Congleton is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Cheshire East Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in Cheshire, England. The local authority is Cheshire East Council, which is based in the town of Sandbach. Other towns within the area include Crewe, Macclesfield, Congleton, Wilms ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, England. It is on the River Dane, south of

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

and north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 28,497 and the built-up area had a population of 30,005.

Toponymy

The town's name is of unknown origin. The first recorded reference to it was in 1282, when it was spelt ''Congelton''. The element ''Congle'' might relate to the old Norse ''kang'' meaning a bend, followed by the Old English element ''tun'' meaning settlement.

History

The first settlements in the Congleton area were

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

artefacts have been found in the town. Congleton was once thought to have been a Roman settlement, although there is no archaeological or documentary evidence to support this. Congleton became a

after

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

destroyed nearby Davenport. Godwin, Earl of Wessex held the town in the

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

period. The town is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, where it is listed as ''Cogeltone: Bigot de Loges''.

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

granted the whole of Cheshire to his nephew the Earl of Chester who constructed several fortifications including the town's castle in 1208. In the 13th century, Congleton belonged to the de Lacy family. Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln granted the Corporation of Congleton its first charter in 1272, enabling it to hold fairs and markets, elect a mayor and ale taster, have a merchant guild and behead known criminals. In 1451, the River Dane flooded, destroying a number of buildings, the town's mill and a wooden bridge. The river was diverted, and the town was rebuilt on higher ground. Congleton became known for bear-baiting and cockfighting in the 1620s, when they were popular sports. The town was unable to attract large crowds to its bear-baiting contests and lacked the money to pay for a new, more aggressive bear. A legend tells that Congleton spent the money they were going to spend on a bible on a bear; this legend is only partly true as only part of the fund to buy a new bible was used to buy a new bear. The legend earned Congleton the nickname Beartown. The chorus of 20th-century folk song "Congleton Bear", by folk artist John Tams, runs: :Congleton Rare, Congleton Rare :Sold the Bible to buy a bear. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, former mayor and lawyer John Bradshaw became president of the court which sent Charles I to his execution in 1649. His signature as

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

was the first on the king's death warrant. A plaque on Bradshaw House in Lawton Street commemorates him. Almost opposite the town hall, the White Lion public house bears a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

, placed by the Congleton Civic Society, which reads: "The White Lion, built 16–17th century. Said to have housed the attorney's office where John Bradshaw, regicide, served his articles." King

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

granted permission to build a mill. Congleton became an important centre of textile production, especially leather gloves and

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

. Congleton had an early

silk throwing Silk throwing is the industrial process wherein silk that has been reeled into skeins, is cleaned, receives a twist and is wound onto bobbins. The yarn is now twisted together with threads, in a process known as ''doubling''. Colloquially silk th ...

mill, the Old Mill built by John Clayton and Nathaniel Pattison in 1753. More mills followed, and cotton was also spun. The town's prosperity depended on

tariff A tariff or import tax is a duty (tax), duty imposed by a national Government, government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods ...

s imposed on imported silk. When tariffs were removed in the 1860s, the empty mills were converted to

fustian Fustian is a variety of heavy cloth woven from cotton, chiefly prepared for menswear. History and use Known in Late Latin as ''fustaneum'' or ''fustanum'' and in Medieval Latin as ''pannus fustāneus'' ('fustian cloth') or ''tela fustāne ...

cutting. A limited silk ribbon weaving industry survived into the 20th century, and woven labels were still produced in the 1990s. Many mills survive as industrial or residential units.Fustian Mills Talk
Lyndon Murgatroyd 2007 Congleton water tower

In 1881, in order to improve the water supply to the town, a pumping station was built on Forge Lane to draw water from the springs in Forge Wood and pump it up to a

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

at the top of the hill. The red and yellow brick water tower was designed by the engineer William Blackshaw. A second adjacent tower was constructed later. Congleton Town Hall was designed in the Gothic style by Edward William Godwin. It was completed in 1866. The current hospital in Congleton was opened by the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...

