclesfield was created instead, which also covered an extensive surrounding area, including the towns of Bollington, Knutsford, and Wilmslow.

Geography

Macclesfield is in the east of Cheshire and on the River Bollin, a tributary of the River Mersey. It is close to the county borders of Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east and Staffordshire to the south. It is near the towns of Stockport to the north, Buxton to the east and Congleton to the south. It is 38 miles (60 km) to the east of Chester, the county town of Cheshire.

To the west of the town lies the Cheshire Plain; Macclesfield Forest is to the east, containing Ridgegate and Trentabank Reservoirs which supply the town's drinking water, as well as Tegg's Nose and the Peak District.

According to the 2011 Census, the gender makeup of the population was 31,266 male and 32,688 female. The ethnic makeup of the whole urban area was under 96.2% white and 2.2% Asian; other ethnic minorities were 1.6%. The religious make up of the whole area includes: 66.3% Christian, 0.5% Muslim, 24.8% irreligious and 6.8% not stated.

Climate

Like most of the United Kingdom, Macclesfield has a temperate maritime climate (Köppen: Cfb). Records of the climate extend back to at least 1850. Between 1881 and 2005, the highest temperature has been 38 °C (100 °F) on 19 July 2022 and the lowest, from at least 1850–2005, −16.7 °C (1.9 °F) on 25 December 1860.

Landmarks

The town is famous for its once thriving silk industry, commemorated in the Silk Museum.

The Georgian Town Hall was designed by Francis Goodwin in 1823.

Macclesfield is home to an Augustus Pugin church, St Alban's on Chester Road.

The former Cheshire County Asylum on Pavilion Way was designed by Robert Griffiths in Italianate style. It is now converted into apartments.

Economy

Macclesfield is the manufacturing home to AstraZeneca, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. The furniture store Arighi Bianchi was founded in 1829. Other industries include textiles, light engineering, paper and plastics.

Transport

Railway

Macclesfield station is on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line. There are generally four trains per hour in each direction, served by three train operating companies:

Avanti West Coast operates one inter-city service an hour between Manchester Piccadilly (20 minutes away), Stockport (10 minutes), Stoke-on-Trent (15 minutes) and London Euston (1 hour 47 minutes)

CrossCountry operates two inter-city services an hour: one between Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Birmingham New Street, Reading, Southampton Central and Bournemouth; the other between Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Birmingham New Street, with most services continuing to Bristol Temple Meads and two per day on to Paignton

Northern Trains provides hourly stopping services between Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Congleton and Stoke-on-Trent.

A railway station was first opened at Beech Lane by the London and North Western Railway on 19 June 1849, which was replaced a month later by Hibel Road station. The current station dates from the modernisation of the West Coast Main Line in the mid-1960s, when the old station buildings were replaced.

Buses

Macclesfield has a bus station located within the town centre. The original building opened on Sunderland Street, just outside the railway station; it was replaced in 2004, when a new bus station opened on Queen Victoria Street.

The principal operators around Macclesfield are two subsidiaries of Centrebus Group: D&G Bus and High Peak Buses. Fifteen bus routes run within the town and to other locations including Altrincham,

Buxton, Congleton, Crewe, Knutsford, Stockport, Wilmslow and Wythenshawe.

Roads

Macclesfield is served by good road links from the north, south and west, but has fewer roads going east due to the terrain of the Peak District. From the south, access from Congleton and the Potteries is from the A536, and via the A523 from Leek. From the north, the main access to the town is the A523 from Manchester, Hazel Grove and Poynton. The main west–east road is the A537 Knutsford to Buxton road. At various points around the town centre, some of these roads combine, such as the A537 / A523 on the Silk Road section, giving rise to traffic congestion, especially at peak times. The A538 provides access to Prestbury, Wilmslow and Manchester Airport, with the B5470 being the only other eastbound route from the town, heading to Whaley Bridge and Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Culture

Macclesfield has been accused of having few cultural amenities. In 2004, research was published in The Times naming Macclesfield and its borough the most uncultured town in Britain, based on its lack of theatres, cinemas and other cultural facilities.

The Northern Chamber Orchestra is the oldest professional chamber ensemble in the North West; its home is the Macclesfield Heritage Centre and presents a series of eight concerts a year, attracting international guest soloists. The Silk Opera Company was created to perform 'The Monkey Run' at Barnaby.

