Macclesfield

Macclesfield is a market town in Cheshire, England with a population of around 69,000. It is the main settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Macclesfield.

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Description

Macclesfield is located on the edge of the Peak District, on the River Bollin and the Macclesfield Canal , and is most famous for its once thriving silk industry. Although "Silk Town" seems to be the preferred nickname these days, Macclesfield's traditional local nickname is "Treacle Town". The town was also home to Parkside Hospital and is the birthplace of Hovis bread.

It is the home to famous furniture store Arighi Bianchi, local football club Macclesfield Town, King's School, Macclesfield which dates from the 16th Century and King's Girls School, Macclesfield, a much more recent development; both are prestigious and highly exclusive. The fine Georgian Town Hall was designed by Francis Goodwin in 1823.

Present day industries include: pharmaceuticals, textiles, light engineering, paper and plastics.

In 2004, reseach was published in The Times naming Macclesfield and its borough the most boring or uncultured town in Britain. This was based on its lack of theatres, cinemas and other cultural facilities.

History

The town, which, according to some sources, was known in the Dark Ages as "Hameston", was granted a royal charter in 1261. (The then much more extensive) Macclesfield Forest was a popular royal hunting ground in the Middle Ages, and remains of the associated castle survived until the 1920's.

Twin towns

Eckernförde, Germany (since 1953)

Famous people

The wildlife painter Charles Tunnicliffe was born and raised in Langley, a nearby village. He studied at the Macclesfield College of Art, now the Silk Museum.
Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division, was brought up in Macclesfield.
Twice Olympic gold medal winning sailor Ben Ainslie was born in Macclesfield.
The Macc Lads – a band notorious for bad language in their lyrics – came from the town.

External links

Categories: Towns in Cheshire