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The small
market town of Cheadle lies in a vale between the River
Tean and one of its tributaries. Surrounded by lofty hills,
Cheadle is the gateway to the wooded Churnet Valley.
The historic
settlement dates from Saxon times and was included in the
Domesday Book of 1086.
Cheadle
was given permission to hold a market in 1250 and a market
is still held in the town every Friday. Some of the buildings
in the High Street have attractive Tudor frontages.
A coal
seam runs right under the settlement and until recently Cheadle
was a mining town. Several colllieries were located in the
nearby hills but today these have all closed.
Many
local people now work at nearby Alton Towers, the UK's number
one theme park. Another
major employer is JCB, the manufacturer of construction and
agricultural equipment.
Both
the town's Anglican and Roman Catholic churches are dedicated
to St Giles.
The Catholic
church, dating from 1846, was designed by AW Pugin, a leader
of the Gothic revival movement and one of the architects of
the Houses of Parliament. Financed by the Earl of Shrewbury,
the church has a breathtaking interior and boasts a 200ft
spire.
The Anglian
church, designed by J P Pritchard, was rebuilt in 1837 - 39,
incorporating fragments and furniture from the earlier 14th
century building.
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Cheadle