After recent rationalisation, the town now has one museum: the Silk Museum, on Park Lane, which includes paid access to Paradise Mill, a former silk mill. The Silk Museum houses the Ancient Egyptian artefacts brought back by Victorian antiquarian Marianne Brocklehurst and her partner Mary Booth: these were formerly held in West Park Museum, as well as a number of art galleries.

Macclesfield Chess Club is one of the oldest chess clubs in the country, having been founded in 1886.

The 'Macclesfield Literary and Philosophical Society' was formed in 2006, partly in response to The Times' 2004 article.

Local newspapers include the Macclesfield Express and the Community News. Macclesfield residents have access to Macclesfield Forum, an online Internet forum, for informal discussion of local news and issues. The town is also served by two locally based radio stations: Canalside Community Radio based at the Clarence Mill in Bollington, just north of Macclesfield, and Cheshire's Silk Radio, an independent commercial radio station with studios in the town. Local information websites include Visit Macclesfield and the local what's on guide, Canalside's The Thread.

The last remaining commercial cinema in Macclesfield closed in 1997. Discussions have taken place regarding the possibility of building a multiplex cinema, but attempts to build a cinema have thus far been unsuccessful. In 2005, a small-scale cinema, Cinemac, was set up in the Heritage Centre, which has since become well established; also based in the Heritage Centre is the Silk Screen arts cinema, which gives fortnightly screenings of art-house films.

Media

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North West and ITV Granada. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter and the local relay transmitter situated south east of the town.

The town is served by both BBC Radio Manchester and BBC Radio Stoke. Other radio stations are Heart North West, Smooth North West, Capital Manchester and Lancashire and Greatest Hits Radio Manchester & The North West. Community based stations that broadcast from the town are Silk Radio and Canalside Radio.

Macclesfield Express is the town's local newspaper which publishes on Wednesdays.

Education

Macclesfield is served by four state-funded academies (previously state high schools); Tytherington School, The Macclesfield Academy, Fallibroome Academy and All Hallows Catholic College.

There is also an independent school, Beech Hall School.

Macclesfield Academy is made up of pupils from the former school Henbury High School, and also took in the pupils left over when Ryles Park secondary school closed in 2004. Ryles Park had been in turn an amalgamation of Ryles Park girls school and the oldest state school in the town, Macclesfield Central boys school, which closed in 1975. It is on the site of Park Lane Special School and the former Macclesfield College as part of the Macclesfield 'Learning Zone', which was opened in 2007. Macclesfield High School was the name originally given to the girls grammar school on Fence Avenue which formed part of the King's School.

Religion

The hilltop church of St Michael and All Angels has views of nearby Kerridge Hill. The church is approached from Waters Green by a flight of 108 steps, which themselves are a local landmark.

Macclesfield Sunday School started in 1796 as a non-denominational Sunday School in Pickford Street, which catered for 40 children. It was founded by John Whitaker whose objective was "to lessen the sum of human wretchedness by diffusing religious knowledge and useful learning among the lower classes of society". Though chapels set up their denominational schools, the Sunday School committee in 1812 elected to erect a purpose-built school on Roe Street. The Big Sunday School had 1,127 boys and 1,324 girls on its books when it opened.

St Alban's Church in Chester Road is an active Roman Catholic parish church. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It was designed by A. W. N. Pugin.

Christ Church is a brick-built redundant Anglican church, located on Great King Street. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church was in use until 1981. It remains consecrated and is used occasionally for services.

An Ebenezer Chapel was established on Rainow Road in 1864. It is now a private residence.

There is a Latter-day Saint chapel located on Victoria Road.

There is a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on Western Avenue.

Other churches of architectural merit include:

King Edward Street Chapel, Macclesfield

St George's Church, Macclesfield

Sport and leisure

Football

Macclesfield's professional football club, Macclesfield Town, first gained league status in 1997 as Football Conference Champions; they had won that title two years earlier but were denied promotion as their Moss Rose stadium in the south of the town failed to meet Football League stadium capacity requirements. At the end of the 2019–20 season, the Silkmen were relegated from EFL League Two. In September 2020, Macclesfield Town Football Club was wound up in the High Court over debts totalling more than £500,000.

On 13 October 2020, the official receiver confirmed that the assets of Macclesfield Town had been sold to Macc Football Club Limited. Local businessman Robert Smethurst had purchased the assets, and rebranded the club as Macclesfield F.C., they currently play in the National League North. They are known for beating Premier League side and Cup-holders Crystal Palace in the 3rd round of the 2025–26 FA Cup.

Youth football teams include Macclesfield Juniors FC, Macclesfield Saints JFC, Moss Rose Juniors FC and Tytherington Juniors.

