Alderley Edge

Alderley Edge
St Philip's Church, Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge Location within Cheshire
Population	4,780
OS grid reference	SJ843785
Civil parish	Alderley Edge[1]
Unitary authority	Cheshire East
Ceremonial county	Cheshire
Region	North West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ALDERLEY EDGE
Postcode district	SK9
Dialling code	01625
Police	Cheshire
Fire	Cheshire
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Tatton
List of places UK England Cheshire 53°18′11″N 2°14′10″W / 53.303°N 2.236°W / 53.303; -2.236

Alderley Edge is a village and civil parish in Cheshire, England. In 2011, it had a population of 4,780.

Alderley Edge is 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Macclesfield and 12 miles (19 km) south of Manchester, at the base of a steep wooded sandstone escarpment, The Edge, which overlooks the Cheshire Plain.

Alderley Edge is known for its affluence and expensive houses, falling inside Cheshire's Golden Triangle.^[2][3] Alderley Edge has a selection of cafes and designer shops and has attracted numerous Premier League footballers, actors and businesspeople.^[4] It is one of the most expensive and sought-after places to live in the UK outside London.^[3]

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The Alderley Edge area shows signs of occupation since the Mesolithic period, with flint tools found along its sandstone outcrop. Evidence of Bronze Age copper mining has been identified to the south of the area. In 1995, the Derbyshire Caving Club uncovered a Roman coin hoard of 564 coins (dated AD 317–336), now housed in the Manchester Museum).^[5] There are 13 recorded sites in Alderley Edge, 28 in Nether Alderley, and 44 along the Edge in the County Sites and Monuments Record.

Early medieval settlements were documented in Nether Alderley, to the south of Alderley Edge. The first written record of Alderley Edge, then called Chorlegh (later spelt Chorley) dates back to the 13th century, likely derived from ceorl^[6] and lēah,^[7] meaning a "peasants' clearing". Although not in the Domesday Book, it appears in a c.1280 charter. The name Alderley, first recorded in 1086 as Aldredelie, likely derives from Aldred and leah meaning "Aldred's clearing" or from Old English language Alðrȳðelēah meaning "the meadow or woodland clearing of a woman called Alðrȳð".

In the 13th century and Middle Ages, the area comprised multiple estates, mostly owned by the De Trafford baronets from the 15th century. The main manors were Chorley Old Hall, a 14th-century structure, and Nether Alderley's Old Hall, a 16th-century building destroyed by fire in 1779. Agriculture dominated the local economy, with Nether Alderley granted a market charter around 1253. Nether Alderley Mill dating back to 1391, although the present timber structure is 16th-century. The millpond was adapted to form the moat, which surrounded the Old Hall, the home of the Stanley family. The corn mill continued to work until 1939 when Edward Stanley, 6th Baron Stanley of Alderley, was compelled to sell it, along with the rest of the Alderley Park estate, to meet the cost of death duties. In the 1950s the National Trust bought the site, restored the building and opened it to the public.

Cheshire had its own system of taxes in the mediaeval period, the Mize; in the records for 1405, Chorley was assessed at 20s 0d and Nether Alderley at 27s 0d.

In 1830, Chorley comprised a few cottages, the De Trafford Arms Inn, a toll bar, and a smithy scattered along the Congleton to Manchester Road. The arrival of the railway in 1842, with the Stockport to Crewe section of the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, transformed the area. The Manchester and Birmingham Railway Company offered free 20-year season tickets to Manchester businessmen who built homes worth over £50 within a mile of the station. These tickets, small silver ovals worn on watch chains, encouraged development.

The railway also led to Alderley Edge adopting its current name. To avoid confusion with Chorley in Lancashire, the railway renamed the station Alderley Edge in 1880, despite local opposition, combining the village's old name and the nearby sandstone escarpment. The name Chorley, Macclesfield, remains for the civil parish to the northwest of Alderley Edge.

After the railway's construction, Sir Humphrey de Trafford, owner of Chorley Hall, developed an estate with new roads and houses, most completed by 1910. Nine of these are now Grade II listed. The railway also boosted Alderley’s popularity, with the company promoting day trips and excursions to the village.

During this period, several landmark buildings were established. St Philip's Church, with its 175 ft (53 m) spire, was built in 1853, followed by Alderley Edge Community Primary School in 1854.^[8] Two all-girls schools were opened, St Hilary's in 1876 and Mount Carmel in 1945, which then merged in 1999 to form Alderley Edge School for Girls. The Ryleys School for boys opened in 1877. The Mission Hall (later The Institute), built in 1878 as a temperance hall for the "lower classes" by the wealthier residents, and the Methodist Church on Chapel Road, built in 1863, also emerged during this time.

