Bollington
Coordinates: 53°17′53″N 2°05′35″W / 53.298°N 2.093°W
| Bollington | |
 A view over Bollington from White Nancy, looking north towards Greater Manchester |
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 Bollington
Bollington shown within Cheshire |
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| Population | 7,095 [1] |
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| OS grid reference | SJ9377 |
| Civil parish | Bollington |
| Unitary authority | Cheshire East |
| Ceremonial county | Cheshire |
| Region | North West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MACCLESFIELD |
| Postcode district | SK10 |
| Dialling code | 01625 |
| Police | Cheshire |
| Fire | Cheshire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Macclesfield |
| List of places: UK • England • Cheshire | |
Bollington is a small rural town and civil parish in the county of Cheshire, (County Palatine of Chester), England, in the unitary authority of Cheshire East. It is located east of Prestbury. In the Middle Ages it was part of the Earl of Chester's manor of Macclesfield. , and the ancient parish of Prestbury. According to the 2001 UK census, Bollington had a population of 7,095.[1]
Bollington is also known locally as the Happy Valley.[2] It is situated on the River Dean and the Macclesfield Canal. It has become a favourite destination for those working in nearby Manchester and Liverpool due to its location and picturesque character.
Bollington's most famous landmark is White Nancy, a monument that some[who?] say was built to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo in the Napoleonic Wars at the summit of Kerridge Hill.
Bollington used to be served by the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple railway, a former railway between Marple Rose Hill and Macclesfield. The railway was built to serve the cotton mills of Bollington and Kerridge stone quarries as well as the coal fields in the area, principally at Poynton[citation needed]. The line was closed in 1970 because British Rail was losing money on the line. Now it is a popular place for walking and riding horses and is known as the Middlewood Way.
Bollington is twinned with Thurles in North Tipperary, Ireland.
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[edit] History
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Bollington was a major centre for cotton spinning. The Waterhouse Mill, sadly now demolished, off Wellington Road, once spun the finest cotton in the world, as was sought after by lace makers in Nottingham and Brussels.[3]
Clarence Mill still stands and has since been converted into luxury apartments, offering fantastic views over the valley.
One of the oldest surviving mills in Bollington is the very small Defiance Mill built in Queen Street about 1800, now restored for residential occupation.
There is a large paper coating mill on the site of Lower Mills. The original mill was built by George Antrobus in 1792 but very little of those buildings remain. A stone built traditional mill still survives amongst the more recent brick developments. In the 1830s and 1840s this mill was rented to Thomas Oliver and Martin Swindells for the production of fine cotton thread for the lace-making industry.
[edit] Culture
The town has several churches. The parish Church of St John the Baptist closed several years ago, leaving St Oswald's Church in Bollington Cross as the only Anglican church. St Gregory's church on Wellington Road is the Roman Catholic place of worship in the town, and the Methodists have a church opposite the council offices.
The town is noted for the number of active groups specialising in every form of artistic, sporting and social endeavour[citation needed] The Bollington Arts Centre provides a performance space for many of these groups.
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Every five or six years since 1964, the town has played host to The Bollington Festival which runs for two and a half weeks and involves various community activities, from concerts, theatrical, opera, art exhibitions, to local history events, science events and competitions.[4]
In 2005 Canalside Community Radio was launched to provide community news and entertainment for the duration of the festival. Cousins John and Terry Waite opened the Festival.[5] In December 2008 Canalside Community Radio began broadcasting to northeast Cheshire having obtained a full-time licence after five years of trying.
Hiking, cycling and riding through the hills and along the canalside around Bollington are popular activities. Boats can be hired for day-trips and holidays at Grimshaw Lane canal wharf.
The town is well known for its large number of traditional public houses, most of which have not been modernised.[6]
[edit] Governance
The town falls within the Westminster constituency of Macclesfield, which is currently represented by the Conservative MP David Rutley.[7]
Bollington is represented by two councillors on the Cheshire East Unitary Council, with the two seats both currently occupied by the conservatives.[8]
[edit] Services and provisions
Cheshire Fire Brigade have a retained fire station in Bollington. The town has a medical practice on Wellington Road, and a dental surgery on Bollington Road. The town does not have its own police station; policing is provided from local stations in neighbouring Poynton and Wilmslow by the Cheshire Constabulary. The town has a small yet thriving local retail community, with two bakers, three meat puryeyors, a delicatessen, and a small Cooperative convenience store. The town has several restaurants, wine bars, and coffee shops, along with the traditional public houses mentioned above.
[edit] Education
Bollington is served by four primary schools. The Roman Catholic school of St Gregory is on Albert Road, along with the secular Dean Valley Community Primary School. The Church of England has two schools in the town, St John the Baptist Church of England on Grimshaw Lane, and Bollington Cross Church of England on Bollington Road. St John's School is part of a federation with Pott Shrigley Church of England School.