on 22 May 1924. In 1920, the Marie Hall home for boys was established in West House, an 18th-century house on West Road, as a branch of the National Children’s Home. It became an approved school in 1935 and was renamed Danesford School. It was converted into a Community Home with Education in 1973, run jointly by NCH and Cheshire County Council. Danesford has since closed, and the Grade II listed buildings have been converted for residential use. Congleton elected its first Lady Mayor in November 1945. During the celebration marking 700 years of Congleton's Charter in 1972 Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

and Prince Philip visited Congleton in May, this was the first visit by a reigning monarch since the visit of King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

and Queen Mary in 1913. In 1983 Princess Michael of Kent visited Congleton. Between 2008 and 2010 Congleton broke 3 world records. During the celebration marking 700 years of Mayoralty in Congleton in 2018 the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

and the

Duchess of Cornwall The Duchess of Cornwall is a title held by the wife of the heir apparent to the British throne. The Duchess of Cornwall is usually also the Princess of Wales, and she uses that title. The current title-holder is Catherine, Princess of Wales, Ca ...

visited the town. In 2019 the

serial rapist A serial rapist is someone who commits multiple rapes, whether with multiple victims or a single victim repeatedly over a period of time. Some serial rapists target children. The terms ''sexual predator'', ''repeat rape'' and ''multiple offending' ...

Joseph Mccann was arrested on a country lane in Congleton after a nationwide manhunt for him. In 2022 a celebration marked the 750th anniversary of Congleton's first charter. An ale taster was appointed as part of the celebrations. In 2023 part of the Congleton town centre was regenerated as part of the Congleton Market Quarter project. The regenerated part of Congleton town centre is named the "Congleton Market Quarter" and opened in November 2023. Another phase of expansion for the "Congleton Market Quarter" was announced in December 2024, and due for completion in March 2025. On 28 September 2024 Congleton appointed its first female town crier.

Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Congleton, at

(town) and

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

level: Congleton Town Council and

Cheshire East Council Cheshire East Council is the local authority for Cheshire East, a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs th ...

. The town council is based at Congleton Town Hall on High Street. The Congleton parliamentary constituency is a

county constituency In the United Kingdom (UK), each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one member to the House of Commons. Within the United Kingdom there are five bodies with members elected by electoral districts called " constituen ...

represented in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

. It includes the towns of Congleton,

Alsager Alsager ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located to the north-west of Stoke-on-Trent and east of Crewe. At the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 cen ...

Holmes Chapel Holmes Chapel is a village and civil parish in Cheshire, England, north of Crewe and south of Manchester; Swettenham Meadows Nature Reserve lies east of the village and Goostrey lies to the north. The population of the village was 6,700 a ...

, and

Sandbach Sandbach (pronounced ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire East borough of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements: Sandbach, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock, Cheshire, Wheelock. At the 2021 United Kingd ...

. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the

first-past-the-post First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or First-preference votes, first-preference, and the cand ...

system of election. The current MP is Sarah Russell of the Labour Party, the previous incumbent was Fiona Bruce of the Conservative Party.

Administrative history

Congleton was historically one of twelve townships within the

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Astbury Astbury is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Astbury, English swimmer * Ian Astbury, English rock singer * Jill Astbury, Australian researcher into violence against women *William Astbury William Thomas Astbury FRS ( ...

, and formed part of the Northwich hundred of Cheshire. From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the

poor laws The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief in England and Wales that developed out of the codification of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws in 1587–1598. The system continued until the modern welfare state emerged in the late 1940s. E ...

, in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Astbury, 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 Congleton became a

. The Congleton township was granted a

municipal charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally, the granting of a charter ...

making it a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

by Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln. The charter itself is not dated, but is generally assumed to have been issued in 1272, the same year that Lacy became Earl of Lincoln. The borough was reformed to become a

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

in 1836 under the

Municipal Corporations Act 1835 The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 ( 5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 76), sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales. The le ...

, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. In 1837, the government's boundary commissioners recommended that Buglawton should be brought within the borough boundaries, but their recommendations were not implemented. Buglawton was eventually absorbed into the borough in 1936. The municipal borough of Congleton was abolished in 1974. Its area became part of a larger Congleton borough which also covered nearby towns and surrounding rural areas. No successor parish was created for the area of the old municipal borough at the time of the 1974 reforms, but a new parish of Congleton was subsequently created in 1980, with its parish council taking the name Congleton Town Council. In 2009, Cheshire East Council was created, taking over the functions of the borough council and Cheshire County Council, which were both abolished.