Alderley Edge's population grew from 561 in 1841 to 2,856 by 1902, while Nether Alderley's dropped from 679 to 522.

The First Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1871 shows Chorley (as Alderley Edge was then known) with the new Queen's Hotel by the station, shops, terraced houses along London Road, and a Post Office at the junction of Macclesfield and Alderley Roads. To the north were wooded areas with detached villas, while to the east, curving roads divided large wooded plots, some still undeveloped. The names "Brickfield" and "Brick Kiln" to the northeast suggest a local brick source. The 1899 map shows a similar layout but details individual villas like Holybank, Ashfield, and The Larches, along with remnants of old mines near Windmill Wood to the southeast.

In the 20th century, Alderley Edge expanded with post-war housing on its northeastern and western edges, while Nether Alderley remained largely unchanged, aside from the sale of Alderley Park to AstraZeneca. The park is now managed by Bruntwood and houses 150 science companies and commercial, residential, and retail spaces.

In 1990s, several gold bars were found in Alderley, the first on Artists Lane.^[9] An inquest was held in February 1993 and it was declared not to be a treasure trove. John Cherry from the British Museum along with Adrian Tindall, the conservation officer for Cheshire County Council reported that the bar weighed 97.01 grams and was 73% gold. The publicity caused the public to search for more and five more gold bars were found.^{[citation needed]}

At the local government level, Alderley Edge is an electoral ward in Cheshire East,^[10] represented by one councillor on Cheshire East Council.^[11] Alderley Edge is also a civil parish with a parish council.

Historically, the area was part of the Chorley township of the ancient parish of Wilmslow in the Macclesfield hundred, Cheshire. Under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1866, Chorley became a civil parish in its own right and in 1894 Alderley Edge civil parish was created from part of Chorley civil parish. From 1894 to 1974, Alderley Edge and Bollinfee formed Alderley Edge Urban District. Then, from 1974 to 2009, it was in the non-metropolitan district of Macclesfield, after which both the district and Cheshire County Council were abolished.

The civil parish was expanded several times: gaining parts of Chorley, Nether Alderley in 1910 and additional land from Chorley, Wilmslow civil parish and Bollinfee in 1936.^[12]

Coat of arms of Alderley Edge Parish Council

Notes Granted 5 September 1974 Crest On a wreath of the colours upon a Red Sandstone Cliff Proper a griffin segreant Gules holding in the dexter forefoot a cresset Sable enflamed Proper.[13] Motto In Praecipiti Stantem (Steadfast At The Edge) Badge A Stag's Head caboshed Or between the attires a Cresset issuant Sable enflamed proper.

At the 2001 UK census, the ward had a possible workforce of approximately 2,157 people. The economic activity of residents in the Alderley Edge electoral ward was 36.9% in full-time employment, 10.2% in part-time employment, 29.3% self-employed, 1.7% unemployed, 1.4% students with jobs, 3.5% students without jobs, 19.3% retired, 7.5% looking after home or family, 2.8% permanently sick or disabled and 2.0% economically inactive for other reasons.

Alderley Edge has a very high rate of self-employment (29.3%) compared with rest of the Macclesfield borough (22.7%) and England (16.6%). It also has low rates of unemployment (1.7%) compared with the rest of the Macclesfield borough (2.0%) and England (3.3%).^[14] The Office for National Statistics estimated that, during the period of April 2001 to March 2002, the average gross weekly income of households in Alderley Edge was £720 (£37,440 per year).^[15]

The Edge is a wide red sandstone escarpment situated above the village of Alderley. An edge is used as a descriptive term for high land in Cheshire and adjacent counties. The Edge rises gradually from Macclesfield until, at a distance of 7 or 8 kilometres, it terminates abruptly, having reached a height of nearly 215 metres above sea level and 110 metres above the Cheshire Plain below it.

It was formed by weathering of resistant sandstone over layers and faulting. The northern side, shaped like a horse shoe or hough, gives its name to The Hough, a hamlet of scattered houses descending towards Alderley village.

Owned by the National Trust, it is a public access wooded area attracting 300,000 visitors annually from Manchester and the nearby towns of Wilmslow and Macclesfield.^[16] It features a car park, toilet facilities, and is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its unique geology.^[17][18] The woodland contains remnants of the old Alderley Edge Mines.

The Edge offers views across Cheshire and the Peak District. The Cheshire Plain is visible, stretching from Macclesfield Forest in the southeast towards the Derbyshire peaks in the east, and north to Manchester and the Blackstone Edge in Yorkshire.