Other sports

Macclesfield RUFC, the town's rugby union club, plays in National League 1, following promotion from National League 2 North in the 2013–14 season.

Macclesfield Wheelers is a local cycling club for activities from pleasure riding to racing. World-famous cyclist Reg Harris produced his eponymous bikes in Macclesfield for three years during the 1960s. The local cycling campaign group is known as MaccBUG (Macclesfield Borough Bicycle Users Group). Formed in 1999, it campaigns for better cycling provision for leisure and utility cyclists.

Macclesfield Harriers & Athletic Club is an active club with over 500 members. The club caters for all abilities and ages. There are sections for road running, track & field, fell running and cross country.

Macclesfield Hockey Club is a community club with 8 senior teams and a thriving junior section. They cater for players of all abilities from the age of 5 upwards. At the first team level, the ladies play in the Regional North Leagues and the men in the North West Hockey Premier League.

In December 2006, Sport England published a survey which revealed that residents of Macclesfield were the third-most active in England in sports and other fitness activities; 29.3% of the population participate at least three times a week for 30 minutes.

Macclesfield parkrun, a free weekly timed 5k run, takes place in South Park every Saturday morning at 9.00 AM.

Notable people

Politicians

John Brocklehurst, MP (1788–1870) Head of a family of silk producers, banker and MP for Macclesfield for 36 years, 1832 / 1868.

William Coare Brocklehurst (1818–1900) Liberal Party politician. son of John and his successor as MP (1868–80). Unseated after a complaint of bribery during the 1880 election; his son was William (1851–1929), businessman and MP 1906 /1918.

David Chadwick (1821–1895) English accountant and Liberal Party politician. One of two local MP's from 1868 to 1880 who were unseated and convicted of bribery and of making a false return of election expenses

Sir Walter Bromley-Davenport (1903–1989) Conservative MP for Knutsford from 1945 until 1970

Nicholas Winterton (born 1938), retired local MP, 1971 / 2010

Public service

John Shert (c.1544–1582) Catholic priest and martyr, executed in the reign of Elizabeth I, beatified 1889.

Sir Edward Fitton (1548?–1606), MP who took part in the Elizabethan plantations of Ireland.

Rev David Simpson (1745–1799) Anglican priest who spent most of his career in Macclesfield

Edward Hawkins (1780–1867), numismatist and antiquary; Keeper of Antiquities at the British Museum.

William Buckley, (1780–1856) escaped convict, survived among Australian aborigines between 1803 and 1835, raised here.

John Charles Ryle (1816–1900) was the first Anglican Bishop of Liverpool

Thomas Mottershead (c.1825 – 1884) British trade unionist and socialist activist

Herbert Philips (c.1835–1905) philanthropist and justice of the peace

Sir Samuel Rowe (1835–1888) doctor and colonial administrator of Sierra Leone, the Gambia and Gold Coast

Arthur Smith Woodward, (1864–1944) palaeontologist specialised in fossil fish, born and educated here

Richard Crosse (1888–1970) distinguished British Army officer

Vera Brittain (1893–1970) nurse, feminist and pacifist, wrote Testament of Youth, lived locally as a child

Edward Brittain (1895 in Macclesfield – 1918) British Army officer, fought and died in WW1 and was immortalised by his sister Vera Brittain in Testament of Youth

Commerce

Charles Roe (1715–1781) industrialist, helped establish the silk industry in Macclesfield

James Pigot (1769–1843) British publisher of directories, and a pioneering publisher of trade directories

John Birchenough (1825–1895) silk manufacturer in the town and local politician

Sir Thomas Wardle (1831–1909) businessman, known for his innovations in silk dyeing and printing on silk

William Ryle II (1834–1881) silk manufacturer

Sir John Henry Birchenough, 1st Baronet, (1853–1937) English businessman and public servant.

Harold W. Whiston (1873–1952), businessman, magistrate, activist for vegetarianism and local Liberal.

