Cheddleton is an ancient parish and village in the

Staffordshire Moorlands Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Peak District National Park. The ...

, near to the town of

Leek The leek is a vegetable, a cultivar of '' Allium ampeloprasum'', the broadleaf wild leek ( syn. ''Allium porrum''). The edible part of the plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk. The genus '' Al ...

, England. St Edwards Church, Cheddleton (geograph 4087242)

History

The village is divided into two distinct

communities A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, to ...

– the traditional village and the modern Redrow development located at St. Edward's Park, on the grounds of the old St. Edward's Psychiatric Hospital. This extensive site has been redeveloped and many of the old listed hospital buildings have been renovated, including the old hospital water tower, the highest building in the surrounding area, which now serves as an impressive private dwelling. The traditional village is served by one shop, three

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

s, a veterinary surgery, an

off licence Off or OFF may refer to: Art and entertainment *Off (video game), ''Off'' (video game), a video game by Mortis Ghost. *Sven Väth, German DJ and singer who uses the pseudonym OFF *Off (album), ''Off'' (album), by Ciwan Haco, 2006 *Off! (album), ' ...

and two churches: St Edward's (Anglican) and St Andrew's (Methodist). The modern development has limited amenities, although there is a

Latin American cuisine Latin American cuisine is the typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to many of the countries and cultures in Latin America. Latin America is a highly diverse area of land whose nations have varying cuisines. Some items typical o ...

restaurant situated on the canal side, nearby. The village hit the headlines in March 2006 when a fire at a house on Hillside Road killed four people. The cause of the fire was quickly established as arson and eight months later a local man called Mark Goldstraw was found guilty on four counts of murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum term of 35 years. The village is twinned with

Mitterteich Mitterteich (Northern Bavarian: ''Miederdeich'') is a municipality in the district of Tirschenreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 10 km northwest of Tirschenreuth, and 17 km southwest of Cheb. Notable people * Theobald Schrems ...

in Germany. The twinning association holds regular meetings and exchanges between the two villages. Ashcombe Park in Cheadle Road is a Grade II* listed stately house built by

James Trubshaw James Trubshaw (13 February 1777 – 28 October 1853) was an English builder, architect and civil engineer. The parish church of St Edward the Confessor is on Hollow Lane; it is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

. It was built from the 13th to 15th century.Church of St Edward the Confessor, Cheddleton
British Listed Buildings, accessed 27 July 2014. In the churchyard are buried Sir Thomas Wardle (1831–1909) and his wife

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

. Thomas Wardle owned a

dyeworks A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...

in Leek which specialised in silk. He was a friend of the architect George Gilbert Scott, Jr. and of the artist

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He w ...

: in the 1860s there were additions to the church by Scott, and stained-glass windows in the church were created by artists associated with William Morris. The cross in the churchyard is an

ancient monument In British law, an ancient monument is an early historical structure or monument (e.g. an archaeological site) worthy of preservation and study due to archaeological or heritage interest. The ''Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 ...

. The base is medieval; the upper part is by George Gilbert Scott Jr. and features

Instruments of the Passion Arma Christi ("weapons of Christ"), or the Instruments of the Passion, are the objects associated with the Passion of Jesus Christ in Christian symbolism and art. They are seen as arms in the sense of heraldry, and also as the weapons Christ ...

Cheddleton Flint Mill

Cheddleton Flint Mill Cheddleton Flint Mill is a water mill situated in the village of Cheddleton in the English county of Staffordshire. The mill race takes water from the river Churnet. The site is believed to have been used for milling since the Middle Ages. How ...

is a

Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

listed building, situated along the

Caldon Canal Caldon Canal is a branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal which opened in 1779. It runs from Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, to Froghall, Staffordshire. The canal has 17 locks and the Froghall Tunnel. History The first plans by the proprietors of the ...

. It is a prime example of

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands C ...

's industrial past – a flint grinding

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production ...

previously used for supplying the

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

industry further along the canal in

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

. It is open to the public free of charge, and has been preserved, with help from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

, by the Cheddleton Flint Mill Industrial Heritage Trust.

Cheddleton Carnival

Every year there is a

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival t ...

organised by the Cheddleton Carnival Committee on the second Saturday in August, held on the Ashcombe Park Cricket Club car park. The committee also organises other events in the village throughout the rest of the year, most notably the

Bonfire Night Bonfire Night is a name given to various annual celebrations characterised by bonfires and fireworks. The event celebrates different traditions on different dates, depending on the country. Some of the most popular instances include Guy Fawkes ...

fireworks display – held, again, in the car park, and the 'Duck Race', held annually at the Boat Inn and raced along the canal. The committee raises funds for

Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

and to date have raised over £750,000.

