Kettleshulme
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
| Geography | |
| Status | Cheshire County, City (1753) |
|---|---|
| Ceremonial county | Cheshire |
| Historic county | Derbyshire (some parts from Staffordshire) |
| Region | North West England |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Area - Total |
Ranked 603rd 10.65 km² |
| Admin HQ | (Kettleshulme Village Hall) |
| ISO 3166-2 | GB-MAN |
| ONS code | 00BN |
| OS grid reference | SJ843983 |
| Coordinates | 53°29N 2°15W |
| NUTS 3 | UKD31 |
| Demographics | |
| Ethnicity (2001 census) |
100.0% White 0.0% S. Asian 0.0% Afro-Carib. 0.0% Chinese |
| Politics | |
| Leadership | Leader & Cabinet |
| Control | Labour |
  Map sources for Kettleshulme at grid reference SJ988797
|
[edit] General Information
Kettleshulme is a small, quiet Cheshire village close to the border with Derbyshire. The village is on the B5470 road (Macclesfield Road) from Whaley Bridge to Macclesfield, in the valley of the Todd Brook, a tributary of the River Goyt between Sponds Hill and Taxal Edge. The village has a population of around 350 people.
[edit] Geology and Climate
Built on the boundary of the Carboniferous limestone and the Derbyshire, Cheshire Shale and Gritstone. The original settlement mainly consisted of a mixture of Limestone and Sandstone buildings, including the old Church, built in the 19th Century out of Limestone quarried near the town of Buxton, around 7 miles away. At 1000 ft above sea level, Kettleshulme is relatively high up which makes the weather colder at times, but its location and climate make the land very suitable for farming. The nearest weather station is only around 7 miles away in Buxton and recorded that the area has a mean temperature on average since 1969 up to the present day of 7.8.C and average rainfall per year of 1286mm.
[edit] Events
A lot goes on in Kettleshulme, even though it is a small village. The Church hosts a wide range of events throughout the year. Every Sunday there is a Church service held, every other week there is a Sunday School and on Christmas Eve there is a Christmas service which always draws in a large congregation. The Village Hall is the venue for an even wider range of events as well. Every six weeks, a mobile cinema company visits and screens some of the latest movies to be released. There is a Christmas party put on for the older people, which includes a Christmas dinner, and quality entertainment that goes on until late. Also, there is a New Years Party, Christmas Fair, Summer Fair and Easter Fair held throughout the year at the appropriate times.
There has always been a big rivalry between the village pubs, The Bulls Head and The Swan Inn. Every year the two pubs put this to the test in the annual Cricket game. Each year, each one tries to get on over on the other. A few years ago, The Swan secretly drafted in two experts from the Whaley Bridge Team to play for them. The next year, The Bull fought back by bringing in a player from the Derbyshire team. This year, The Swan Inn got former England international John Emburey to represent them. After this, the Kettleshulme Council decided that the pubs can only field 'local' customers to the pubs, and not draft in professionals anymore.
[edit] Things To Do
The area around Kettleshulme offers good walking. To the north it is quite easy to walk from the village to the Bowstones, an early Christian stone sculpture[1]. From there it is a short walk to Lyme Park. The views from Bowstones house are absolutely spectacular on a clear day. From here you can see the entire surrounding area for 20-30 miles in all directions, including, to the west, the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank, at one time the world's largest radio telescope to the North-West, the city of Manchester and its airport and to the East, the rest of the High Peak including Kinder Scout, the High Peak's highest point. For the climbing enthusiast, the challenging Windgather Rocks offer a good day's climbing with substantial parking and magnificent views over looking the valley. For the children there is a large football field, with large goals for the older ones, and small goals for the youngsters. There is also swings, a see-saw, climbing frames and various other play equipment.
[edit] Transport & Accessibility
Kettleshulme is just a few miles away from England's highest road, the Cat and Fiddle Road. Although the village is in the middle of the beautiful Pennine countryside, it is only around 13 miles away from the centre of Manchester, and a 40 minute drive from the city airport. This makes it popular for rich business men and women to move into, so they can live in a nice environment than the city and then travel into work in the mornings. There is a bus route that starts in Disley and goes through Kettleshulme to Macclesfield and back 5 times a day. There is no train station, the nearest one is in Whaley Bridge. That route travels from Buxton through to Manchester.
[edit] Claims To Fame
In 2005 the owners of the popular Swan Inn put the put on sale. However, this caused uproar in the village and a group of passionate locals decided they would buy the pub and run it. The story attracted attention from the media and was even featured live on BBC news and in many national newspapers. A year on, The Swan is enjoying its best trade for years and has opened up its kitchen to a top-class local chef who cooks a wide variety of meals. This has given many of the younger people in the village job opportunity's as well.
Back in 2004 the well known Dunge Valley Gardens, a five minute drive up the road from Kettleshulme appeared on the BBC TV Series Gardeners World. These privately owned and beautiful gardens, planted and maintained by David and Elizabeth Ketley are open to the public. The couple have lived at Dunge Valley since 1976, and started planting the gardens in 1982, initially with trees and shrubs to provide a natural windbreak for the more tender species. The garden is a 'must' for all nature lovers, designed in a peaceful, secluded ravine, with a natural stream running through. The valley floor and sides are planted with a wide variety of rhododendrons and a multitude of other woodland plants and bulbs.
Kettleshulme or Kett was once also a centre for the manufacture of candlewick material, but this ceased in 1937. The old abandoned mill still exists today but has no use. Kettleshulme's only other claim to fame is as the home of a 19th century record breaking character called Amos Broadhurst, whose beard grew to a length of seven feet [2].
[edit] Accommodation
There is limited accommodation in Kettleshulme its self, but there is a B+B on the main road which is clearly signposted.
Also, a short walk up the road, there is Broadcarr Barn. A rented property that sleeps 6 people. It is an old Medieval style barn with great views, and a large garden. It's set in a peaceful location 3 miles up a small windy lane and is for those who just want a change of scenery or visit some local landmarks
However, if you really want to splash out, there is the Moorside Grange Hotel, on the edge of Lyme Park, a 2 minute drive from Kettleshulme and where the BBC’s infamous ‘Pride and Prejudice’ series was filmed, Moorside Grange is one of Cheshire's premier hotels and is targeted at walkers and people that just want to get away to a more pleasant surrounding for a few days. The Moorside has 100 rooms, numerous bars and restaurants, a swimming pool with spa and gym, pitch and put green, a snooker hall and meeting and conference rooms for business meetings.
Written by John Burton