Hundreds of Scots pines were planted on the Edges by Sir James and Sir Edward Stanley, between 1745 and 1755. Before trees were planted, the Edge provided a full 360° panorama. Today, views are limited to the northerly and easterly directions. Trees obscure views of landmarks like the Wrekin in Shropshire; The Cloud near Bosley, Mow Cop and the mountains of North Wales.

The Edge has a long history of copper mining, with activity dating back to the Bronze Age and Roman times. Mining continued from the 1690s to the 1920s. The National Trust now owns many of the mines, leasing them to the Derbyshire Caving Club, which maintains access and explores long-sealed areas.

Since the 1860s, the mines have attracted thousands of visitors. However, between 1940 and 1960, many were unprepared, leading to accidents that gave the mines a lasting notoriety. The West and Wood Mines were blocked in the early 1960s, but in 1969 the Derbyshire Caving Club reopened Wood Mine with the National Trust's permission. Since then, supervised group visits and excavations have uncovered much of interest.

There are many historic buildings including Chorley Old Hall, which is the oldest surviving manor house in Cheshire.

To the south of the village is the Alderley Park estate, former ancestral home of the Stanleys.

The village is notable for its Victorian villas. The first villa was constructed in the early 1840s and by 1850 thirty "handsome residences" had been erected, mainly by the cotton barons from Manchester who moved out of the city as the railway was built. The buildings are varied in style with examples of mock Tudor, Italian, neo-Georgian and Arts and Crafts Movement designs. The wide range of materials used reflects this somewhat eclectic mix of styles, and includes stone, brick, smooth render or roughcast for the walls, and Welsh slate or clay tiles for the roofs.

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Legend tells of a Mobberley farmer leading a milk-white mare to market in Macclesfield. Along the Edge, at a spot called "Thieves Hole," an old man in grey stopped him and offered to buy the horse. The farmer declined, confident of a better price at market. The old man predicted he’d return that evening, unsold, to the same spot.

Failing to sell the horse, the farmer retraced his steps. The old man reappeared and repeated his offer, which was now accepted. Leading the farmer to a spot near Stormy Point, the old man waved a wand, uttered a spell, and revealed iron gates in the rock. Inside was a cavern filled with sleeping men and white horses. The old man, a wizard, paid the farmer from a chest and explained the sleepers would rise if England faced peril. He then sent the astonished farmer home.

Several versions of the legend exist. It first appeared in print in 1805 when a letter from "A Perambulator" was published in the Manchester Mail.^[19] The author claimed the story came from an old servant of the Stanley family and was often told by Parson Shrigley, Clerk and Curate of Alderley (1753–1776).

The tale later appeared in a tourist pamphlet as The Cheshire Enchanter (prose) and The Legend of the Iron Gates (verse).^[20] Some versions include prophecies attributed to Robert Nixon, with the wizard foretelling that the sleeping men and horses would awaken to save the country during George the son of George’s reign.^[21] Later adaptations, such as James Roscoe's poem, suggest the wizard was Merlin and the sleepers were King Arthur’s army.^[22]

There are a number of similar British legends which closely resemble the Alderley one, though since they are all founded in oral tradition it is not possible to know which came first. A very similar one was made into a ballad called Sir Guy the Seeker by Matthew 'Monk' Lewis,^[23] and is based on a legend of Dunstanburgh Castle. In his preface to Sir Guy the Seeker Lewis pointed out the similarity to the Alderley legend.

Alan Garner used the legend of The Wizard of the Edge, and other local legends, in his novels The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath. Garner, born in Congleton, was raised in Alderley Edge.

After several decades of discussion, a 5 km, north-to-south A34 Alderley Edge bypass was constructed (officially named Melrose Way^[24]) to the west of Alderley Edge to relieve the congestion in the village. It starts at the Harden roundabout at the end of the Wilmslow bypass and goes west of Alderley Edge, and rejoins the A34 close to the entrance of Alderley Park.

The £56 million project was carried out by Birse Civils and was officially opened by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and MP for Alderley Edge, George Osborne, on 19 November 2010.^[25]

Alderley Edge railway station is situated on the Crewe to Manchester line, which is a spur of the West Coast Main Line. There are generally two trains per hour to Crewe, two to Manchester Piccadilly via Stockport and one to Manchester Piccadilly via Manchester Airport; on Sundays, there is an hourly service each way between Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly, via Stockport.