Geography

Mossley is sometimes classed as the wealthier part of town. Hightown is located in Mossley. West Heath is an estate built in the early 1960s to the early 1980s. Lower Heath lies to the north of the town. There is also the town centre. Congleton is in the valley of the River Dane. South of the town lies an expanse of green space known locally as Priesty Fields which forms a green corridor right into the heart of the town – a rare feature in English towns. Folklore says that Priesty Fields gained its name as there was no priest performing services within the town. The nearest priest was based at the nearby village of

. It is told that the priest would walk along an ancient medieval pathway which ran between the fields at the Parish Church in Astbury and St Peter's Church in Congleton.

Economy

The principal industries in Congleton include the manufacture of airbags and

golf ball A golf ball is a ball designed to be used in golf. Under the rules of golf, a golf ball has a mass no more than , has a diameter not less than , and performs within specified velocity, distance, and symmetry limits. Like golf clubs, golf bal ...

s. There are light engineering factories near the town and sand extraction occurs on the

Cheshire Plain The Cheshire Plain is a relatively flat expanse of lowland within the county of Cheshire in North West England but extending south into Shropshire. It extends from the Mersey Valley in the north to the Shropshire Hills in the south, bounded by t ...

. One of the most prominent industries during the nineteenth century onwards was Berisfords Ribbons, established in 1858. It was founded by Charles Berisford and his brothers Francis and William. The brothers leased part of Victoria Mill, on Foundry Bank, owning the entire factory by 1872. By 1898, the company had offices in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, Manchester,

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

and

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. Congleton Market operates every Tuesday and Saturday from the Bridestones Centre. Until about 2000, Super Crystalate balls, made of crystalate, were manufactured by The Composition Billiard Ball Company in Congleton. The company was then sold by its owner to Saluc S.A., the Belgian manufacturer of Aramith Balls. The name Super Crystalate was retained, but the manufacturing process was integrated into the standard process used for Aramith balls.

Culture

The

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

Tudor house

Little Moreton Hall Little Moreton Hall, also known as Old Moreton Hall, is a moated timber framing, half-timbered manor house south-west of Congleton in Cheshire, England. The earliest parts of the house were built for the prosperous Cheshire landowner William ...

is south-west of the town. Congleton Park is located along the banks of the River Dane, just north-east of the town centre. Town Wood, on the northern edge of the park, is a Grade A Site of Biological Interest and contains many nationally important plants. Congleton Paddling Pool was built in the 1930s and is open in the summer months. Astbury Mere Country Park lies just to the south-west of the town centre, on the site of a former sand

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

. The lake is used for fishing and sailing and, despite its name, is actually in the West Heath area of Congleton, with the boundary between Congleton and Newbold Astbury parishes lying further to the south. The independently run 300 seat Daneside Theatre is on Park Road. The 400-seat Clonter Opera Theatre is based in the village of Swettenham Heath, north of Congleton. Founded in 1971, Congleton Choral Society is a mixed voice choir which regularly performs choral works at Congleton Town Hall and other venues around the town. Congleton Museum is on Market Square, in the centre of town. It was established in 2002 and is dedicated to Congleton's industrial history. It also contains an ancient log boat and gold and silver coin hoards. Congleton Tourist Information Centre is on the town's High Street. Congleton Park 2456

The town annually hosts a food and drink festival, which promotes locally sourced produce/cuisine, with a jazz and blues festival which showcases acts from across the UK. In 2019, Congleton held its first annual pride event. Congleton hosts two annual musical festivals, Congleton Jazz and Blues and Congleton Unplugged. The town once hosted the Congleton Carnival a one-day carnival which was hosted once every two years. In the past the carnival was regarded as one of the best local carnivals in England, and used to last for up to three days and feature floats and live music among another attractions. For six months in summer 2011 Congleton hosted an event called "Bearmania", in which over sixty 5-foot fibreglass sculptures where placed around the town. Over 26,000 people came to see the bears during "Bearmania".

