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Knutsford
lies to the west of Wilmslow on the Cheshire Plain with good
road links, lying close to the M6 and with the M62 and M56
just to the north.
The town's
name may be from the place where the Danish King Canute forded
the Lily Stream in 1016.
Knutsford
was granted its first charter in 1292 and the town's central
position resulted in it being known as the 'Capital of
Cheshire'.
Elizabeth
Gaskell, 1810 - 65, the novelist and biographer, spent most
of her life in the town and the house where she grew up stands
in what is now Gaskell Avenue. Gaskell's
novel 'Cranford' is set in 19th century Knutsford.
The Heritage
Centre in King Street illustrates the facinating history of
Knutsford.
Many
celebrities, including David and Victoria Beckham and Neil
and Christine Hamilton, live either in the town and its surrounding
villages.
There
are several magnificent country houses around Knutsford, ideal
for the tourist visiting this town.
North
of the attractive King Street stands Tatton Park, and four
miles south stands Peover Hall. To add to the choice of attractions,
two miles west of Knutsford is Tabley House.
Knutsford
considers itself to be the most important town in the parliamentary
constituency of Tatton, which includes nearby Wilmslow and
Alderley Edge.
Tatton
is the third most affluent parliamentary constituency after
Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. In 1997 the BBC's
war correspondent, Martin Bell ('The Man in the White Suit'),
caused a sensation by defeating the disgraced Conservative
MP Neil Hamilton to become the independant MP for Tatton.
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