Alsager
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Map sources for Alsager at grid reference SJ7955
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Alsager is a town in Cheshire, England, to the north-west of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and east of the railway town of Crewe. The town has a population of 12,578 (2001 census), and is administered by Congleton Borough Council.
Although Alsager is in Cheshire, it has a Stoke-on-Trent post code (ST7).
Alsager is located at (53.1000, -2.2833)1.
In the centre of Alsager is a lake called Alsager Mere. This isolated pool, once the focal point of the town, is now only accessible by two very small, fenced public viewing areas and by local residents who have gardens adjoining the waters.
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[edit] Transport
Alsager is off junction 16 of the M6, and is also served by the local Crewe to Derby railway service (see Alsager railway station). Buses (The number 20) run to Crewe and Hanley every 20 minutes. Regional Route 70 passes to the west of the town. The 78 bus service links Alsager with Sandbach and Congleton.
The Trent and Mersey Canal runs just to the north-east to the town, forming part of the Cheshire Ring Canal Walk and the South Cheshire Way footpath. The canal's towpath and the nearby 'Salt Line' are also national routes of the National Cycle Network.
[edit] Education
Manchester Metropolitan University.
Alsager is home to the Contemporary Arts and Sports Science Departments of the Manchester Metropolitan University. The University absorbed the former Crewe & Alsager College of Higher Education, forming the Crewe and Alsager Faculty, now retitled MMU Cheshire. The Alsager Arts Centre is on campus, which promotes touring contemporary dance, music, theatre, live art, performance writing and visual art events to the public as well as members of the university community.
The university will vacate the site in the next five years, relocating to the university's Crewe campus, and the land sold for development. As yet no firm plans have been released and the uncertainty is concerning residents and businesses.
Alsager School
Alsager School is situated opposite the Manchester Metropolitan University campus and is attended by over 1600 pupils from the local area.
[edit] Sport
Alsager is home to Alsager Town F.C. and Alsager Cricket Club. It also has a number of youth teams in the 'lads'n'dads' league. The English Cycling Team is based on the MMU campus. There is a thriving pool league. There is a swimming club. The MMU Sport Science Department is highly regarded and the Italian Football Team trained there during the 1996 European Football Championship.
[edit] Art and Architecture
Housed on the Manchester Metropolitan University's campus, Alsager Arts Centre has an acclaimed public programme of touring new performance and visual art work presented in two intensive seasons - September to November and January to March. The core of the work is programmed into the Axis Theatre, the Dance Studio or the Arts Centre Gallery of the Alsager Campus of Manchester Metropolitan University, Cheshire. The centre is regularly funded by Arts Council England and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Students exploring Situationism sometimes make 'interventions' in the town.
Artist James Lloyd was born in the town.
There are often art shows at the public library.
[edit] Pastimes and Leisure Pursuits
There is a stong tradition of allotment holding in the village. The Alsager Gardens Association [1] do the administration. They also sell seeds and gardening suplies to members.
[edit] History
The Church Lawton Barrows form part of a significant Bronze Age site near the town. Alsager ('Eleacier' in the Domesday Book) was a small farming village until the 19th century when due to its rail connections and rural character, it became a home of choice for pottery works managers from the nearby city of Stoke-on-Trent. During World War II a large armaments factory was built outside the town at Radway Green, and it was expanded dramatically to house the influx of factory workers. In the 1960s baby boomers, often qualified in sciences or mathematics moved to the area to work at ICL in Kidsgrove. The failure of the business resulted in many early retirements.
These days there are few graduate jobs available in the area and the offspring of the baby boomers often have to move to London, Manchester or Liverpool to find employment. This has lead to an aging population, and houses that are too expensive and large for younger, less qualified people to buy. Most newcomers commute to Liverpool, Manchester or Birmingham and have often made money on the property ladder. Out of town supermarkets have affected the high street in Alsager and shops are vacant and the last greengrocer has closed. Plans to sell part of the Civic Centre Car Park have been met with much resistance from locals, however it looks likely that Kimberly Developments will offload the land onto Tesco who will build a Tesco Metro. The Small Faces played a gig in the St. Mary's Village hall, and the Stone Roses played at the College.
The churches are Christ Church (1789), and St. Mary Magdalene (1898).
Nearby is the historic Rode Hall and gardens, and the White Lion Pub.
[edit] External links
- Alsager Tour Guide - Information about the local area
- Alsager School - Alsager School Homepage
- Alsager Mere - History, Wildlife, Underwater Research
- Christ Church Alsager - Christ Church Alsager Homepage
| Ceremonial county of Cheshire [[Image:|40px]] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unitary authorities: | Halton • Warrington | |
| Boroughs/Districts: | City of Chester • Congleton • Crewe and Nantwich • Ellesmere Port and Neston • Macclesfield • Vale Royal | |
| Cities/Towns: | Alderley Edge • Alsager • Bollington • Chester • Congleton • Crewe • Ellesmere Port • Frodsham • Knutsford • Lymm • Macclesfield • Middlewich • Nantwich • Neston • Northwich • Poynton • Runcorn • Sandbach • Warrington • Widnes • Wilmslow • Winsford See also: List of civil parishes in Cheshire |
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