Alsager

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Alsager
Coordinates: 53.1000° N 2.2833° W
Population	12,578 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SJ796554
Parish	Alsager
District	Congleton
Shire county	Cheshire
Region	North West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Stoke-on-Trent
Postcode district	ST7
Dial code	01270
Police	Cheshire
Fire	Cheshire
Ambulance	North West
UK Parliament	Congleton
European Parliament	North West England
List of places: UK • England • Cheshire

Alsager is a town and civil parish 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.

Going clockwise, starting from the north, the civil parish is bordered by the parishes of Betchton to the north, Church Lawton to the north-east and east, Kidsgrove in Staffordshire to the south-east, Audley Rural, in Staffordshire to the south, Barthomley to the south-west, Haslington to the west, and Hassall to the north-west.

Although Alsager is in Cheshire, it has a Stoke-on-Trent post code (ST7).

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.

Contents 1 Transport 2 Education 3 Sport 4 Art and Architecture 5 Pastimes and Leisure Pursuits 6 History 7 External links

[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.

Alsager School reached notoriety, in January 2007, when it was visited by DJ Edith Bowman as part of BBC Radio 1's Star Pupil.

[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 and Portuguese Football Teams 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 Federation of Six Towns which later became the 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.

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
• alsager arts centre - Alsager Arts Centre website

The Borough of Congleton, Cheshire
Principal Settlements	Alsager • Congleton • Holmes Chapel • Middlewich • Sandbach
Civil Parishes	Alsager • Arclid • Betchton • Bradwall • Brereton • Church Lawton • Congleton • Cranage • Goostrey • Hassall • Holmes Chapel • Hulme Walfield • Middlewich • Moreton cum Alcumlow • Moston • Newbold Astbury-cum-Moreton • Odd Rode • Sandbach • Smallwood • Somerford • Somerford Booths • Swettenham • Twemlow