Although Bollington does not have a secondary school, the nearby Tytherington School, Fallibroome Academy, King's High School, Macclesfield, All Hallows Catholic College and Poynton High School serve the town's older students.
[edit] Sport
The Recreation Ground, across the road from the library, provides a football pitch, bowling green and cricket pitch, all of which are in regular use by Bollington Cricket Club,[9] Bollington Athletics Club, and the Bollington Bowling Club. Another cricket pitch located between South West Avenue and Clarke Lane, by the Lord Clyde pub, is home to Kerridge Cricket Club. Bollington has a hockey club, which plays on the King's School astro pitches.
Bollington's youngsters can attend the local Youth Club at Water Street School and the Guiding and Scouting movements are all represented. Bollington United Junior Football Club (JFC) has three clubs for children ranging from under-10s to under-17s.[10]
[edit] Bollington Live!
Bollington Live! is a publication produced three times a year by a team of volunteer writers, editor and distributors. It is funded by local businesses who sponsor and advertise. It covers a wide range of issues of local interest, from historical articles, to matters of current concern. The magazine is delivered free to every household and business in Bollington, plus others in Pott Shrigley and Whiteley Green by almost fifty volunteers. The magazine was started in 1994 by a group of residents who felt that whilst Bollington was served by the neighbouring Macclesfield newspapers, it was in need of a Bollington-centred publication. All copies are available online[11] on the town's extensive Happy Valley web site.[12]
[edit] Societies and organisations
[edit] Probus
Retired professional gentlemen in Bollington meet weekly at Probus. The group has a healthy membership, and regularly has guest speakers.
[edit] Women's Institute
Bollington has a branch of the Women's Institute, which meets regularly.
[edit] Royal Air Force Cadets
Bollington is home to a squadron (236) of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps, which has recently opened a new headquarters on Shrigley Road. The Squadron had close links with 42(R) (formerly 236 OCU) of the Royal Air Force before the latter was disbanded in the government defence review in 2010.
[edit] Sea Cadets
The Sea Cadet Corps is for 10–18 year olds. The Bollington and Macclesfield Sea Cadets also have a unit website.[13]
[edit] Notable people
- John Ryle, Born and died in Bollington. Emigrated to the United States and became known as the Father of the United States Silk Industry.
- Sir James Chadwick, the Nobel prize-winning scientist who proved the existence of neutrons, was born in Bollington, and educated at Bollington Cross School.
- James Bailey, schooled, brought up, and lives in Bollington. A professional footballer for Premiership team Derby County.
- Libby Clegg, blind athlete, born and lived in Bollington until moving to Scotland at the age of 11. Silver Medal winner at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.
- David Dickinson, of TV's Bargain Hunt and Real Deal fame, lives in the town.
- Angie Lewin, designer of prints and screens, was born and brought up in Bollington.
- Terry Waite, best known for having been held hostage for four years in Lebanon, but who has devoted his life to humanitarian causes, was born and lived for a short time in Bollington; his father was the town's policeman.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Official 2001 UK census figures". neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=792625&c=Bollington&d=16&e=15&g=428749&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
- ^ http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2010-06-08e.183.2&s=bollington#g274.0
- ^ http://www.macclesfieldcanal.org.uk/bollington.htm
- ^ "Bollington Festival". www.bollingtonfestival.org.uk. http://www.bollingtonfestival.org.uk/. Retrieved 25 October 2008.
- ^ "Canalside Community Radio". www.ccr-fm.co.uk. http://www.ccr-fm.co.uk/. Retrieved 25 October 2008.
- ^ "Happy Valley pubs". www.happy-valley.org.uk. http://www.happy-valley.org.uk/pubs/pubs.htm. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
- ^ http://www.davidrutley.org.uk/
- ^ http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/local_democracy/elections/council_election_2011/alderley_edge_-_congleton_west/bollington_ward.aspx
- ^ "Bollington Cricket Club". www.bollingtoncricketclub.org.uk. http://www.bollingtoncricketclub.org.uk/. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- ^ "Bollington United JFC". www.bollingtonunited.co.uk. http://www.bollingtonunited.co.uk/. Retrieved 25 October 2008.
- ^ "Past editions of "Bollington Live!"". www.happy-valley.org.uk. http://www.happy-valley.org.uk/live/editions.htm. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
- ^ "Happy Valley web site". www.happy-valley.org.uk. http://www.happy-valley.org.uk/. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
- ^ "Bollington and Macclesfield Sea Cadets". units.ms-sc.org. http://units.ms-sc.org/bollington/Default. Retrieved 25 October 2008.
[edit] External links
- Bollington In Photos. This is a website about Bollington dedicated to photographing the people and places in and around Bollington.
- Bollington Circular Walk (Discovercheshire website)
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