The station is managed by Northern, who also operate all services that stop here.^[26]

Alderley Edge is served by the 130 bus route, which is operated by D&G Bus; it runs hourly during the daytime (except Sundays) between Macclesfield, Wilmslow and Manchester Airport.^[27][28]

Alderley Edge has been used as a major setting in various books and television shows:

• It was the main setting of the Channel 4 show Goldplated
• The location inspired Peter Graham to compose "On Alderley Edge", a commission for the Black Dyke Band.
• It was the main setting of the MTV show Living on the Edge^[29]
• The Edge and the country south of it was the setting for Alan Garner's novels The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Moon of Gomrath.
• The village has been featured in the ITVBe show The Real Housewives of Cheshire.^[30]

After the death of their father in 1870, George Gissing and his two younger brothers were sent to Lindow Grove, a Quaker boarding school in Alderley Edge, whose headmaster James Wood was often parodied by the novelist.^[31]

The Pilkington family (of Pilkington's Glass) owned all of the woodland now known as The Edge until 1948, when their daughters donated the land to the National Trust. The Pilkington company developed the toughened safety glass necessary when motor cars and very tall buildings became popular. They became hugely wealthy. On Woodbrook Road they built The Cedars as the family home, which has a distinctive large tower and is built from white stone. The house is now sub-divided into four luxury dwellings.^{[citation needed]} The architect and furniture designer J. Henry Sellers (1861–1954) spent the latter part of his life at Bollin Tower.^[32]

The author Alan Garner, who wrote the children's fantasy novel The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, which is set on Alderley Edge, lived on Trafford Road at the corner with Stevens Street and Moss Lane.^{[33][page needed]}

Former footballers who live in Alderley Edge include Joleon Lescott and Manchester United players Dwight Yorke, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, and Andy Cole.^[34] David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham previously resided in Alderley Edge.^[3][35][36] A number of Coronation Street actors, including Helen Flanagan and Richard Fleeshman, live in the village, as do musicians Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook.^{[citation needed]} The singer-songwriter Matty Healy spent his formative years in Alderley Edge together with actor parents Denise Welch and Tim Healy.^[37]

• Listed buildings in Alderley Edge
• Geology of Alderley Edge
• Macclesfield group power stations

• Anon, 1696. Concerning Rioting at Copper Mines in Over Alderley. Abstracts of Knutsford Quarter Session Records. pp. 195–197
• Anon, 1808. Indenture between (1) Ashton, (2) Bury and Dodge and (3) Jarrold. AELP Archive
• Anon, 1911. Alderley Edge Copper Mines – work commenced. Alderley and Wilmslow Advertiser, 17 February 1911
• Bakewell, R., 1811. Account of a Cobalt Mine in Cheshire. Monthly Magazine No. 209 Vol. 31. pp. 7–9
• Bentley Smith, D., 2005. A Georgian Gent & Co. – The Life and Times of Charles Roe. Ashbourne: Landmark Publishing ISBN 1-84306-175-9
• Boyd Dawkins, W., 1876. On the Stone Mining Tools from Alderley Edge. Jour. Anthro. Inst. GB and Ireland. 5, pp. 3–5
• Broadhurst, F. M. et al., 1970. The Area Around Manchester: Geologists Association Guide No 7
• Carlon, Chris J., 1979. The Alderley Edge Mines, Altrincham: John Sherratt and Son Ltd. ISBN 0-85427-053-1
• Carlon, Chris J. and Dibben, Nigel J., 2012. The Alderley Edge Mines, Nantwich: Nigel Dibben ISBN 978-1-78280-015-6
• Cheshire County Council Records Office
• Garner, A., Prag, J., Housley, R., 1994. The Alderley Edge Shovel, An Epic in three Acts. Current Archaeology. (137) pp. 172–175
• Jones, W. F., 1961. "The Copper Mines of Alderley Edge". Privately Published (copy in Manchester Central Library)
• Rail in Cheshire: Documents in the National Railway Museum York, United Kingdom
• Roeder C., 1902. Prehistoric and Subsequent Mining at Alderley Edge etc.. Trans. Lancs. and Ches. Antiqn. Soc. Vol. 19, pp. 77–136
• Roeder, C. and Graves, F. S., 1905. Recent Archaeological Discoveries at Alderley Edge. Trans. Lancs. and Ches. Antiqn. Soc. Vol. 23, pp. 17–29
• Stanley, Louisa D., 1843. Alderley Edge and its Neighbourhood. Originally published by Swinnerton, reprinted by E J Morten, 2nd Ed., 1969. Manchester, United Kingdom: E.J. Morten
• Timberlake, S. & Prag, A. J. N. W., 2005. The Archaeology of Alderley Edge, Oxford: John and Erica Hedges Ltd ISBN 1-84058-007-0 doi:10.30861/9781841717159
• Warrington, G., 1981. The Copper Mines of Alderley Edge and Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire. Jour. Chester Arch. Soc. 64, pp. 47–73

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alderley Edge.

• Alderley Edge Parish Council
• alderleyedge.com
• Alderley Edge information at the National Trust