Schools

Cheddleton is served by St. Edward's CE (c) First School, close to St. Edward's Church and the local

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole c ...

. Children attend the school from the beginning of their education up to

Key Stage 2 Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when the pupils are aged between 7 and 11 years. England and Wales Legal definition The t ...

(

Reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another ...

class to

Year 4 Year 4 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is usually the fourth year of compulsory education and incorporates students aged between eight and nine however some kids wh ...

). The school has an additional nursery provision and before / after school clubs provided on-site by Early Stages Ltd who also run Teddy's Garden Day nursery from a converted hospital building on St Edwards Park. The old schoolhouse has been turned into a well established tea room, just down the road from St. Edward's. On the St Edward's site, the former isolation hospital has been restored and converted into a children's day nursery.

Transport

The

North Staffordshire Railway The North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire. The company was bas ...

opened its

Churnet Valley Railway The Churnet Valley Railway is a preserved standard gauge heritage railway in the Staffordshire Moorlands of Staffordshire, England. It operates on part of the former Churnet Valley Line.which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway. ...

on 1 September 1849, and opened a railway station at . Closed in 1963, today it is operated as part of a

preserved railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

Sports

Cheddleton is home to Leek RUFC, who play their home games at Post & Times Park on St. Edward's Park. Cheddleton is also home to Ashcombe Park Cricket Club, who play their home games at Ashcombe Park Cricket Ground at the south end of the village. The John Pointon Sports And Recreation Facility was opened at Windy Arbour, Cheddleton on the ground of the old Berresford Bus site. Cheddleton was also home to one of the best loved MotoX tracks in the UK, the steep, mostly natural sand track hosted numerous rounds of various local and national championships. Over the years many riders who have moved on to race at an international level have competed at Cheddleton including the son of

Ron Haslam Ronald Haslam (born 22 June 1956) is an English former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who had been racing for over thirty years, winning two World titles, four British championships and having ridden in almost 110 GPs. Haslam spends much of ...

, current World Superbike rider and former Moto GP rider

Leon Haslam Leon Lloyd Haslam (born 31 May 1983, in the London Borough of Ealing) is a motorcycle road racer based in Derbyshire, England. In February 2022, Haslam confirmed he would be racing in British Superbikes for Lee Hardy Racing on a Kawasaki ...

Notable people

* Charles Boucher, Anglican priest and first Archdeacon of Loughborough, was born and grew up in Cheddleton *Isaac Findler, a well known local artist in the 19th century * Ewen Henderson, ceramic artist born in Cheddleton *

Sybil Leek Sybil Leek (''née'' Fawcett; 22 February 1917 – 26 October 1982) was an English witch, astrologer, occult author and self-proclaimed psychic. She wrote many books on occult and esoteric subjects, and was dubbed "Britain's most famous witch ...

, grew up in Cheddleton at Victoria Cottages off Station Road and went on to become one of the most widely publicised witches of modern times writing a total of 60 books *Sir

Lee Pearson Sir David Lee Pearson (born 4 February 1974) is a 14-times Paralympic Games gold medallist, having represented British para-equestrianism in Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London, Rio, and Tokyo. Over the course of his career he has won 30 gold me ...

, a Paralympic horse riding champion who lives in the village. He won 10

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

gold medals A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

, and in 2004 was awarded

BBC Midlands BBC Midlands may refer to: *BBC East Midlands, the BBC English Region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland, headquartered in Nottingham *BBC West Midlands BBC Midlands (known as the Midland Region from 1927 until c. 1 ...

Sports Personality of the Year. *

Jessica Sylvester Jessica Aimee Sylvester (born 9 July 1987 in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire) is a British freestyle swimmer. Sylvester represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics United Kingdom, Great Britain, represented by the British Olym ...

, Olympic swimmer who represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics and grew up in Cheddleton *

Sampson Walker Sampson Walker (March 25, 1843 – March 7, 1933) was an English-born businessman and political figure in Manitoba. He represented Winnipeg North from 1903 to 1907 in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a Conservative. Born in Cheddleto ...

, born in Cheddleton, emigrated to Canada and founded the Walker Oil Company. He was a member of the Winnipeg city council in 1891 and a member of the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gen ...

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Staffordshire Staffordshire Moorlands Towns and villages of the Peak District