Media

There is one weekly local newspaper: the locally owned and financed '' Congleton Chronicle''. The evening newspaper '' The Sentinel'', based in Stoke-on-Trent, also covers the town although less so than in the past. Local radio is broadcast from nearby Macclesfield-based

Silk Radio Cheshire's Silk Radio is an Independent Local Radio serving Macclesfield and parts of Cheshire East, East Cheshire, owned and operated by neighbouring station Dee 106.3, Chester's Dee Radio. It broadcasts a mix of current and classic hits alongs ...

, Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire and Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire from Stoke-on-Trent and BBC Radio Stoke. Community radio is provided by Moorlands Radio in

Leek A leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of ''Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek (synonym (taxonomy), syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of Leaf sheath, leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a "s ...

and Canalside Community Radio in Bollington. Local news and television programmes are provided by

BBC North West BBC North West is the BBC English Regions, BBC English Region serving Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, as well as parts of North Yorkshire (western Craven District, Craven), Derbyshire (western High Peak, Derbyshire, High ...

and

ITV Granada ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

. Television signals are received from the Winter Hill and the local relay transmitters. Congleton did have its own community radio station Beartown FM, but this has now closed. There is an internet-only radio station, Congleton Radio, which started broadcasting on 25 June 2022.

Sport

Rugby union

Congleton is home to the third oldest rugby union club in the country, dating back to 1860. Currently fielding a mini and junior section and three adult sides, the club held the world record for the longest continuous game of rugby ever played, at 24 hours, 30 minutes and 6 seconds. The club has also pioneered the development of 'walking rugby' for more senior players and has re-established a ladies' team, having previously had two of its women players represent England.

Football

The local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team, Congleton Town F.C., known as the Bears, play in the Northern Premier League First Division West. Their ground is at Booth Street.

Tennis

Congleton Tennis Club, one of the oldest in the country (founded in 1890), have occupied the same grounds throughout their history. The club has nine courts: six all-weather courts and three with artificial grass. Four of the courts are floodlit.

Basketball

Congleton Grizzlies Basketball Club is the town's basketball team.

Other sports

There are two cricket clubs, Congleton CC and Mossley CC. There are two golf clubs in the town—the nine-hole Congleton Golf Club, and the 18-hole parkland course at Astbury. Congleton Harriers running club meets weekly at Congleton Leisure Centre. The club organises the Congleton Half Marathon. A weekly 5K parkrun takes place at Astbury Mere Country Park.

Transport

Railway

Congleton railway station was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway on 9 October 1848. It is situated on the Stafford-Manchester spur of the

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...

. There is generally an hourly stopping service between

Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Piccadilly is the main railway station of the city of Manchester, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. Opened originally as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchest ...

and

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...

, and rail replacement bus services on Sundays (every 2 to 3 hours), with trains operated by

Northern Trains Northern Trains, Trade name, trading as Northern, is a British train operating company that operates Commuter rail, commuter and Inter-city rail, medium-distance intercity services in the North of England. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Dep ...

. The Biddulph Valley line used to terminate in the town. The railway ran from Stoke-on-Trent to Brunswick Wharf, in the suburb of Buglawton. Passenger services ended in 1927, with freight services continuing until 1968 when the line was closed.

Buses

Congleton is served by seven bus routes, operated by D&G Bus; there are no services on Sundays. Destinations include

Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...

and Newcastle.

Roads

Congleton is east of the

M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 motorway, M1 and the western end of t ...

, connected by the A534. It is on the A34 trunk road between Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester, and the A54 to

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

and the

Peak District The Peak District is an Highland, upland area in central-northern England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It is subdivi ...

. The A536 links the town with Macclesfield, with the A527 linking the town to

Biddulph Biddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, north of Stoke-on-Trent and south-east of Congleton, Cheshire. Origin of the name Biddulph's name may come from Old English language, Anglo-Saxon/Old English ''bī dylfe'' = "beside the pit or q ...

and providing an alternative route to Stoke-on-Trent.

