Macclesfield, Cheshire - 108 Steps - postcard 1977

Postcard
• Picture / Image:  108 Steps, Macclesfield, Cheshire
• Publisher:  District View Publishing Co.
• Postally used:  yes
• Stamp:  7p maroon Machin
• Postmark(s):  Macclesfield 8 July 1977 wavy line
• Sent to:  Folkestone, Kent
• Notes / condition: 

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, and the county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2011 census was 51,739. A person from Macclesfield is sometimes referred to as a ""Maxonian"".^[1] Macclesfield, like many other areas in Cheshire, is considered to be a relatively affluent town.^[2]

Situated in the ancient Hundred of Hamestan,^[3] the Domesday Book records the town as ""Maclesfeld"" and in 1183 it was referred to as ""Makeslesfeld"".^[4] The English Place-Name Society gives its name as being derived from the Old English name, Maccel and field meaning `Maccels' open country'.^[5]

Although ""Silk Town"" seems to be its preferred nickname Macclesfield's traditional nickname is ""Treacle Town"" — supposedly from an incident when a load of treacle was spilt on Hibel Road, and the poor scooped it off the cobbles. However, this term is more widely associated with Nuneaton. Another reason was that the mill-owners provided barrels of treacle for unemployed weavers.^{[citation needed]}

Macclesfield was granted a borough charter by Earl Ranulf III of Chester, in the early 13th century, and a second charter was granted by the future King Edward I, in 1261. The parish church of All Saints was built in 1278, an extension of a chapel built in approximately 1220.^[6]

The borough had a weekly market and two annual fairs: the Barnaby fair, was on St Barnabas day (11 June), the other on the feast of All Saints (1 November).

Macclesfield was the administrative centre of the Hundred of Macclesfield, which occupied most of east Cheshire.^[3][7] The Earl of Chester's manor of Macclesfield was very large, and its boundary extended to Disley. The manor house was situated on the edge of the deer park, on the west of the town.

The Earls of Chester established the Forest of Macclesfield which was much larger than its present-day namesake. It was used for hunting deer and pasturing sheep and cattle. By the end of the 13th century, large areas of the forest had been ploughed because of the pressure of population growth. In 1356, two trees from the forest were given to archer William Jauderell to repair his home.

Macclesfield Castle was a fortified town house built by the dukes of Buckingham in the later Middle Ages.

In the uprising of 1645, Charles Stuart and his army marched through Macclesfield as they attempted to reach London. The mayor was forced to welcome the prince, and the event is commemorated in one of the town's silk tapestries.^[8]

Macclesfield was once the world's biggest producer of finished silk. There were 71 silk mills operating in 1832. Paradise Mill is a working mill museum which demonstrates the art of silk throwing and Jacquard weaving to the public.^[9] The four Macclesfield Silk Museums display a range of information and products from that period.

Macclesfield is the original home of Hovis breadmakers, produced in Publicity Works Mill (commonly referred to as ""the Hovis Mill"") on the canal close to Buxton Road. It was founded by a Macclesfield businessman and a baker from Stoke-on-Trent. Hovis is said to derive from the Latin ""homo-vitalis"" (strength for man) as a way of providing a cheap and nutritious food for poor mill workers and was a very dry and dense wholemeal loaf completely different from the modern version.

Between 1826 and 1831 the Macclesfield Canal was constructed,^[10] linking Macclesfield to Marple to the north and Kidsgrove to the south. The canal was built by the engineer Thomas Telford, but was completed as much of the coal and other potential cargo was increasingly being transported by rail.

Waters Green was once home to a nationally known horse market which features in the legend of the Wizard of Alderley Edge. Waters Green and an area opposite Arighi Bianchi, now hidden under the Silk Road, held a sheep and cattle market until the 1980s.

Macclesfield is said to be the only mill town left unbombed in World War II.^[11]

Macclesfield was first represented in Parliament after the Reform Act of 1832, since when it has had two members of Parliament. This situation lasted until 1880, when after problems at the general election that year it was decided to declare the election void and suspend the writ of election (so no by-election could take place).

In September 1880 a Royal Commission was appointed to investigate further. A report of March 1881 confirmed the allegations of corruption. As a result the borough constituency was disenfranchised for corruption. The disenfranchisement took effect on 25 June 1885, when the town was transferred to the East Cheshire constituency.

However under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 the Macclesfield constituency was recreated with extended boundaries, as a county division, later in 1885. From the 1885 general election it has elected one MP. Macclesfield has for some time been considered to be a safe seat for the Conservative Party, having been held by it since the 1918 general election.

Currently, Macclesfield is represented by Gravesend-born Dave Rutley, a Conservative and practicing Mormon.^[12][13] He was selected for this seat in 2010, when Sir Nicholas Winterton, who had been the incumbent for 38 years, announced his retirement following unfavourable press coverage relating to the claiming of Parliamentary expenses. Sir Nicholas' wife, Anne Winterton, held the neighbouring seat of Congleton.^[14]

Macclesfield is located in the east of Cheshire, on the River Bollin, a tributary of the River Mersey. It is close to the county borders of Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east and Staffordshire to the south. It is near the towns of Stockport to the north, Buxton to the east, and Congleton to the south. It is 38 miles (60 km) to the east of Chester, the county town of Cheshire. To the west of the town lies the Cheshire Plain and to the east lie the hills of the Peak District.

The town is famous for its once thriving silk industry, commemorated in the Silk Museum.

Barracks Square was the home of the Cheshire Militia from 1859. It is now a Grade 2 listed residential area.

Macclesfield is also home to a Pugin designed church, St Alban's on Chester road.

Macclesfield is the home to furniture store Arighi Bianchi, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca, and The King's School, Macclesfield, which dates from the 16th century. The fine Georgian Town Hall was designed by Francis Goodwin in 1823. Present day industries include pharmaceuticals, textiles, light engineering, paper and plastics.

Macclesfield is also home to significant digital business, particularly in the video game space. Chillingo (acquired by Electronic Arts), Spare Room and Envirofone all call Macclesfield home, and the town has been a hub previously with the now all but defunct US companies Mforma (which was renamed Hands-On Mobile and I-Play (acquired by Oberon Media) both having had large studio operations in town.

The digital economy was bought to the forefront in 2012 when Chris Garrett founded Digital Edge, a monthly meetup for digital creatives in the area, held in the Abstraktion studio on George St. The group boasts a membership in excess of 200 and continues to grow in strength.

type=printed postcards

theme=topographical: british

sub-theme=england

county/ country=cheshire

number of items=single

period=1945 - present

postage condition=posted