Peter Gaddum (1902–1986) was the sole provider of raw silk to the UK during much of World War II

The Arts

Alfred Gatley (1816–1863) was an English sculptor

John William Wadsworth (1879–1955), ceramics designer for Mintons, born in Macclesfield

Mabel Frances Layng (1881–1937) English landscape and figure painter

Charles Tunnicliffe (1901 in Langley – 1979) naturalistic painter of British birds and other wildlife

Kika Markham (born 1940) English actress, widow of Corin Redgrave

Robert Longden (born 1951) composer, librettist, director, film, stage and television actor

Mr Methane (born 1966 in Macclesfield) as Paul Oldfield, the world's only currently performing flatulist

Dominic Brunt (born 1970) actor, played vet Paddy Kirk in ITV's Emmerdale

Marshall Lancaster (born 1974) actor, played DC Chris Skelton in BBC dramas Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes

Sarah Burton (born 1974) fashion designer, creative director of fashion brand Alexander McQueen

Helen Marten, (born 1985) sculptor who won the Turner Prize and the inaugural Hepworth Prize

Journalists and writers

Hester Rogers (1756–1794) British Methodist writer and role model for women Methodists

Sui Sin Far (born Edith Maude Eaton; 1865–1914) author, wrote about Chinese people in North America

Joseph McCabe, (1867–1955) rationalist writer and critic of religion, was born here

Brian Redhead, (1929–1993) Manchester Guardian journalist and BBC Radio 4 Today anchorman, lived in the town

Sir Andreas Whittam Smith, (1937-2025) financial journalist, founded and edited The Independent newspaper in 1986

Michael Jackson (born 1958) television producer and executive, was Controller of both BBC One and BBC Two and Chief Executive of Channel 4, between 1997 and 2001

Benedict Allen (born 1960) writer, explorer, traveller and filmmaker; immerses himself among indigenous peoples

Peter Stanford (born 1961) writer, editor, journalist, presenter, known for biographies and writings on religion and ethics

Nick Robinson, (born 1963) was political editor for the BBC, now presenter of the Today programme

Stuart Evers (born 1976) novelist, short story writer and critic.

Music

Fanny Ayton (1806–1891), an English operatic soprano.

Forbes Robinson (1926–1987) bass, known for his performances in works by Mozart, Verdi, and Britten.

John Mayall (1933–2024) blues musician and bandleader, influential in the British blues movement

Noddy Holder (born 1946) lead singer of Slade, lives in the town.

Ian Curtis (1956–1980) lead singer of Joy Division, lived, died and buried locally.

Stephen Morris (born 1957) drummer in the bands Joy Division, New Order, The Other Two & Bad Lieutenant

Gillian Gilbert (born 1961) musician, keyboardist, guitarist, member of New Order and The Other Two

Andy Carthy (born 1972) known by his stage name Mr. Scruff, record producer and DJ

Phil Cunningham (born 1974) guitarist, member of the bands Marion, New Order and Bad Lieutenant

Geoff Lloyd (born 1973) radio DJ, known as Geoff in Pete And Geoff; Hometime show on Absolute Radio.

Jim Moray (born 1981) folk musician and singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.

The Macc Lads (active 1981 – present) rock band, sing irreverent, foul-mouthed and politically incorrect lyrics

The Other Two (active 1990–2011) dance act consisting of Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert of New Order

Sport

Joseph Hawcridge (1863 in Macclesfield – 1905) a rugby union footballer

Linton Hope (1863–1920) sailor, competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Meulan, France

Charlie Twemlow (1901–1976), an English footballer who played 166 games for Macclesfield Town F.C.

Reg Harris (1920–1992) track cyclist, active in the 1940s, 1950s and 1970s, died locally

Guy Edwards (born 1942 in Macclesfield) Formula One driver, 1974-1977

Bobbie van de Graaf (born 1944 in Macclesfield) retired Dutch rower, bronze medalist in the 1964 Summer Olympics

Alf Wood (1945 – 2020), an English footballer who played 488 games

Chris Nicholl (1946-2024) former N.Ireland footballer, played 706 games and 51 for NI, coach and manager

Jonathan Agnew (born 1960) cricketer and cricket commentator, known as "Aggers"

Peter Moores (born 1962) former England Cricket Coach, born and schooled in Macclesfield.

Matthew Fleming (born 1964), former British Army officer and cricketer; President of the MCC from 2016 to 2017.

Paul Thorp (born 1964), former rider with Great Britain national speedway team with 31 caps

Stuart Brown (born 1972) thirteen-time British National Sidecarcross Champion.

Twin towns

Macclesfield has no twin towns. Until 2010, Macclesfield had an informal bond with Eckernförde in Germany in the aftermath of World War II when the townsfolk sent aid to Eckernförde.

Freedom of the Town

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Town of Macclesfield.

Individuals

Sir Geo Jeffreys: 1682.

John Askey: 9 August 2018.

Military regiments

4th Battalion The Cheshire Regiment: 1902.