Waterways

The Macclesfield Canal, completed in 1831, passes through the town. It runs from Marple Junction at Marple, where it joins the Upper Peak Forest Canal, southwards (through Bollington and

), before arriving at Bosley. Having descended the 12 Bosley Locks over the course of about a mile (1.6 km), the canal continues through Congleton to a junction with the Hall Green Branch of the Trent & Mersey Canal at Hall Green. The canal is renowned for its elegant roving bridges. Congleton is one of few places in Britain where a road, canal and railway all cross each other at the same place.

Air

The nearest airport to the town is

Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2024, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passengers (the busiest outside of London) ...

, away.

Public services

Policing in Congleton is provided by

Cheshire Constabulary Cheshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Cheshire in North West England, comprising the unitary authority, unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Borough of ...

. The main police station is on Market Square. Statutory emergency fire and rescue service is provided by the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service. Congleton Fire Station is on West Road, near the centre of town. Congleton has a small Non-Accident and Emergency hospital, Congleton War Memorial Hospital, which was built by public subscription in 1924. The town is also served by Leighton Hospital in

, Macclesfield District General Hospital and the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in

Religion

The four

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

churches in Congleton (forming a partnership in the All Saints Congleton parish) are: * St John's * St Stephen's * St Peter's * Trinity Congleton Town Council lists eleven other places of worship in the town: * Congleton Community

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Church * Brookhouse Green

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Church * New Life Church * Congleton

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

Church * Rood Lane Methodist Church * Congleton Spiritualist Church * St James' Anglican Church * St Mary's Roman Catholic Church * Trinity Methodist Church * Congleton United Reformed Church * Wellspring Methodist Church *

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(Mormons) Historically, Congleton has seen a wide range of Christian church denominations. * The Friends' Meeting House closed in 1741. * The Wesleyan Methodist Trinity Chapel, in Wagg Street, was founded in 1766 and was rebuilt in 1808 and again in 1967; the Primitive Methodist Chapel was built in 1821 on Lawton Street, and rebuilt in 1890 on Kinsey Street; the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion Methodist chapel was founded in 1822; the Congleton Edge Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was built in 1833 and rebuilt in 1889; the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Brook Street was built in 1834; the New Connexion Methodist Chapel in Queen Street was built in 1836 and closed in 1969; the Primitive Methodist Chapel in Biddulph Road was built in 1840; the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Rood Lane was founded in 1861 and rebuilt in 1886. * The Unitarian Chapel in Cross Street was founded in 1687 near the Dane Bridge and in 1733 moved to Cross Street, with the present building constructed in 1883 and closed in 1978. * The United Reformed Church (

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

/ Congregationalist) was built in 1790 on Mill Street, and then rebuilt in 1876 on Antrobus Street.

Education

Primary schools

*Astbury St Mary's C of E School *Black Firs Primary School *Buglawton Primary School *Daven Primary School *Havannah Primary School *Marlfields Primary Academy *Mossley CE Primary School *St Mary's Catholic Primary School *The Quinta Primary School

High and secondary schools

* Congleton High School * Eaton Bank Academy

Special and alternative schools

*Aidenswood School *Esland Daven School

Notable people

Public service and commerce

* Saint Margaret Ward (ca.1550 – 1588), the "pearl of Tyburn", English Catholic martyr executed during the reign of Elizabeth I for assisting a priest to escape from prison * John Bradshaw (1602–1659), judge, sat as President of the

High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal (England and Wales), Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cour ...

for the trial of King Charles I, Mayor of Congleton 1637–1638 * John Whitehurst (1713–1788), clockmaker and scientist, member of the

Lunar Society The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a British dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophy, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly b ...

* Sir John Parnell, 2nd Baronet (1744–1801), Anglo-Irish Member of Parliament, his family originally migrated to Ireland from Congleton * Robert Hodgson (1773–1844), priest, Dean of Carlisle * Sir Thomas Reade (1782–1849), British Army Officer and Napoleon's Jailer. * Gibbs Antrobus (1793–1861), diplomat and politician, long-established family in Congleton * Hewett Watson (1804–1881), phrenologist, botanist and evolutionary theorist * William Newton (1822–1876), trade unionist, journalist and Chartist *

Dennis Bradwell Dennis Bradwell (18281897), was a British businessman who was mayor of Congleton in the 1870s. He owned silk mills in Cheshire and Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremon ...

(1828–1897), silk mill owner and Mayor of Congleton 1875–1878. * Elizabeth Wolstenholme (1833–1918), suffragist, essayist and poet * Gerald Harrison (1883–1943), Royal Navy Rear-Admiral and cricketer * Theodora Turner (1907–1999), born in Congleton, nurse and hospital matron. * Frank Kearton, Baron Kearton (1911–1992), life peer, scientist and industrialist * George Harold Eardley(1912–1991), received the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

in 1944 * John Blundell (1952–2014), Director General at the Institute of Economic Affairs * Dawn Gibbins (1961–2022) entrepreneur, started flooring company Flowcrete in

with her father. * Sarah Alison Russell (born ca.1980) MP for Congleton constituency since 5 July 2024.

Arts

* Alan Garner (born 1934), novelist best known for his children's fantasy novels * Louise Plowright (1956–2016), actress * Emma Bossons (born 1976 in Congleton), ceramic artist and designer for Moorcroft Pottery * Jackie Oates (born 1983 in Congleton), folk singer and fiddle player

Sports

* Tommy Clare (1865–1929), international footballer (right-back) and football manager * George Clawley (1875–1920), football goalkeeper who played 331 games for Southampton F.C. & Spurs * William Yates (1880–1967), racewalker, competed at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

* Hugh Moffat (1885–1952), footballer, played 201 games for

Burnley F.C. Burnley Football Club () is a professional football club based in Burnley, Lancashire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1882, Burnley were one of the first to be ...

and 162 for Oldham Athletic F.C. * Ann Packer (born 1942) and Robbie Brightwell (1939–2022), husband-and-wife Olympic gold medal athletes at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

. She lives locally. * Ian Brightwell (born 1968), former

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

footballer with 464 club caps; grew up in Congleton * Paul Ware (1970–2013), footballer who played 233 games including 155 for Stoke City F.C. * Laura MacLeod (born 1977), cricketer, appeared in 13

Women's Test cricket Women's Test cricket is the longest format of women's cricket and is the female equivalent to men's Test cricket. Matches comprise four-innings and are held over a maximum of four days between two of the leading cricketing nations. The rules gov ...

matches * John Gimson (born 1983), sailor, silver medallist at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, lives in Congleton. * Amy Rodgers (born 2000), football player for Bristol City WFC and Scotland, started her career at Vale Juniors Congleton.

Twin towns – sister cities

Congleton is twinned with: *

Trappes Trappes () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines departments of France, department, Île-de-France Regions of France, region, Northern France. It is a banlieue located in the western outer suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre zero, c ...

, France, since 16 September 1962

Aldermen/Alderwomen and Freeman

The following is a list of people who have been either an Alderman/Alderwoman or Freeman of Congleton, and when the title was bestowed.

Freedom of Congleton

The following is a list of people who have had freedom of Congleton and when the freedom was bestowed. *S. Maskery (Freedom of the Borough of Congleton early 1900s) *W.L. Fern (Freedom of the Borough of Congleton 14 May 1934) *W. I. Fern (Freedom of the Borough of Congleton 14 May 1934) *Frank Dale (Freedom of the Borough of Congleton October 1953) *Harry Williams (Freedom of the Borough of Congleton October 1953)

Awards

The following is a list of awards the town of Congleton has won and the year the awards were won. *World Record: Smallest Cow (???) *Civic Pride Award (1997) *Civic Pride Competition (1999) *Civic Pride Competition (2001) *Community Pride (2006) *Community Pride (2007) *World Record: Biggest Maypole Dance (21 May 2008) *World Record: Most Frisbees Thrown At The Same Time *Little Gem (2011) *Community Pride (2011) *Community Pride (2012) *Best Kept Village (2018) *Best Kept Village Overall Winner (2018)

Gallery

File:Dane-in-Shaw bluebells.jpg, Bluebells at Dane-in-Shaw Brook SSI File:Astbury Mere entrance.jpg, Astbury Mere File:Daneside Theatre.jpg, Daneside Theatre in March 2022

Notes

References

Sources

External links

Congleton Town Council website
*
Congleton Museum
– local history museum and education resource {{authority control Civil parishes in Cheshire Towns in Cheshire